1. Don’t
use the compliment sandwich approach
What’s this, I hear you say?
Well, a compliment sandwich is feedback that starts with a compliment,
then something bad and ends with a compliment again.
Let’s take a look:
“I
really like that shirt you’re wearing. It’s really colourful”.
“I don’t think it’s really appropriate for the office, though”.
“But, I love your taste”.
“I don’t think it’s really appropriate for the office, though”.
“But, I love your taste”.
What’s wrong with this
approach? Well, it can be completely misunderstood. The recipient will
either hear all the praise or all the criticism. If you need to give critical
feedback, don’t ‘sandwich’ it between compliments. Be direct.
2. Don’t
delay giving feedback
If there’s a problem with an
employee’s work, deal with the problem immediately. Don’t delay and allow your
frustrations to grow because you will end up venting that frustration and
making things personal. Giving regular feedback should be something that comes
naturally. It will help your employees know how they are doing and what is expected
of them.
3. Don’t
give negative feedback only
There are some managers I’ve
worked with who only knew how to deliver critical (negative) feedback but never
said a word when one of us had done a good job. That can be so demoralising.
People need to know when they’ve done well too because it creates a sense of
well-being and accountability. If I know my good work is recognised, I am more
likely to keep doing good work.
4. Don’t
be unkind
There are some managers who
enjoy making their feedback personal and demeaning (humiliating). There is no
need for that. Not if you want loyalty from your staff and you want them to
develop professionally.
5. Don’t
generalise – be specific
When giving feedback, refer to
specific examples. Don’t generalise. Don’t say “You’re slow in submitting
reports”. Say instead, “You’ve been late in submitting the last two sales
reports “.
The same is true for giving
praise or positive feedback. Don’t just say, “You’re doing a great job”. Say
instead, “Your last article for the magazine was excellent”.
6. Don’t
make giving feedback a special event
You should give feedback regularly to
encourage behaviour you want to see more of, to prevent bad habits from
becoming ingrained, and foster an atmosphere of open communication. Providing
feedback regularly can also allow you to address potential problems while
they’re still small, rather than telling an employee that what they’ve been
doing for months is wrong.
7. Don’t
not tell them how they can change
When you’ve giving corrective
feedback, give a concrete and detailed description of what your employee needs
to improve or change.
You could say something like: ” What I think you could do even better is ……”.
It’s important that what you’re asking them to change or improve is doable. They cannot change their personality but they can change their behaviour.
You could say something like: ” What I think you could do even better is ……”.
It’s important that what you’re asking them to change or improve is doable. They cannot change their personality but they can change their behaviour.
Feedback must be given for the
purpose of helping your employees improve or change and hear from you the
impact their actions or behaviour have.
8. Don’t
wait for the annual performance review
So many managers wait for the
annual performance review to give their employees feedback instead of
giving regular, ongoing feedback throughout the year. In fact, if anything
in an evaluation is a surprise to the employee, it’s a sign that the manager
hasn’t been doing their job.
If you’re a manager do you
give regular feedback? Do you receive feedback as an employee? Does your
company have an efficient feedback system? I’d love to know what your
thoughts are about feedback culture in companies in your country.
Sourse: https://englishwithatwist.com
Sourse: https://englishwithatwist.com