"We just finished a big event. Some things went well and others we need to improve. How do I offer feedback? Especially the corrective feedback?"
Let’s start by asking three questions to help you find YOUR way of offering feedback.
WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF YOUR FEEDBACK?Embedded in the question, you’ve got a two-fold purpose already stated – highlighting what went well and what to improve. Now what I’m curious about is what makes communicating those two things really important to you? When values are clear you are going to see evidence of them show up in what you do.
HOW WILL THE FEEDBACK BE HELPFUL?I was on a team for a volunteer appreciation event for our 1,200 volunteers. Those of us on the team put in a lot of creative energy and a TON of hours to make it happen on that Saturday night. Then, came Monday morning debrief with all the staff. You know the meeting when we spend most of the time talking about all the things that we could do better. I looked around the room and watched those staff in the circle who had worked on the event. This tired team sank in their chairs.
I share that story because to be helpful, feedback needs to come from the right people in the right doses. It's not that the feedback of all the staff wasn’t helpful, it just wasn’t helpful in high doses.
WHAT DO THEY NEED TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK WELL?We typically give feedback in our own communication style – it’s our natural tendency.
If you can step back and ask the question – what do they need? It can change the conversation. It’s definitely more work to push yourself out of your natural way of communicating, but it can make ALL the difference in how feedback is received.
THREE KINDS OF FEEDBACKDistinguishing the kind of feedback you want to give could make your conversation easier. The three types the book Thanks for the Feedback: The science and art of receiving feedback well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen talk about are evaluation, coaching and appreciation.
Evaluation FeedbackEvaluation feedback measuring against some standard or expectation. It can be seen as corrective because you are giving feedback on what does and doesn’t meet the standard. We tend to be more “scared” of this kind of feedback. And, yet, most people really want to know where they stand and in the absence of evaluation feedback they will fill in the gaps with their own assumptions.
Coaching FeedbackA lot of feedback, though, can fall into the coaching feedback category. Especially for an event that creates an opportunity to develop leadership, decision-making or problem solving skills in your team. And as you try to develop skills or experiment with new responsibilities, coaching feedback might actually be a better choice. You might offer suggestions or share experiences, but the primary goal is to ask questions to give them the opportunity to identify their own gaps and design their own plan for growth.
Appreciation FeedbackGoing back to the story I shared about the volunteer appreciation event, what was needed in that situation was more appreciation feedback and less evaluation feedback. Appreciation feedback says “I see you.” “I know how hard you have been working” “You matter to me.”
Imagine the power of all three kinds of feedback working together when you offer feedback on your event – listen into the podcast audio and hear some examples you might use of all three types of feedback.
If you have a question about feedback OR any other leadership questions that come to mind, submit it HERE! Let’s dig into those real-life, feet-on-the-ground kinds of questions!
Links to check out:
- Send your question HERE – in writing or by recording
- Book: Thanks for the Feedback: The science and art of receiving feedback well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen
- Blog by Annie: Let Empathy Influence How You Lead
- Learn more about Annie
