Give Effective Feedback
Written by Dr. Holly Ward, PhD
“You did a great job, but…”
Feedback is a challenge for many supervisors to give. It can be a struggle to find the right words to help individuals develop and grow. How do you give positive feedback that is meaningful? Is it clear what the feedback actually is? In all aspects of life and the workplace, feedback is critical. It lets your team know how they are doing while also telling them how they can improve while there is still time to adjust and perfect efforts. That’s the whole goal of feedback: to provide individuals with insight that helps them to improve their performance.
How to Give Effective Feedback
We know how important feedback is to improving performance. So how do you ensure that the feedback you are giving is actionable, helpful, and focused on growth? It is important to be clear and direct. Make sure you understand why you are giving feedback. Remember, you want to let your employees know about their current level of performance and how they can improve. Use specific language that clearly communicates information that allows individuals to grow.
There are different forms of feedback that can be given:
Affirm what was done well.
Let your employees know what they have done right as well as what needs improvement. However, affirmation is different from praise. Praise is not feedback as it focuses on the person instead of on the work. Make sure you are affirming the performance rather than praising the person.
Provide correction.
Making mistakes is part of learning and should be expected. You want to create an environment where learning is encouraged. Be there to provide support and correction through that learning process.
Share the process of how to improve.
The important aspect here is to connect actions with the quality of work. What specifically can be done to get a better result?
Coach employees to assess their own efforts.
Coaching is powerful because it helps individuals monitor their own performance, evaluating how they approach a task and adjusting accordingly.
Don’t be afraid to give feedback! It is essential to performance and development and it is one of the most important tools that a supervisor has to grow their employees. It is your responsibility to your team and should not be ignored.