The Art of Giving Feedback

When I say the word feedback, what initial thoughts come to mind?

I’m not sure what’s worse - giving or receiving it.

But why do we tend to avoid feedback or take it personal?

Let’s start by understanding why it’s important in the first place.

If you want get better (improve performance) you need feedback to know whether you’re on the right path or not.

So now that you know the purpose, it’s time to transition and talk strategy.

In the above example, the employee is giving feedback to her manager.

What a proactive way to communicate your concerns!

An often overlooked aspect of the Art of Giving Feedback is the relationship.

Connection is the bridge to giving/receiving effective feedback.

• That means people are more receptive to behavior change based on the strength of the relationship of the two people communicating.

• Delivering feedback with tactfulness factors in personality, strengths and values into how you say it (tone) .

• In a world of automation, don’t forget the human element of feedback.

Lastly, what’s helped me in my career is separating the message from the messenger.

Sure, who is delivering the feedback does matter.

But don’t only focus on the person giving it…listen to what’s being said.

And if you can, summon the self-awareness to isolate the feedback objectively so you can actually apply it (assuming it’s valid).

Feedback is something you may never love being on either end of, yet caring enough to say the tough things to help people improve can make a big impact.

Callie and me shared a lot of ideas, advice and tips on giving/receiving feedback in last week’s LinkedIn Live Event.

Give it a listen and if you need a soft skills speaker for your next event check out some of my past speaking events here.

God Bless,

Scott