HOW TO GIVE AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK EFFECTIVELY
Optimal work relationships can't prevail unless those involved in the organization develop and
maintain an open, communicative environment where feedback thrives. Mutually respectful
relationships can be built and lead to effective team performance if those involved provide
feedback to one another In a calm, constructive, sensitive manner,
USE THE FEEDBACK SANDWICH
A. GIVING POSITIVE FEEDBACK TO TEAMMATES, COLLEAGUES, AND SUBORDINATES
Your goal in providing positive feedback is to help the recipient realize how his or her behavior is
having a positive impact on some person, thing, or group. This feedback will help to enable the
recipient to apply more broadly, or enhance, behaviors that are having positive results. Your
positive feedback will tend to be most beneficial if you:
1. Comment on specific acts or events. This will help the recipient have a clear understanding
of the particular behavior causing positive Impact.
2. Reinforce why or how the positive results occurred. This will build understanding by the
participant regarding what in the behavior was so beneficial.
3. Be generous with praise-but always sincere. When people are doing well or getting better,
they deserve to be complimented. However, undeserved positive feedback could reinforce
wrong behavior. Feedback that lacks credibility will jeopardize any positive relationships that
may have existed previously.
4. Give appropriate public credit. Take every appropriate opportunity to credit other
contributors when giving oral or written reports on progress.
Page 1 of 4
Collated from multiple Sources and Structured by Axis Human Capital Ltd.
www.axishcl.com
GIVING CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK FOR IMPROVEMENT
When giving constructive feedback, your goal should be to help the recipient obtain information
about how he or she might alter behaviors. Three key factors will determine the potential benefit
of the feedback. First, and most important, is the receptivity of the recipient. Second, is the
approach of the person providing the feedback. Third, is the credibility of the information itself.
1. Be sensitive to the recipient's readiness. Even those who boldly proclaim, "Tell it to me as it is!"
may, in fact, not be ready to receive the messages you are ready to deliver--particularly if
the information is delivered harshly or is surprising in its content.
2. Use considerate phraseology. You can provide information helpfully with a high probability
that it will be useful. If information is presented in a demeaning manner, it is likely to be
rejected or to make the recipient defensive. The recipient's self-esteem should be protected.
3. Be clear and specific. Do not beat around the bush in attempting to be considerate.
Ambiguity or vagueness will tend to confuse the issue rather than facilitate growth.
4. Focus on behavior, not traits. Feedback on particular behavior or actions, can be more
specific, more easily understood, and more acceptable to recipients than comments
regarding traits. Recipients also can see behavioral changes as more easily pursued than
attempted trait changes. Traits may be viewed as semi-permanent and too delicate to
discuss.
5. Express your feelings, not your judgments. The person giving feedback has feelings about
specific recipient behavior, but can only speculate about the motives behind the actions.
6. Be timely. When feedback occurs promptly, the memories of those involved are likely to be
much more accurate than after the passage of time. Even current perceptions are likely to
differ, and the longer the delay before they are discussed, the less likely the differences will
be shared constructively.
7. Be brief. Feedback should be a matter of sharing information. Brevity helps prevent
information overload and minimizes the risk of triggering defensiveness.
8. Confirm understanding. Seek assurance that the recipient has received his or her feedback
without distortion. Evidence of clear understanding can be obtained by having an open
discussion of how the recipient would summarize the feedback, and to some extent, by
listening to his or her thoughts about corrective action steps.
9. Ask questions. Introductory phrases such as "Do you suppose...?", Have you considered ... ?"
and "Would it help if...?" can make it easier for the recipient to consider a suggestion without
being defensive.
10. Suggest, don't dictate. "Perhaps you could" is a better introductory phrase than "You must." or
"You have got to." The recipient doesn't have to do anything.
11. Look forward to opportunity, not backward to blame. The feedback game is a game of
helpfulness, not a game for demeaning others. Turn from "You surely did make a mess of this!"
toward a more constructive. "How can we unscramble this and avoid similar recurrences?"
Present alternatives that might be pursued in the future.
Page 2 of 4
Collated from multiple Sources and Structured by Axis Human Capital Ltd.
www.axishcl.com
12. Undertake periodic damage control checks. Keep the recipient's comfort and receptivity in
mind. Periodically ask such questions as "Does this seem to make sense?" and "How do you
feel about our discussion so far?"
13. Above all, focus on the recipient's needs. It is important that feedback discussions focus on
the recipient's needs. Advice can only be defined as helpful by the helpee not the helped
An overly enthusiastic feedback provider may be focusing on his own needs to feel helpful,
rather than the recipient's needs.
HOW TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK
People who provide information on how they feel about the various things that you have done
(or are doing) are investing their time and effort to make information available to you. Without
their efforts, you would not have the information and you would not have an opportunity to act
on it. Whether you act on the information at all, and the ways you react, are entirely up to you.
Whatever you do about your feedback, at least be appreciative.
It has been said that, "The greatest weakness is the awareness of none"; and "He who defends his
weaknesses can keep them--and probably will." While others extend themselves to be helpful in
providing feedback, the recipient should see it as an opportunity to improve and should handle
the information accordingly. Because this approach by recipients is easier to recommend than it
is to implement, the following guidelines may be helpful.
1. Keep an open mind. The ability to keep an open mind has a major impact on the amount of
information absorbed. It also has a significant impact on the willingness of others to continue
to make information available to you.
2. Listen to understand. It is important to clearly understand the point or points being conveyed.
Listen carefully to what is being said, think about what the sender means, and confirm your
interpretation or understanding with the sender.
3. Do not interrupt. Maximized understanding is achieved by minimized interruptions. If you do
interrupt, do so politely and in the interest of clarifying what is being said. Otherwise, make
notes for use in seeking clarification later.
4. Control tendencies to react immediately. Your best interests generally will not be served by
an immediate reaction, either positively or negatively, to what is being said. The initial mission
is to seek clear understanding.
5. Seek further clarification, elaboration, and illustrations. Feel free to ask the sender for more
information to enhance the team's or individual's understandings. But be careful not to be
defensive or argumentative in the process.
6. Keep reality in perspective. When a sender expresses his or her feelings to you, what is being
said is reality to the person saying it. You may feel the sender is being illogical or
unreasonable, but remember they are expressing how they feel. That is their reality!
7. Express your appreciation. Whether you agree or disagree with the feedback being
provided, you can be appreciative of the sender's efforts. You are, in essence, receiving a
gift of information.
Page 3 of 4
Collated from multiple Sources and Structured by Axis Human Capital Ltd.
www.axishcl.com
8. Discuss suggestions for improvement. Those who have been helpful in providing feedback
regarding challenges may be good sources of ideas for potential improvement. You may
want to bounce some of your own ideas off of the senders--either in your initial conversation
or in subsequent meetings.
9. Obtain more information. Some feedback may be relevant only to your relationship with a
particular sender. For other information, you might want to obtain additional views. You may
seek more raw feedback, or you may wish to bounce tentative actions off others before
pursuing them.
10. Change your behavior. This is more easily said than done. Even minor shifts from old habits
may cause anxiety and discomfort. Nevertheless, you will progress in proportion to your
desire, dedication, and persistence.
11. Seek feedback on progress. As initial feedback leads to new action steps, continue to seek
feedback on performance against new standards.
Page 4 of 4
Collated from multiple Sources and Structured by Axis Human Capital Ltd.
www.axishcl.com