A Templeton Finn Coaching Article:

GIVING GREAT FEEDBACK

Do you know how to give really good feedback?

This article is about giving feedback to those you work with, and is a somewhat more detailed version of the article in Newsletter 2.

Do you feel a nasty churning in your stomach because you know it won't be pleasant?

How does feedback normally make you feel?

Ask yourself how you usually feel when someone says they are going to give you some "feedback". Do you feel eager and willing to hear what they have to say, confident in the knowledge that it will help you to improve your performance? Or do you feel a nasty churning in your stomach because you know it won't be pleasant? Do you really listen to it, or wait for it to be over so you can move on?

Most people aren't taught to give good feedback. And the traditional "feedback sandwich" doesn't work well (say something nice to soften them up, lay into them and then say something else nice at the end). All this does is make people nervous when you start being nice to them.

In a professional environment, it's incredibly important that we know how to give feedback. From sending a letter back for re-typing to working with a trainee, giving feedback is part of our day to day job. It can be a few years before a trainee has a letter of substance go out without changes. If the person making the changes doesn't know how to do this without destroying the trainee's confidence, things go very wrong!

I have always found it difficult to give feedback in a way which really helps people learn. But in the last few months I have been on some training courses where they insisted we gave feedback to each other in a very precise way. Although superficially similar to the traditional "feedback sandwich", the effect of this way of giving feedback on the recipient was very different. I found myself appreciating the feedback and welcoming it. I decided to practise using this method as much as possible, and have found it amazingly effective. However, although it sounds simple, the technique was not easy or intuitive to master at first, and it requires effort not to slip into the old ways!

So what is this technique?

Step 1 - Say a few things they did well

First you say a few things they did well, in very specific terms (not "that was good overall") For example: "I liked the way you gave the letter a clear structure with an introduction, an analysis and a conclusion; your analysis of this prior art document was good; and the language of the letter is clear for the client to understand"

Whatever you comment on, you'll get more of this next time, so be as specific as you can, and focus on things they have learnt or improved recently.

Be genuine don't make things up to be "nice". But unless you make a habit of employing complete no-hopers there will always be something good in there. It's a useful change of focus to look for the good things too.

Step 2 - Say one or two things that they could do differently next time to make it even better

Think about what they could do next time to make it even better.

Then you say one or two things that they could do differently next time to make it even better. The wording of this is important - you are not telling them what is wrong with the letter. That's not much use because it doesn't tell them what to do next time. If you've done something wrong there are an infinite number of ways to do it wrong again next time. You need to know what to do next time, to do it better.

So, for example: "to make it even better next time, you could make a firm proposal for action at the end of the letter".

Step 3 - Make an overall positive comment about the person's abilities or progress

Then you make an overall positive comment about the person's abilities or progress, e.g. "generally that was good and you are progressing well".

Think about what you are trying to achieve from this specific conversation

As I wrote the above, I could almost hear the screams of dissent from my patent attorney friends "What if it wasn't any good? What if they aren't progressing well?!"

OK, you have to do something I have emphasised in other articles decide your outcome for this feedback conversation. Is it to:

1. Create as big an improvement as possible in the trainee's letter writing abilities?
2. Deal with a significant concern you have about the trainee's progress (they aren't actually progressing well)?
3. Vent your frustration that it takes so long to train people?
4. Make you feel good that you could write a far superior letter?
5. Get a reasonable letter out to the client as quickly as possible you don't have time to explain the detail to the trainee

If it is 1. the above method will achieve your outcome. Your trainee can't become suddenly perfect overnight so there is no point in labouring over every minor problem in their letter. Focus on what they did well, and on one or two things they could do to make it even better next time and over a few months they'll make amazing progress.

If it is 2. - this is a valid outcome but best dealt with in a separate meeting.

If it is 3. or 4. you need to sort yourself out before sitting down with the trainee.

Outcome 5 is the norm . . .

Outcome 5. is probably the most common. You don't have time to train and come to think of it you don't even know how you write such a good letter anyway. (You are in the realm of "unconscious competence")

It is OK to go for outcome 5. sometimes, and to explain this to the trainee. But if you're there all the time (and you're responsible for training) your trainee will make much slower progress than if you could get yourself to focus on outcome 1. more often. Your trainees will also be more likely to leave. So this is another of those things where a little time today could save you a lot of time tomorrow. Couldn't you just find a couple of good things in their letter and one thing they could do to make it even better next time, and share this with them? You don't have to explain every little change you made. It's OK in the early days to tell the trainee you're making changes to their letter that you're not even going to talk to them about because they're not ready and that's fine. Obviously the client has to get a decent letter.

It takes a bit of practice to master this

When I was learning this method of feedback, I (and every other person involved) found it extremely difficult to state in positive terms what the person could do next time to make it even better. We were just itching to tell them all the things they did wrong. We were doing this for public speaking and we'd want to say "don't waggle your hands" or " don't sway from side to side" Instead we had to say "keep really still".

So why do you have to state it in positive terms?

As mentioned above, there are lots of ways to do things wrong so it's not helpful to be told what not to do.

Secondly, you tend to get more of what you focus on, and the unconscious mind doesn't understand negatives (whatever you do, don't think of a hippopotamus). Have you ever had trouble with an employee who kept making careless mistakes and the more you pointed them out, the more upset they got and the more mistakes they made? Not much fun for either party. Stating the changes you want to see in positive terms can get you out of that vicious circle. You have to keep focusing on your outcome and get away from annoyance about what they "should" be doing. Forget what they should be doing what are they doing and how best can that be improved?

Finally, it makes people feel better. Do you learn more when you are feeling confident and positive or anxious and insecure?

This is not to say people don't need a kick sometimes if they aren't trying hard enough but that should be a separate conversation.

I wish I'd discovered this way of giving feedback years ago, and I urge you to use it. It helps people learn really quickly, and keeps them on side. If you use this with your trainees, not only will they learn more quickly, they will find the experience enjoyable and will be less likely to leave!

If you're struggling with this, you can master the basics in a single coaching session. Contact Us to discuss this if you would like some help.