In a professional environment, it's incredibly important that we know how to give feedback.

NEWSLETTER 2 – GIVING GREAT FEEDBACK

Welcome to the Templeton Finn Newsletter!

This newsletter is all about one subject – giving feedback. It's something I think is incredibly important and I really urge you to use the techniques outlined below. It can make a massive difference to the performance and motivation of those you work with.

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?

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!

It can seem hard to give feedback in a way which really helps people improve their performance. However, there is a technique which is amazingly effective and quite simple to learn.

So, what is this technique?

Step 1 – say a few specific things they did well

Unless you make a habit of employing complete no-hopers there will always be something good in there.

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 learned or improved recently.

Be genuine and 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

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."

This step is hard to master! Remember, you're NOT saying what they did wrong.

Step 3 – make an overall positive comment about the person's abilities or progress

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!

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."

What are you trying to achieve?

As I wrote the above, I could almost hear the screams of dissent: "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.

For any of the others, this method won't necessarily achieve your outcome. But if outcome 5 is what you're after (which of course is pretty normal) spending just a couple of minutes going through this process may slow you down a little today, but will save you much more time in the long run.

It takes a bit of practice to master this

When I was first 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.

For example, when giving feedback on public speaking, we'd want to say "stop waggling your hands like a demented penguin!" or " you're swaying from side to side like a maniac!" Instead we had to say: "to make it even better next time, you could keep you hands and body really still".

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 that 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 dancing hippopotamus).

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

So what are you going to do with this?

I wish I'd discovered this way of giving feedback ten 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!

Roz Watkins