providing-feedback-tool

Providing Quality Feedback: For Managers and Employees

Introduction

• Feedback is essential to development. It reinforces positive behaviors, helps employees achieve their goals and allows for course correction. • Feedback is most effective when it is part of a regular process of inquiry rather than a single conversation.

Examples Example

Better Feedback

• You did a good job

• You restated relevant points and asked excellent questions in the meetings, like “if you were the project leader, how would you address the problem?” This helped the group examine their decision making.

• You need to be more customer focused

• You did not seek feedback from our internal customers before creating the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet would have been more useful to our internal customers if we understood what data they needed to drive their projects.

• You need to improve your presentation skills

• You seemed distracted when you noticed people were not paying attention and began providing unnecessary details and data. As a result, you had a less impact than keeping the message to 3 clear priority points.

Opportunities for Providing Formal Feedback

Jan/Feb

June/July/Aug

Dec/Jan/Feb

1

2

3

Key Goal and Responsibility Setting

Mid-Year Discussion

Year-End Review

Opportunities for Providing Informal Feedback 1. 2. 3. 4.

Utilize all available feedback channels Don’t let the challenge of finding time for face-to-face interactions limit the amount of feedback you provide. While face-to-face conversations is the most common method of delivering informal feedback, it is not the only method at your disposal. Other feedback channels have been shown to be just as effective as face-to-face, including:

E-Mail

Instant Messaging

Written Notes

Phone Conversations

Questions to Consider Reflect Often to Identify Feedback Opportunities: • Ask yourself the following questions each day. This will help you to identify opportunities to provide quality informal feedback and serve as a reminder to provide feedback as soon as possible after the event. Positive Feedback Opportunities • Did employee demonstrate improvement in a developmental area? • Did employee go out of their way to support their teammates or other colleagues? • Did employee demonstrate Our Winning Behaviors?

• Did employee go above and beyond what was asked of them? • Have I heard positive feedback from others?

Tips for Employees Key Principles for Providing Quality Feedback: • Receiving quality feedback allows a person to improve their performance by better understanding what is working well and what can be adjusted. Tips • Be responsible to get the feedback you need • ‘Play back’ feedback received to verify your understanding – seek clarification about what specifically you can do

• Be open, balanced and flexible • Share your perspective using specific examples • Be objective and solution-oriented

Tips for Managers

Tips • Help employees see their strengths and when their work is appreciated • Feedback should be well timed – as closely tied to the event as possible, but not rushed • Balance positive and constructive feedback • Be specific, not general – focus on relevant information and observations the person can act upon • Read nonverbal cues to get an indication of whether you need to elaborate or pause for the person to absorb what you are saying and respond to it • Make feedback frequent and informal and be prepared to receive feedback yourself

Summary

Providing quality, timely feedback will reinforce good performance and Our Winning Behaviors.