The 12 Rules of Giving Negative Feedback (According to Experts)

The 12 Rules of Giving Negative Feedback According to Experts No one loves being the bad guy or gal. Luckily, there are easy guidelines that can make giving negative feedback much less stressful. Myth-Busting 3 Negative Feedback Beliefs There are many common misconceptions about giving negative feedback. Let's look at a few to make sure we get our facts right. Belief #1 Negative feedback does not improve performance. MYTH-BUSTED: REALITY: Negative feedback can Inform you where to focus your efforts and how to Improve, Negative feedback leads to higher performance when It's specific. according to research by Finkelsteln and Fishbach. Belief #2 Praise in public, criticize in private. MYTH-BUSTED: REALITY: Research by expert Hackman By holding each shows that criticizing orlvate other accountable, reduces a team's ablity to hold each other accountable, as they responsiblity Is shifted and the team are only accountable to you? self-manages better. Belief #3 Managers should be the only ones giving negative feedback. MYTH-BUSTED: REALITY: Feedback Is a shared leadershlp Managers should create a safe space responsibilty, states expert Mary Shaplro. It is important your team understands this and that everyone says hls or her plece. where employees feel they can provide negative feedback. The 12 Do's and Don'ts of Giving Negative Feedback It's not hard to become a pro at giving negative feedback if you know what to practice and what to avoid. Preparing for Feedback Sessions It's important to prepare yourself and your colleagues for the process of giving and receiving negative feedback Let's look at some of the best practices. Do: Discuss the importance of feedback with your team. This helps colleagues see the reasoning behind why you do it, states organizational expert Ashkenas. Don't: Expect too much too quickly. Organizational behavior expert Shapiro suggests getting your team comfortable with giving and receiving feedback by building it up. 8 6 4 ?! Try this: Set up a pre-feedback meeting. Ask each team member why they feel critical feedback is necessary. Try this: In the first few feedback sessions, ask team members to rate how the team is doing before focusing on individual members. Do: Schedule regular weekly reviews. Shapiro suggests creating regular structured feedback opportunities as Don't: Combine critical feedback with a conversation about salary and promotions.“ Separating these topics removes some of the the best way to foster feedback skills. emotions that often arise in these conversations. Try this: Schedule a reoccurring 10-minute weekly review. Try this: Plan two different discussions: one for performance feedback and one for possible promotion. Do: Plan project briefs and debriefs to discuss improvements. This allows the team setup and closure and offers guidelines for personal growth. Try this: Ask, "What can we do better next time?" During Feedback Sessions Now that you've smoothed the way, it's time to practice what you preach and share your critical feedback with your colleagues. Do: Start meetings with self-reviewS. Shapiro advises to let others Don't: Jump right in. express how they are getting on first before diving in with criticism. Ask for permission before diving into your feedback.5 Doing this prepares the receiver and builds trust. Try this: Ask team members to prepare Try this: Ask, "CanI share for a self-review before each meeting. some feedback with you?" Do: Be open to change your mind. Listen to the receiver's Don't: Be vague. Research has shown that people struggle with not getting enough specific feedback.? point of view and allow your opinion to change based on what you hear. Try this: Ask follow-up questions to get a clear picture Try this: Give clear solutions, such as, "Email the team 24 hours before the deadline if you think you might miss it." of the situation. Don't: Use the "sandwich" approach. Sandwiching your Do: Ask for feedback on your feedback. Giving feedback is something you can, and should, practice. Ask people for their opinion on how you deliver your feedback negative feedback between two pieces of positive feedback could lead to people mistrusting your positive feedback. Try this: After giving feedback, ask, "How clear was my feedback on a scale from 1-10?" Try this: Be direct, "l want to talk with you because I have some concerns l'd like us to learn from." Allow conflict to happen. Even on the best teams, disagreements happen. Don't try solving the problem yourself, but rather focus on facilitating the conversation. Try this: Start the conversation with, "Can you explain in your own words what you think the other person meant?" Be an inspiration to your colleagues. In the wise words of Bill Gates, "We all need people who give us feedback. That's how we improve." Sources: 1 Grant Halvorson, H. (2013). Sometimes, Negative Feedback Is Best. psychologytoday.com 2 Schwarz, R. (2013). How Critizizing in Private Undermines Your Team. hbr.org 3 Knight, R. (2014). How to Give Your Team Feedback. hbr.org 4 Ashkenas, R. (2014). Stop Pretending You Can't Give Candid Feedback. hbr.org 5 Bregman, P. (2011). Don't Be Nice; Be Helpful. hbr.org 6 Phoel, C.M. (2009). Feedback That Works. hbr.org 7 Correll, S. (2016). Research: Vague Feedback Is Holding Women Back. hbr.org 8 Schwarz, R. (2013) The "Sandwich Approach" Undermines Your Feedback. hbr.org 9 Knight, R. (2014). How to Give Your Team Feedback. hbr.org HEADWAY CAPITAL. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License - www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 CREDIT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES