Feedback or closing the loop
Most of my ‘hands on’, action oriented friends tell me, that improving basic communication skills such as listening or questioning is all fine… however, when the rubber hits the road, it is those little office situations that trip them up. Being a good friend and with a dash of professional interest I dutifully ask “Really? What kind of situations are you talking about?” On hindsight, I need not have bothered. As I know from my own experience giving and receiving feedback tops the list.

Of course, we all are familiar with feedback in social situations.
If your friend has painted his house and asked you for your opinion, you mumble something positive sounding, though the bright colors he seems to prefer sends you running for your sun glasses.

Back in the office, if the very same friend is part of your team, you hesitate to give honest feedback on his work. Or worse, go overboard with the criticisms.

See this imaginary conversation…

“ Hi! I just finished the presentation on our team’s performance for the annual conference.”
“Good!”
“Can you take a look and tell me your opinion?”

If you are the presenter’s boss, it is easy. You gently nudge him towards what will show your team in the best light.

What if you are not? How should you respond?

Well, a professional would give a very clear feedback, couched in non-critical terms. For eg:

“Putting the chart up horizontally is very interesting. Have you projected it to check whether everyone in the audience will be able to see all the data points that way?”
Note that the decision is still in the colleague’s hands and the point is made.

Here is what to remember when giving feedback.

Start with a positive. When faced with a situation where there is no discernible positive, then praise the effort!
Be specific. Say what it is that you like about that project or work. For eg: I like the way you started your article with a real life example. It helped me see the application right away.
Focus on the task not on the person. Instead of saying that you are an efficient person, say that the task is completed efficiently. This is lifesaver when it comes to talking about problems such as inconsistent performance or lack of punctuality.
Avoid all sweeping terms such as ‘great’ or ‘super’ in formal feedback. Instead, focus on the benefit or result. Eg: Ravi has achieved a 1% reduction in maintenance costs.

See how easy it is?

Talking of feedback, we look forward to your comments. Share your thoughts and ideas. If you would like me to address a specific topic, or explain a point, just let me know using the comment box below.

See you next week with the other side of feedback.. how to receive feedback graciously.

Gayatri