Constructive feedback: what it is and how to apply it in 12 steps

Feedback is the key to promoting better communication and performance in any work team. Through this powerful tool we can achieve greater productivity, learn something new, recognize and motivate to achieve success.

This makes feedback an essential component to expand our talent, since it opens doors for a and professional and at the same time helps us improve relationships with others.

Keep in mind that if you want to grow, advance and unfold your full potential, your company, business or venture must have a culture of feedback present.

But what is feedback?

Based on this brief introduction on feedback, which in Spanish means feedback, we can consider it as a reaction, response or criticism of a specific issue that has already happened, which gives us feedback allowing us to improve the development of a personal process or a work team. .

Another way to understand feedback is knowing what the benefits of giving feedback are. Keep reading this post to understand more and discover the 12 steps to giving successful constructive feedback!

Advantages of giving and receiving feedback

  • Openness to constant dialogue, emphasizing trust and .
  • Generates empathy by preventing disagreements or discomfort from accumulating on a day-to-day basis.
  • strengthens of the team, as it is a source of learning, and generates rapid progress in performance.

To build a feedback culture within your business, it is important that you have leaders divided by area or sector, since they are the ones responsible for carrying out this practice.

positive and negative feedback

In certain situations, it is likely that when we want to make a recommendation or suggestion to a co-worker, and even though we have good intentions, the recipient may interpret it differently. Has this already happened to you?

So that this does not happen to you, it is important to anticipate how the other person is going to take it, taking into account the difference between positive feedback and negative feedback. Let’s see!

On the one hand, there is the positive, whose objective is to recognize a behavior and reinforce that attitude, which will increase motivation. On the other hand, the negative appears that is related to the aspects that must be corrected or improved in a certain behavior, reorienting the collaborator to make changes. Giving you the tools you need to .

However, how you focus the conversation on a positive or negative point will make a difference in how the receiver is able to react.

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But you must consider that, beyond what one wants to communicate, you will always have within your reach the possibility of giving feedback that is constructive, that is, that adds value to both parties, empowering and allowing you to reach the top of the job. performance.

For this reason, I have separated for you 12 steps that good feedback practices must have. Take a look and apply them now!

12 steps to giving successful constructive feedback

1. Prepare to talk later

Take some time in advance to think and reflect carefully on what you intend to discuss and make a of the positive aspects and themes that will be developed, as well as the most important factors on which the conversation will focus.

2. Observe as a starting point

One of the best ways to obtain evidence to give feedback is through observation, which must be carried out continuously.

Write down the facts and situations you want to talk about, since observing is knowing how to select what we are going to analyze.

Keep in mind that the observation must be descriptive, avoiding any type of subjective opinion about the person. So focus on the facts and not the person.

3. Create an environment of trust and support

The conversation must take place in a confidential environment and without distractions and interruptions from third parties, since the venue is important for people to find a space for openness and establish mutual trust.

It is important to let the other know your willingness to listen, since active listening helps a lot to understand and evaluate possibilities for support.

Don’t miss the bonus at the end of the post!

4. Find the right moment

There is no ideal time to do it. But what does matter is that the feedback is given at the right time so that it does not lose its validity or importance.

This is a space of support, where the interlocutor feels that his work is seen and valued as such, enhancing his strengths and improving his weak points. Therefore, maintaining a constant frequency throughout the year avoids prolonging the permanence of certain problems and increases the good .

5. Evaluate with concrete data

Describe specific situations that exemplify the problem, showing and facts for further understanding. Be precise and give clear messages, avoiding confusing words that can lead to various interpretations.

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Focus on concrete facts and not on interpretations. That is why it is important at this point to quote that can elucidate the points in which your team is having the greatest difficulties.

6. Establish an action plan

This is an essential step, as they must of performance in accordance with the development potential of the person, and carry out the appropriate follow-up to be able to achieve them.

Make sure that the goals are aligned with the strategic objectives of the company. Thus, collaborators acquire a sense of belonging by seeing that their work makes a contribution to the success of the business.

7. Acknowledge successes

The changes and improvements are often not seen by the worker himself, therefore, you have to let him know that you noticed it, giving him your recognition and appreciation, since it will surely help him break and to evolve reaching a higher performance.

8. Offer 360º feedback

Normally, verticalized feedback from management positions to workers is usually seen, but, in this scenario, it is very important that there is a bidirectionality, that is: the dialogue has to be back and forth. But this does not prevent the company from offering other ways of giving feedback that can be just as positive.

For feedback to have an impact on the company culture, it is important to make channels available to promote an evaluation that takes into account the opinion of leaders, bosses, colleagues, subordinates and even a self-evaluation.

The ideal is that there are channels or moments where the worker feels free to talk in the direction that best complements his current need.

9. Encourage change for the better

This step touches on one of the main objectives of feedback: raising the potential of human talent, generating learning and establishing continuous evolution.

To do this, the search must focus on the skills and competencies of the same area and also of other areas where the collaborator has never worked, promoting an exit from the and finding there a new opportunity for success.

10. Propose superior scenarios

The constructive delivery of feedback always has to happen forward. This means that the problem and its impact must be specified, but solutions must be quickly proposed for the future.

Focus on solutions not problems. Use your creativity and propose alternatives to overcome the problem; It allows both parties to feed off each other to create an effective result with greater impact. Make the necessary agreements to immediately direct what is decided and, finally, monitor the results together with the other person.

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11. Provide continuity and follow-up

Already entering the final phase of the delivery, it is important to establish a monitoring and follow-up of the established action plan and the . In this way, everything addressed will materialize, motivating both parties, increasing productivity and getting more out of the next meetings.

12. Give thanks

If you have applied the previous steps, surely both of you will feel grateful for the shared moment where the construction and strengthening of ties forged a transformation and mutual enrichment.

Bonuses: Feedback in teleworking

If you have already given feedback in person, you may be wondering: is it possible to give feedback working from home? Can I motivate my colleagues online?

In the remote work or telecommuting modality, constant communication is essential to keep personal and professional motivation on the rise. For this reason, online feedback becomes essential in the culture of any company.

Use this tool to be present and shorten distances generating with your collaborators.

The steps are the same, you just have to overcome the face-to-face barrier and resort to the since it is the tool with the greatest acceptance and best delivery, avoiding giving feedback by email or via chat.

Keep a constructive record requesting feedback so that both parties can continue to advance their careers.

conclusion

Now that you know what giving and receiving feedback is, how to apply it and its importance as an essential process in any organization. Remember that by using this technique you will be avoiding the constant repetition of behaviors and unsatisfactory results at work, to give rise to opportunities for improvement, learning, growth and success, month after month.

If you liked this post and want your work or that of your team to be even more productive, discover .

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