Feedback.
We all want it, we all need it, but we dont always know what to do with it and we dont always know how to give it.
There is much good advice and wise counsel that can be shared about how to give feedback more effectively; however, in this article I want to focus on providing balanced feedback as one way to make it more useful, accepted and effective. But before we get too far into making feedback balanced, we must define the four
types of feedback:
Negative feedback, or corrective comments about past behavior. These are things that didnt go well.
Positive feedback, or affirming comments about past behavior. These are things that went well and need to be repeated.
Negative feedforward, or corrective comments about future behavior. These are things that dont need to be repeated next time.
Positive feedforward, or affirming comments about future behavior. These are things that would improve performance in the future.
In sharing these four types of feedback with many people and groups, most people feel that they seldom get all four types of feedback. In fact, for many people when they think of feedback, they can only think of negative feedback often this is the lions share of what they have received in their life.
When you think about the types of feedback this way, it isnt hard to see that each type can be valuable, which leads to the point that balanced feedback is very desirable. However it is hard to expect ourselves or others to give balanced feedback if we unfortunately have never (or rarely) received it.
Think about yourself for a minute. When you really want to improve your performance and reflect what you have done as a way to critique and improve yourself you very likely look at all four types of feedback. You start by asking yourself what you did well and what you need to change. Then you look forward and think about what you want to do the next time (and what you dont want to do).
If it works for you, it will work for others. I encourage you to think about all of these perspectives before you give someone else feedback and then share more than one perspective with them. You will give advice the other person is much more likely to hear, not be defensive about, and most importantly, decide to apply. Once you have observed a wider view of someonesperformance, and determined that you want to give them both positive and negative comments, then you must decide how to deliver that message.
Delivery of Balanced Feedback
Many articles and books on feedback suggest the following approach:
Positive feedback / negative feedback / positive feedback.This sandwich approach makes sense conceptually by putting the negative feedback in the middle, others will likely be more open to it. Mainly because they have heard something positive first and last, the relationship should be maintained, even if the negative comments in the middle are pretty hard to hear.This approach can work extremely well, unfortunately most people botch it up so badly, that the approach itself is often considered ineffective.
Why?
Too often the intent of the sandwiched feedback wasnt to make balanced comments at all, but only to make the negative feedback more palatable.
And why is this?
Not because positive/negative/positive doesnt work, but because people have very specific negative comments to share, but the positive bread in the sandwich is too general or vague so it is deemed insincere and unhelpful.
The Solution
The sandwich approach to feedback can be very effective if the intent is to truly give balanced feedback. When the positive comments are as specific and genuine as the negative feedback, it will be a much more useful and positive experience for the receiver.
The next time you have to give feedback, think balanced both positive and negative and past and future and then deliver that balanced perspective in a balanced way. When you do this you will help the other person succeed more quickly and more easily, and you will have truly made a positive impact on that person and his or her results.
Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. You can learn more about him and a special offer on his newest book, Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at http://RemarkableLeadershipBook.com/bonuses.asp
What to Look For In A Reseller Hosting Service
Having a reseller hosting service is a very competitive business on the Internet nowadays. The Web reseller hosting service businesses are continually thinking of new ways of advertising in hopes of getting more customers. This is an important goal for any reseller hosting service it is important to keep the customers, that you have, happy as well....
Never Give Up!
In life we are often faced with unplanned situations which can be both positive and negative. However, I will focus on the negative ones such as dealing with difficult individuals, loss of job, illnesses etc. There are so many ways in which things can go wrong. These circumstances can often be stressful and discouraging. In fact many individuals on...
My First Negative Email About My Blog and Why I Got It
I was inspired to take up blogging on personal development almost 2 years ago since seeing Joe Vitale in the Secret. I have zero past writing experience but figured I just needed to start and get good as I go.Well I just received my very first extremely negative email from a gentleman about my blogging, my grammar and my personal development philos...
Homeschool Lesson Plans Made Easy - The Secrets of Learning - Focus Your Attention
Secret Two: Focus on the IdealYou get more of what you focus on.For anyone who has been in a kindergarten class, it is clear that what you focus on increases. If you tell someone to stop running, you will be repeating yourself over and over again. If you tell a child to stay away from the toys, other children will instantly be drawn toward them. ...
Online Reputation Management - What The Heck Is That Now?
God has blessed consumers with the power of Internet. Decision making has become easy for them because they can share their opinions, views and interests with a lot of like-minded people through reviews sites, forum sites and blogs.What do you do, if your company is the object of scathing attack and relentless criticism? A place in the front page ...
Making A Career As A Problogger
There are many Americans out there who love to write, but with the strict standard and guidelines applied by publishers many have turned instead to writing and putting out their ideas via blogs. Blogging is now widely accepted and popular, and there are no strict editors or publishing guidelines, you simply need to write. The only drawback with thi...
Reducing Drug Addictions With Positive Self Talk
The syndrome of drug addiction is a weakness that starts when a person no longer possess the mind to resist the temptation of continual use of drugs even when he knows that the drug is no longer of benefit to him, or when he discover that the side effects are of greater magnitude to him than the beneficial effects.Medical practitioners have at var...
