How to Give Good Feedback at Work with Examples

Feb 18

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Workplace feedback is so critical. However, many of us can recall instances where we were given feedback poorly.

Here’s my guide on how to provide effective feedback:

Stay factual

Avoid subjective observations such as “you were really dismissive during that executive presentation.”

Instead, factual descriptions are okay such as “I observed you interrupted the executive twice in that meeting.”

Explain the consequences of that behavior

Avoid saying statements that don’t impact the recipient such as “you embarrassed me during that meeting.”

Instead, focus on statements that explain the consequence of the behavior, as it relates to the recipient, such as “By making me look bad, you affected your ability to close a $2 million dollar deal.”

Specify actions and behaviors, not outcomes

When it comes to feedback, it’s easy to focus on the outcome such as:

“Don’t embarrass me again.”
"Here’s my feedback: just close the deal.”

While specifying outcomes can be important, sometimes the recipient doesn’t know what to do or how to behave to get the intended outcome.

Assist the recipient. Specify a small behavior or action you’d like them to do, that will help them achieve the outcome you want. Here are some examples:

“Instead of reacting immediately to a colleague’s suggestion, I’d like you to wait 5 seconds before replying.”
“When evaluating risk, I’d like you to ask the team, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely will we complete this project?

Be careful with mixed messages

Too many heed the oft-cited suggestion to provide a feedback sandwich. Feedback sandwich is the technique of interspersing positive feedback to soften negative feedback.

Despite the positive intentions, the feedback sandwich usually comes across like this:

Great job in processing that insurance quote quickly; you responded back to the client quickly. But I noticed you didn’t ask any questions about what it was for. We could have uncovered an opportunity to talk about our other insurance products, and you know how important that is to the bank right now. However, I do notice that generally you have good relationships with your clients.

Instead, focus on a single message and theme. Here’s an example of how the previous feedback should have been worded:

When the client asked you for an insurance quote, you quickly processed the request without asking any questions. We may have missed an opportunity to deepen that relationship. Next time, take a few minutes to learn the client’s story. What questions could you have asked?

There are a couple of noteworthy aspects in this re-worded version. There’s a:

Specific example: “when the client…you quickly processed…”
Explanation of the consequence: “you missed an opportunity…”
Clear desired behavior, in the future “next time take a few minutes…”

In closing

It takes some preparation to deliver feedback well. But once you have all three aspects in hand, you’ll be surprised that not only can you maintain strong relationships with your co-workers, but also you’ll see better business outcomes.