Is 'No News Good News' For Your Team? - How to Give Feedback and Why Feedback is Important

The giving and receiving of feedback is probably one of the most vital skills in management. Good feedback is highly motivational, developmental and most of all beneficial to the bottom line.

People wont get great at their jobs unless you are prepared to give them regular feedback. But how many of you hate giving feedback or think that you don't know how to give negative feedback?

One of the key reasons we shy aware from it is the fear that it wont be accepted, that we will be challenged on it and put in awkward situation. But what if the feedback you give is so accurate that it can't be challenged?

One way to do this is by using a very simple model: AID

This stands for

Action- what is the action they performed? Emphasis is on their actions, not on your interpretation of it. So you are feeding back what you observed or heard, not on their intentions, their personality or their character. Limit the number of actions you comment on to a number they can handle - far better to give feedback on one key action that they can digest and build on to make a difference, than ten things which leaves the message diluted (and invariably leaves them demotivated). Because this is based on fact it is not subjective and therefore less likely to be challenged. (This does not mean you wont get excuses - see the full article to learn how to handle these.)

Impact - What impact did their actions have on the result? This can include positive or negative impact on the end result, or on the process itself e.g. the amount of effort needed on their part to achieve the result, or the impact on others, etc. Note here that we could also be feeding back on things that went well. It is so easy to say to someone 'that was really good, well done' without saying why it was good or what made the difference this time compared with previous occasions.

Development - How can they build on this for the future? Remember, the purpose of feedback is to enhance performance and motivate. So this last stage is important to determine what happens next e.g. develop to make it even better next time around, to correct a mistake or to perfect a process. Put the emphasis on what is missing rather than what is wrong - building on strengths or positives is far more likely to engender enthusiasm. Using open questions, ask the individual how they think things can be can developed or built upon. This will help to gain buy in and you may be surprised by the options they suggest.

This model works equally well for situations when someone's performance has been good as well as when you would want or expect something better.

Given in a constructive way feedback can not only improve performance but can raise morale, build rapport and promote initiative. It also opens the door for your team to provide you with some feedback too - So, do you think you are ready for that?