By: Megan Jones

Feedback is essential in helping your organization grow and thrive. Feedback can be both positive and negative however, the outcome from receiving feedback should remain positive. It can be difficult to hear negative feedback, however, if you frame it politely, it creates the opportunity to grow. Additionally, when given appropriately and effectively it can be a learning opportunity for both parties and help your organization as a whole. To help you give the best feedback possible, here are 5 ways to give better feedback!

Why is Feedback Important?

Feedback is how we learn, grow, and provide others with experiential insight. If you are receiving feedback, take it as an opportunity to expand your professional growth. If you are the one providing feedback, you are creating a space to help your colleague learn more about how the organization functions as a whole. Moreover, you are providing them with insight based on your experience, to help make your team stronger. Whether giving or getting feedback it is a teaching moment for both, and should be able to increase your productivity and team cohesion.

5 Ways to Give Feedback

Be Direct

If you are giving feedback, be direct. You want to be clear and concise about what you intend to achieve by giving feedback. You can state exactly how you would like to see improvement and provide resources on how to achieve that goal. Moreover, you can provide insight about why this improvement is necessary and how it will streamline business processes.

Think Before You Speak

Before providing anyone with feedback, take the time to plan out how you would like to say it. Gather any relevant information or statistics. Again, you want to ensure you stay on message and it is clear why you are providing this feedback—this takes time, so plan accordingly.

Give Examples and Context

When giving feedback remember to come with examples and provide context so you can thoroughly explain what and why you are giving the feedback. When providing the context, share how it affects the big picture and organization. Additionally, when providing examples, this is another opportunity to be clear and direct on why you are providing the feedback.

Keep it Conversational

When giving feedback, the conversation should not be one-sided. When discussing feedback, ensure it is conversational. You can even ask for feedback on the feedback you are giving. Additionally, allow the person to ask question and get clarification. You both should leave the conversation confident about the information that was discussed.

Be Positive

When giving feedback remember to be positive and kind to your audience. If you are giving feedback, ensure you are creating a positive space to ensure the person receiving feedback feels comfortable to ask questions and to positively retain the message that you are trying to convey.

Feedback can be difficult and we hope these tips help you give more positive and efficient feedback!