Consistent feedback is crucial to the success of any team. According to Officevibe, 82% of employees appreciate positive and negative feedback – and 4 out of 10 workers are actively disengaged when they don't receive it.
The caveat here is that it must be delivered the right way to be effective. Good feedback phrased poorly or given at an inopportune time may damage your relationship with an employee, and even lead to turnover.
To ensure that you're providing the right level of support and encouragement to your teams, follow these tips from Forbes Human Resources Council members when sharing feedback with an employee.
1. Use The COIN Feedback Model
Managers and HR can use Anna Carroll's COIN feedback model to establish accountability and trust with employees. Establish the Context first by ensuring the employee understands the background you wish to discuss. Then describe what you Observed. State the observation in a factual, neutral way, noting the Impact on you or the team. Finally, state the Next Steps that create accountability and follow up. - Julie Dopko, Sonova Group
2. Focus On 'What,' 'Why' And 'Next Time.'
Delivering feedback should answer questions of "what," "why" and "next time." Focus on behavior and actions, not the person. What specifically did you see or hear? Why is it important to change? Next time they are faced with a similar situation, what do you want to see? State the specific action or behavior. - Kristin Williams, Ultra Mobile
3. Make Sure It's Truly Constructive And Unbiased
Constructive feedback is the most valuable feedback an employee can ask for. Supervisors and HR teams should ensure that all feedback is free of bias or individuals' opinions. In addition, all feedback should be constructive in a way where specifics are included and the employee is given a fair chance to improve. - Tiffany Servatius, Scott's Marketplace
4. Keep It Balanced
Deliver the feedback in a balanced format. This format seems effective: "I Like," "I Wish, "I Wonder." Here is a customer service example: "I like" how you handled that situation on the phone. "I wish" you would use good listening skills on the phone more often. "I wonder" what would happen if you used good listening skills and trained your team on better listening. - Ben Martinez, Secret Tech Sauce Talent
5. Don't Take It Personally
As feedback is delivered, managers and HR will have to remember that employees are not purposely trying to sabotage their teams and organizations with their mistakes, attendance issues or other errors. The goal is to present opportunities for improvement or continued success. When a conversation becomes about the personal feelings of the manager, the employee's engagement will be lost. - John Mauck, WLR Automotive Group
6. Prepare Your Talking Points For Candid But Humane Delivery
When delivering feedback, supervisors and HR should prepare in advance the key talk points regarding the identified performance or behavior to be corrected and the specific relevant examples that will be candidly but humanely delivered. Also, remember the feedback meeting is a two-way process and the employee should have an opportunity to provide additional insight on their performance. - Bridgette Wilder, Media Fusion
7. Be Contextually Savvy And Credible In Your Approach
Context is a very important component of organizational behavior. Performance can be heavily influenced by contextual elements and should be a key consideration when delivering feedback. Constructive feedback delivered without any validation of events being discussed undermines the credibility of the supervisor. And, always remember that positives are as important as negatives. - Ekta Vyas, Ph.D, Stanford Children's Health
8. Speak The Truth Because You Care
People struggle with giving critical feedback because they don't want to hurt feelings and they fear the conversation. Yet, if they care about the person receiving the feedback (and they usually do), they can find the courage to speak the truth. The person deserves it and will hear it better when it comes from a place of care and concern. - Sara Whitman, Peppercomm
9. Give Positive Feedback First
In giving feedback, always start out with the positives. Outline what the employee does well and make mention of all the wonderful contributions they have made to enhance your department. This will soften the blow and place the employee in the right frame of mind to accept your feedback as constructive criticism. - Charece Newell, MSILR, sHRBP, Sunspire Health
10. Share The Accountability And Encourage Self-Evaluation
Often we focus’ on how managers can improve and develop their feedback. Equally important is teaching employees their responsibilities to seek and self-evaluate. Help employees recognize when they get defensive and minimize blind spots. The message can be perfectly delivered but it’s also what the recipient does with it that makes a difference. - Thoai Ha, Lynx Innovation
