We recently talked about the benefits of real time feedback for all employees in an organisation. Receiving and giving feedback is important, but it is only really effective if the people involved are making the most of the feedback.
This isn’t always straight forward, as many people may be new to this process if their organisations have previously not encouraged a feedback culture. So to help we want to give you, and employee’s at your organisation, a few tips on how to best give and receive feedback.
Giving Feedback
Give details and be clear
When giving someone a piece of feedback try to be as clear and detailed as possible, if the feedback is positive explain what it was they did well, if it’s constructive explain what they could work on to do better in the future. Simply telling someone what they did was good or could have been better doesn’t help them to grow and develop, and ultimately that’s what feedback is all about!
Give a good mix of positive and constructive feedback
We find it’s a lot easier to give out purely positive feedback, after all most of us don’t like to say ‘negative’ things about other people. That’s why it’s important to remember that it’s not negative, but constructive, giving someone some useful advice on how they can improve and grow moving forward. When possible try to give positive and constructive feedback together, so you’re saying ‘this is something you did well, and here is where you could improve moving forward’.
Be honest
Remember above all, to be honest in your feedback! Honest and open communication is key for a productive workforce and better engagement. In general people tend to appreciate honesty above half-truths, and you aren’t truly helping anyone to learn and grow if you aren’t being open with them.
Receiving Feedback
Keep an open mind
It’s usually easy to take on positive feedback, it gives you a good feeling to get a shout out for a job well done, and often doesn’t require any changes to be made to how you are working. However, for many, constructive feedback from a co-worker, especially one who isn’t a manager or leader, can be much harder to take on without getting defensive.
We can often think we know better, after all we’re the one who does our job day in and day out, or feel the feedback is a personal attack on us and our ability to do our job. For the large majority of cases however this isn’t true. Most of the time when someone gives you a piece of constructive feedback they are simply trying to be helpful and support you to grow.
Use this feedback to grow
Whether positive or constructive, when you get a piece of feedback you should ask yourself how you can use this moving forward in your role. If you get positive feedback for something you did well, think about how you can take that further, or bring what you did well into other aspects of your role. If you receive constructive feedback really think about what the person is saying, and how you can use this to do better moving forward.
Ensure all feedback is being stored
Every piece of feedback you receive should be stored somewhere it is accessible to you, your manager, and HR. By doing this you can look back on your feedback for self-development purposes, and managers and HR can view all of your feedback to get a fuller view of you work, which helps them get a better idea of how you are performing and developing. For users of Clear Review, this happens automatically.
To find out how Advanced Clear Review can help everyone in your organisation give and receive feedback, in real time, that is then stored in the system to be viewed as needed by the right people, book your free demo today.