DDelivering Great Feedback. Quote. Meaningful feedback is central to performance management. Feedback guides, motivates, and reinforces effective behaviors and reduces or stops ineffective behaviors. [1] Ninety percent agree that corrective feedback, if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance. Seventy percent think their performance would improve if their managers would provide corrective feedback. Fifty seven percent prefer corrective feedback. 43 percent prefer praise recognition. [2] Benefits of effective feedback. For people. Understand job expectations. Measure performance. Learn what they do well. Identify development opportunities. Set goals. Identify what they can control. Feel more involved and motivated. Take control of their performance. Increase self-awareness. For organizations. Reinforces good working habits. Redirects poor working habits. Improves working relationships. Improves business performance. Preparing Feedback. Make an accurate assessment. form an objective, accurate picture. Avoid common rating errors. [3] Leniency, giving overly favorable ratings in all areas. Severity, giving overly harsh ratings in all areas. Central tendency, giving mid-range ratings in all areas. Halo, allowing performance in one area to influence opinion on performance in other, unrelated areas. Similarity, giving overly favorable ratings to a person of similar characteristics to the rater. (age, race, gender etc.) First impression, allowing a first impression of a person to influence opinion about their performance afterward. Recency effect, allowing a recent event to retrospectively influence perception of performance over a longer period. Stereotyping, everyone has unconscious stereotypes, be aware of yours. Plan your delivery. Target. what do you want to achieve. Timing. give feedback as soon as possible after an event. Place. somewhere comfortable, where you won’t be disturbed. Person. tailor your feedback for the recipient. Language. avoid negative words and phrases. Body language. be open, receptive and attentive. Be prepared. make advance notes and keep objectives in mind. The delivery. Be specific. don’t make assumptions. address facts with evidence. Show relevance. explain the impact and put it in context. Be balanced. spend a representative amount of time discussing good and bad. Listen. be prepared to listen, and change your objectives, if necessary. Look forward. be constructive, not destructive. Agree goals and next steps. Follow up. agree a timescale to meet again and discuss progress.
[1] Manuel London, Job Feedback (Psychology Press, 2010) p1.
[2] Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, ‘Your Employees Want the Negative Feedback You Hate to Give’ at: http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/01/your-employees-want-the-negative-feedback-you-hate-to-give/ (15 January 2014).
[3] Manuel London, Job Feedback (Psychology Press, 2010) p80. “Rating” refers specifically to assigning a numeric value to someone’s performance on a predefined scale. However, it can equally apply to assessing performance in a broader sense.
© 2022 Mind Tools by Emerald Works Ltd
elivering Great Feedback. Quote. Meaningful feedback is central to performance management. Feedback guides, motivates, and reinforces effective behaviors and reduces or stops ineffective behaviors. [1] Ninety percent agree that corrective feedback, if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance. Seventy percent think their performance would improve if their managers would provide corrective feedback. Fifty seven percent prefer corrective feedback. 43 percent prefer praise recognition. [2] Benefits of effective feedback. For people. Understand job expectations. Measure performance. Learn what they do well. Identify development opportunities. Set goals. Identify what they can control. Feel more involved and motivated. Take control of their performance. Increase self-awareness. For organizations. Reinforces good working habits. Redirects poor working habits. Improves working relationships. Improves business performance. Preparing Feedback. Make an accurate assessment. form an objective, accurate picture. Avoid common rating errors. [3] Leniency, giving overly favorable ratings in all areas. Severity, giving overly harsh ratings in all areas. Central tendency, giving mid-range ratings in all areas. Halo, allowing performance in one area to influence opinion on performance in other, unrelated areas. Similarity, giving overly favorable ratings to a person of similar characteristics to the rater. (age, race, gender etc.) First impression, allowing a first impression of a person to influence opinion about their performance afterward. Recency effect, allowing a recent event to retrospectively influence perception of performance over a longer period. Stereotyping, everyone has unconscious stereotypes, be aware of yours. Plan your delivery. Target. what do you want to achieve. Timing. give feedback as soon as possible after an event. Place. somewhere comfortable, where you won’t be disturbed. Person. tailor your feedback for the recipient. Language. avoid negative words and phrases. Body language. be open, receptive and attentive. Be prepared. make advance notes and keep objectives in mind. The delivery. Be specific. don’t make assumptions. address facts with evidence. Show relevance. explain the impact and put it in context. Be balanced. spend a representative amount of time discussing good and bad. Listen. be prepared to listen, and change your objectives, if necessary. Look forward. be constructive, not destructive. Agree goals and next steps. Follow up. agree a timescale to meet again and discuss progress.
[1] Manuel London, Job Feedback (Psychology Press, 2010) p1.
[2] Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, ‘Your Employees Want the Negative Feedback You Hate to Give’ at: http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/01/your-employees-want-the-negative-feedback-you-hate-to-give/ (15 January 2014).
[3] Manuel London, Job Feedback (Psychology Press, 2010) p80. “Rating” refers specifically to assigning a numeric value to someone’s performance on a predefined scale. However, it can equally apply to assessing performance in a broader sense.
© 2022 Mind Tools by Emerald Works Ltd
[1] Manuel London, Job Feedback (Psychology Press, 2010) p1.
[2] Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, ‘Your Employees Want the Negative Feedback You Hate to Give’ at: http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/01/your-employees-want-the-negative-feedback-you-hate-to-give/ (15 January 2014).
[3] Manuel London, Job Feedback (Psychology Press, 2010) p80. “Rating” refers specifically to assigning a numeric value to someone’s performance on a predefined scale. However, it can equally apply to assessing performance in a broader sense.
© 2022 Mind Tools by Emerald Works Ltd
elivering Great Feedback. Quote. Meaningful feedback is central to performance management. Feedback guides, motivates, and reinforces effective behaviors and reduces or stops ineffective behaviors. [1] Ninety percent agree that corrective feedback, if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance. Seventy percent think their performance would improve if their managers would provide corrective feedback. Fifty seven percent prefer corrective feedback. 43 percent prefer praise recognition. [2] Benefits of effective feedback. For people. Understand job expectations. Measure performance. Learn what they do well. Identify development opportunities. Set goals. Identify what they can control. Feel more involved and motivated. Take control of their performance. Increase self-awareness. For organizations. Reinforces good working habits. Redirects poor working habits. Improves working relationships. Improves business performance. Preparing Feedback. Make an accurate assessment. form an objective, accurate picture. Avoid common rating errors. [3] Leniency, giving overly favorable ratings in all areas. Severity, giving overly harsh ratings in all areas. Central tendency, giving mid-range ratings in all areas. Halo, allowing performance in one area to influence opinion on performance in other, unrelated areas. Similarity, giving overly favorable ratings to a person of similar characteristics to the rater. (age, race, gender etc.) First impression, allowing a first impression of a person to influence opinion about their performance afterward. Recency effect, allowing a recent event to retrospectively influence perception of performance over a longer period. Stereotyping, everyone has unconscious stereotypes, be aware of yours. Plan your delivery. Target. what do you want to achieve. Timing. give feedback as soon as possible after an event. Place. somewhere comfortable, where you won’t be disturbed. Person. tailor your feedback for the recipient. Language. avoid negative words and phrases. Body language. be open, receptive and attentive. Be prepared. make advance notes and keep objectives in mind. The delivery. Be specific. don’t make assumptions. address facts with evidence. Show relevance. explain the impact and put it in context. Be balanced. spend a representative amount of time discussing good and bad. Listen. be prepared to listen, and change your objectives, if necessary. Look forward. be constructive, not destructive. Agree goals and next steps. Follow up. agree a timescale to meet again and discuss progress.
[1] Manuel London, Job Feedback (Psychology Press, 2010) p1.
[2] Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, ‘Your Employees Want the Negative Feedback You Hate to Give’ at: http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/01/your-employees-want-the-negative-feedback-you-hate-to-give/ (15 January 2014).
[3] Manuel London, Job Feedback (Psychology Press, 2010) p80. “Rating” refers specifically to assigning a numeric value to someone’s performance on a predefined scale. However, it can equally apply to assessing performance in a broader sense.
© 2022 Mind Tools by Emerald Works Ltd
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