The Art of Giving Feedback

Copyright (c) 2009 The College Of Public Speaking

There are two types of feedback: the feedback you give and the feedback you receive. You could say that the feedback you give is a 'gift' within your control and the feedback you receive may sometimes not feel like a 'gift' at all.

Giving feedback is one of the most powerful and delicate skills that a trainer can employ.

Without feedback no one improves; without feedback you are working in a vacuum; without feedback you have to guess your way forward.

However, we must remember that all human beings are sensitive souls; especially when they are being offered a point of improvement. So it needs to be delivered with tact and awareness. No one likes to be 'criticised' and often honest, detached feedback can still be interpreted as criticism. It is also worth bearing in mind that the famous phrase 'constructive criticism' is in fact an oxymoron - a contradiction in terms; criticism by its very nature is not constructive. This may sound like semantics, but, probably more than in any other area of training, giving feedback is very much about how improvement is delivered. Therefore it is probably better to think in terms of offering 'points of improvement' rather than giving the double-edged 'constructive criticism'.

Here are a few rules for feedback:

Deliver feedback as a sandwich with the 'point of improvement' in the middle surrounded by praise and encouragement. Dale Carnegie, years ago in his 'How to Win Friends and Influence people', said we should be 'hearty in our approbation and lavish with our praise'.

So a good feedback structure to use is 'Good, Better, Best'; 'That was good, I really liked.... A few areas for improvement are..... However the best thing you did was....'

The psychology is that, since we all like to be appreciated and praised, by starting with encouragement the trainer is capturing the student's attention, which makes the student more ready to accept the points of improvement. And just in case the points of improvement do indeed sting a little the trainer must return to the positive aspects in conclusion.

A useful image is to think of improvement like pepper; a little bit in the feedback gives substance and flavour (although we all like praise, no one, who genuinely wants to improve, wants to receive what feels like insincere flattery). However, too much pepper can ruin the whole meal.

Therefore it is always a good idea to talk about the positives in 'lavish' terms - 'I loved'...'What you do brilliantly'...'you are excellent at'.. and offer improvement in subtle terms - 'one small thing'...'something you could think about'...'if I could suggest'.

Since the person receiving feedback may be feeling a bit sensitive, it is important as a trainer to understand the difference between 'description' and 'evaluation'.

Evaluation is subjective and can seem very personal. Description is objective and impersonal.

'The way you speak is very boring' - is a personal evaluation.

'Your tone of voice and speed stay the same throughout' is a description of what is happening.

Description is better accepted than evaluation.

Trainers must be wary of students who say 'Don't dress it up - give it to me straight.' They may mean it - they may not. Therefore, it is worth paying very close attention to their body language and reactions when giving the feedback. At best you are being given permission to offer a little more in the improvement department. Don't take it as an invitation to abandon all complimentary material and 'let them have it'.

Making feedback more palatable can be achieved by talking of 'I' rather than 'you'; 'I feel' and 'From my point of view', rather than the more blunt 'You did' or 'You shouldn't...'.

Feedback that is well-constructed is invaluable to a student's development. In contrast poorly delivered feedback can hold a student back, or even worse make them give up altogether.

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd'><html><head><title>Look For Articles - Articles Directory | The Art of Giving Feedback</title></head><body><h3>The Art of Giving Feedback</h3><br><br> By: Vincent Stevenson<br><br><p><p>Copyright (c) 2009 The College Of Public Speaking</P><p>There are two types of feedback: the feedback you give and the feedback you receive. You could say that the feedback you give is a 'gift' within your control and the feedback you receive may sometimes not feel like a 'gift' at all.</P><p>Giving feedback is one of the most powerful and delicate skills that a trainer can employ.</P><p>Without feedback no one improves; without feedback you are working in a vacuum; without feedback you have to guess your way forward.</P><p>However, we must remember that all human beings are sensitive souls; especially when they are being offered a point of improvement. So it needs to be delivered with tact and awareness. No one likes to be 'criticised' and often honest, detached feedback can still be interpreted as criticism. It is also worth bearing in mind that the famous phrase 'constructive criticism' is in fact an oxymoron - a contradiction in terms; criticism by its very nature is not constructive. This may sound like semantics, but, probably more than in any other area of training, giving feedback is very much about how improvement is delivered. Therefore it is probably better to think in terms of offering 'points of improvement' rather than giving the double-edged 'constructive criticism'.</P><p>Here are a few rules for feedback:</P><p>Deliver feedback as a sandwich with the 'point of improvement' in the middle surrounded by praise and encouragement. Dale Carnegie, years ago in his 'How to Win Friends and Influence people', said we should be 'hearty in our approbation and lavish with our praise'.</P><p>So a good feedback structure to use is 'Good, Better, Best'; 'That was good, I really liked.... A few areas for improvement are..... However the best thing you did was....'</P><p>The psychology is that, since we all like to be appreciated and praised, by starting with encouragement the trainer is capturing the student's attention, which makes the student more ready to accept the points of improvement. And just in case the points of improvement do indeed sting a little the trainer must return to the positive aspects in conclusion.</P><p>A useful image is to think of improvement like pepper; a little bit in the feedback gives substance and flavour (although we all like praise, no one, who genuinely wants to improve, wants to receive what feels like insincere flattery). However, too much pepper can ruin the whole meal.</P><p>Therefore it is always a good idea to talk about the positives in 'lavish' terms - 'I loved'...'What you do brilliantly'...'you are excellent at'.. and offer improvement in subtle terms - 'one small thing'...'something you could think about'...'if I could suggest'.</P><p>Since the person receiving feedback may be feeling a bit sensitive, it is important as a trainer to understand the difference between 'description' and 'evaluation'.</P><p>Evaluation is subjective and can seem very personal. Description is objective and impersonal.</P><p>'The way you speak is very boring' - is a personal evaluation.</P><p>'Your tone of voice and speed stay the same throughout' is a description of what is happening.</P><p>Description is better accepted than evaluation.</P><p>Trainers must be wary of students who say 'Don't dress it up - give it to me straight.' They may mean it - they may not. Therefore, it is worth paying very close attention to their body language and reactions when giving the feedback. At best you are being given permission to offer a little more in the improvement department. Don't take it as an invitation to abandon all complimentary material and 'let them have it'.</P><p>Making feedback more palatable can be achieved by talking of 'I' rather than 'you'; 'I feel' and 'From my point of view', rather than the more blunt 'You did' or 'You shouldn't...'.</P><p>Feedback that is well-constructed is invaluable to a student's development. In contrast poorly delivered feedback can hold a student back, or even worse make them give up altogether.<br></P></p> <br><br> <b>Author Resource:-></b>  The College of Public Speaking accompanied by Edexcel have produced a unique BTEC Level 4 Professional Award in 'Training the Trainer'. Workshops run regularly in London and the South-East and welcomes enquiries from around the country and abroad. For further details please contact us on the following links <a href="http://www.collegeofpublicspeaking.co.uk/Train_The_Trainer.html">Train the Trainer Training Qualifications London</a><br><br><b>Article From</b> <a href='http://www.look4articles.com/'>Look For Articles - Articles Directory</a><br></body></html>