In the classroom, a trainer has countless responsibilities. One of the biggest is delivering effective feedback. The way in which we tell a learner they’ve done something well or not so well, has power and impact. It’s a responsibility we should not take lightly.
My personal definition of feedback is: “Providing someone with praise and encouragement when something goes well, and suggestions for improvement when it does not.”
Feedback, when paired with Presentation and Application make for an integral part of training. Effective feedback can be a powerful training tool. It acknowledges competence, reinforces appropriate performance and behaviors, fills knowledge gaps and promotes self-awareness. Because feedback can be so powerful and often has a lasting impact, I’d like to share some tips to consider when it comes to delivering feedback.
It’s not what you say, but how you say it…
In her quest to groom me as a decent person, my grandmother used to say this to me all the time. I feel the concept is fitting for the classroom as well. A trainer can (and should) tell someone they messed up or completed a task incorrectly. However, when doing so, we need to be very mindful of our approach and delivery. From my experience, a helpful, caring tone of voice is much better received than a snide, sarcastic tone.
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In addition to tone of voice, be mindful of your other non-verbal behaviors such as facial expressions and body language. When delivering positive feedback, a smile, expressive eyes, and a few head nods, can seal the deal. The same holds true for delivering constructive feedback. Also keep in mind, it might be wise to avoid standing with your arms crossed, rolling your eyes or sighing when suggesting “opportunities for improvement.”
Be timely…
If you see a person make a mistake today, you need to tell them about that mistake today. If poor performance is not addressed until later down the line it’s harder to remember and eventually correct. Plus, the learner may get the impression the poor performance is actually desired performance, because of the fact it was never addressed.
Be specific…
Stand alone phrases such as “good job” or “that’s not right,” may not have much value. Instead, I’d suggest telling your learners exactly what they’re being praised for or why they’re being corrected. Whenever possible, try to give specific examples of what you’ve observed. Example: “During the debrief of our customer service discussion, you contributed some great ideas that would be beneficial in handling an irate customer.” Or, “I noticed you scrolled through the entire directory to locate the patient information screen. You might find it helpful to press the F2 key, which will automatically locate the same screen.”
Don’t make it personal…
Your adult learner desires to keep his/her self-esteem intact, so when delivering feedback it’s usually best to keep it focused on performance or behaviors. Addressing personality issues or incorporating our own personal bias usually does more harm than good. Granted, you may not be fond of a particular learner’s fashion style or color choices, but what does that really have to do with helping a person improve on specific job skills (unless, of course, you work in an industry where such choices are relevant to job standards and performance).
As you can see, most of these feedback tips are based on common sense. It becomes a trainer’s personal challenge, however, to be mindful of them and commit to practicing them each time we’re in the classroom doing what we do best.
Langevin Team
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I always liked the following three 3 rules for giving feedack (taught to me by Andrew Pickup). Start each sentence with the following words…
1. ‘I observed this behaviour…’ – Keep the feedback specific and focused on the behviour. For example, ‘I observed that you interrupted me repeatedly in the meeting…’
2. ‘I experienced this impact…’ – Share with the individual the consequences of their behaviour on you. For example, ‘The interruptions made it difficult to stay on track and I had to keep bringing the group back to the topic at hand.’
3. ‘I felt…’ – This comment extends the ‘impact’ but shared the even more hidden dimension of one’s feelings. For example, ‘The interruptions made me feel frustrated, and distracted. In short, ‘angry’. Note – There are 4 basic feelings: mad, sad, glad and scared (nod to Valerie Lankford). People often abuse the ‘feel’ word when they are really expressing an opinion (eg. ‘I feel that you are an idiot…’). If it does not fall into one of these 4 categories, then it is likely not a true ‘feeling’.
The key qualities to this approach are the following…
1. Be specific and tangible. Avoid broad generalisation or speculation.
2. Be personal and first-hand. Avoid hearsay or interpretation.
3. Focus on ‘I’ (my observations, impact and feelings). Avoid saying ‘you’.
My father used to say that ‘Relationships break down when people invest more energy in being right than in solving problems.’ A big benefit of this approach is there is no argument. There is really nothing up for debate. The observations and the impacts are statements of what happened and the person cannnot know argue what your feelings were.
This approach works just as well for positive feedback as negative. For example, ‘I observed that you took time to help your colleague today. I experienced the impact that the person did the task faster and better than I have ever seen them do it. I felt inspired (happy) by your generosity.’ One of the benefits of using this approach that seems more matter-of-fact is that it avoids the pitfall of coming across patronizing or judgemental in your positive feedback even when it is intended as being flattering and uplifting.