9 Ways To Be A Better Human By Giving Feedback That Works

The gift that keeps on giving!

1. Do it and get comfortable!

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The first step to giving good feedback is just to do it! We would want others to tell us when we're doing a good job and how we could be doing better so return the favor. Be a friend and give that feedback!

You can potentially be setting back someone's career if you don't share feedback because then they won't know (1) what they're doing well that they should keep doing and (2) where they can grow and elevate their skills.

2. Give different kinds of feedback.

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When we think about feedback, we tend to think more about the developmental piece (what people could be doing better) but the positive piece is just as, if not more, important. You always want to aim for a balance and celebrate others!

3. Provide context and be specific.

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When did it happen? What was it that they did or didn't do? Use the "S" and "B" in our recommended method of SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact). We'll get to the "I" later.

Situation: Provide context to the situation (who, where, when)

ex. During mental health week, this past October, I asked if you could lead our teams brainstorm..

Behavior: The specific thing they did or didn't do (what)

ex. ...You took the initiative to not only schedule the brainstorm but also coordinate with the beauty/style and celebrity teams to co-partner on our video push...

Impact: The impact of what they did or didn't do on the bigger picture/end goal (why)

ex. ...We were able to generate 8 video ideas which were all produced and get over 350,000 shares with 3/8 videos getting over 2 million views.

4. Explain why it's important.

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Think impact. This will help you keep your feedback objective because it focuses on the work and how it affected either the individual, the team/department or the company. The person receiving your feedback will take it more seriously once they understand the impact they have within the org.

This is the "I" in SBI!

5. Don't bring problems, bring solutions.

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If you're sharing development feedback, suggest methods of improvement/what they could've done to make it better. Also, check-in with the person along the way to see how you can support them and accelerate their growth.

6. Embrace different work styles.

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If someone has a different approach that you admire, pay them a compliment and then ask them to teach you! If it's something you think the person could've done differently, ask yourself if it's you or if it's really them. Just because they didn't do it the way you do doesn't mean it's not good. Did they still accomplish the goal?

7. Beware of biases.

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If you're human, you have biases. While we've developed them to help us quickly assess the world we live in so we can survive (red light means don't go), it leads us to quick judgments of other people that aren't based in something concrete. Some biases to watch out for when it comes to feedback:

The negativity bias causes us to remember and recall bad situations more often than good ones. Which is why we tend to lean on development feedback but don't forget to balance it with positive feedback!

The similarity bias influences us apply positive attributes to people that remind us of ourselves. (Ex. We went to the same school / grew up in the same town / volunteer at the same place so they must be as goal-oriented and collaborative as I am.)

The halo effect is when we take someone's positive attributes in one area and apply it to other areas. Just because someone can play the piano doesn't mean they can also play the flute, violin and harp!

To combat bias, use the SBI model to make sure you stay focused on the specific work and impact it had versus on that person's personality traits or attributes.

8. Consider the best method of delivering feedback.

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IRL is always best. Storing the feedback (in something like Any Time Feedback!) will help people refer back to it so they can reflect and keep track of progress.

Use both IRL and Any Time feedback when possible.

9. Lead by example.

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If you're sharing feedback and expecting someone to take it seriously, you better do the same! It's a two way street.