People need feedback to know how their actions and behaviors impact those around them, but delivering constructive feedback is a bit of art and science. In this guide, we walk through everything you need to know to develop, collect, and deliver feedback appropriately. Without feedback, growth would be difficult.
Employee feedback
Provide feedback to employees about how they are performing and what areas they need to improve
Peer feedback considerations and tips
The best way to give constructive feedback to a peer is directly
- Deliver it privately rather than publicly
- Be sure to remain positive and genuine
- Avoid compliment sandwiches
- Comment on the peer’s behavior, not their personality
- Always assess whether you’re the person best suited to deliver the feedback
Peer feedback forms
Provide managers with a broader perspective on their employees
- Help fill the knowledge gap so managers can make more informed decisions come review time
- Examples: How often does John complete tasks on time, What are Jane’s greatest strengths, What areas of work could John improve in
How to collect feedback
Real-time feedback is the most important type of feedback for managers to use because it reinforces positive behaviors and points out ways to change undesirable actions
- Psychological safety is all about feeling safe enough in the workplace to be yourself, take risks, speak up, believe your ideas are being heard, and not be judged
How to Get Customer Feedback
Provide clear instructions and make the process simple
- Time your request for feedback strategically, when customers are most interested in sharing
- Make the request as personal as possible so the customer knows it’s coming from a person
- Three customer feedback questions to ask
- How happy are you with our services?
- Do you have any additional feedback or comments for us?
What is feedback?
Feedback provides an opportunity for someone to gain insights about their personal or professional actions and behaviors
- It is crucial for people to acknowledge where they stand in their interpersonal relationships and with the quality of their work product
- We need others to stop and tell us what they are seeing so we can incorporate outside thoughts and suggestions into our ideas of ourselves and improve accordingly
Breaking down feedback
Positive versus negative: affirming that the recipient is doing something as expected
- Negative: letting someone know their actions need to be corrected
- Formal versus informal: formal feedback is more involved and more formal, informal feedback is brief
- Annual versus monthly: feedback can be given at different intervals
- Verbal versus written: given verbally or in writing
- Manager versus peer: the type of feedback given depends on the relationships between the people involved
How to Ask for Feedback
Be open to receiving feedback
- Self-awareness and humility are crucial traits for business professionals
- Keep an open mind
- Ask follow-up questions to clarify and understand what the person is trying to communicate
- Don’t be on the defensive
Chapter 1: Introduction
What is feedback?
- Types of feedback, the qualities of effective feedback, and how to ask for feedback
- Peer feedback – giving and receiving feedback among peers in the workplace
- Employee feedback – tips on delivering feedback to employees
- Customer feedback – ways to collect and make use of it
- How to collect feedback
Performance Feedback
More formal because it tends to be scheduled
- Should cover both positive and constructive communications about an employee’s performance
- Feedback should reinforce behaviors that are consistent with organizational and team strategies and goals
- Formal performance feedback sessions should be quick and focused on the future
Collecting feedback through forms
Forms can guide respondents through the feedback process
- Feedback surveys allow respondents to provide quantitative-based ratings on job-relevant competencies or behaviors
- Metrics-based forms allow for comparisons over time
- 360 degree-based format allows anonymous ratings and feedback
- It’s important for managers to use the same form for all employees
- Collect employee feedback for whatever feedback style you’re using
Employee feedback considerations and tips
Have a plan beforehand
- An important part of the planning process is having an agenda and identifying an employee’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential trouble areas
- Feedback needs to be specific and related to behavior – or perceived behavior
- When delivering it, Wilson recommends that feedback be balanced
- It should be actionable so the recipient knows what they can do to improve their performance
Employee feedback forms
An employee feedback form should address past or current performance, along with future-oriented aspects about how the person can continue to grow.
- There should be no surprises – if an employee is surprised by the results of the survey then the manager has not done a good job of providing regular feedback.
Peer feedback
As a peer, you have less authority and are not afforded the same level of feedback as a manager or a supervisor
Qualities of effective feedback
Objective: Keep your personal feelings at bay
- Timely: Feedback should follow quickly after an event while it’s still fresh and clearly referenceable
- Constructive: Show you respect the receiver and that you are giving feedback with their best interests in mind
- Actionable: Include advice that the receiver can translate into immediate next steps
- Warranted: Don’t give feedback for every action your employees make. Give them space to make mistakes and learn from them
Customer feedback
Getting your customers’ perspectives about your brand, products, and services is essential to improving your business.
- Use this information strategically in your business, you can streamline your processes and solidify your customer base, resulting in overall greater customer experiences.
Customer feedback examples
Unsolicited feedback: emails, phone calls, social media posts, online comments and reviews
360-degree feedback
It comes from a combination of people connected to the employee
- direct reports, peers, and their manager, among other potential raters
- The goal is to provide multiple perspectives to clearly highlight strengths an employee can leverage, gaps they need to shore up, and developmental areas they should focus on
