Achieving results through individualized feedback Sarah Gremer Resident Director University of Washington

Fear of feedback Importance of feedback Common mistakes Feedback models Application Closing and questions

What is it and why is it so hard to give?

Feedback is the return of information about the result of a process or activity; an evaluative response. Other terms for feedback: Coaching Evaluation Constructive criticism Performance review (Answers.com)

Why do supervisors avoid giving feedback? Fear of being liked Fear of becoming too emotional Anxious about the responses they may get (tears, anger) Giving feedback can remind people of times in their past Fear of retaliation Lack of having a strategy for the conversation (Strober and Jackman, 2004)

Why should I care about giving feedback?

Why should supervisors embrace giving feedback? Feedback can reduce confusion and assumptions Feedback can improve productivity, quality of work, and effectiveness Feedback can help maintain high performing employees, and help low performing employees improve Motivation and initiative is increased Problems can be addressed before they have the chance to start (University of New Hampshire Human Resources)

Arthur Chickerings 7 vectors of student development Vector 5: Establishing Identity Receiving feedback is crucial to be able to establish identity.

Why should I change?

Speaking out only when things are wrong. Feedback can be both positive and negative (constructive) Both kinds of feedback should be given on a regular basis If feedback is only positive or only negative, it can give the employee a lopsided view of their performance

Drive-by praise without specifics. Instead of Good job today! Try Good job matching our sons shirt to his pants and socks. I really appreciate it and would love to see you do that again. Thank you!

Waiting until performance or behavior is substantially below expectations before acting on it. Do nothing philosophy Maybe it will just go away if I ignore it… Reality: It wont go away, it will probably get worse.

Giving positive or negative feedback long after an event has occurred and/or lumping all feedback into a structured performance review. This is one of the most common feedback mistakes supervisors make The employee will leave the conversation not knowing what they should focus on and feeling overwhelmed Many times the message is lost and performance does not improve

Not taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings, and reactions. You may have contributed in some way to the employees performance Acknowledge it, and then refocus on your employee Do not make the conversation about you or your feelings If you have emotions about the situation, process them before the conversation so they do not interfere with the feedback you are trying to deliver

Giving feedback through or over the telephone. Negative feedback needs to be delivered in person so that you can make sure your message is heard and telephone feedback can often be misunderstood and the message you want to share is lost

Giving negative feedback in public.

Giving negative feedback with no suggestions/ Discussion on improving performance

Using the sandwich technique to deliver negative feedback. The sandwich technique is putting negative feedback in between two statements of positive feedback This does not work because often the message gets lost and the employee leaves confused about if they have done a good job or if they need to improve The positive feedback can often seem phony when paired with the negative feedback as often the negative feedback is all the employee hears

Not giving feedback on a constant basis and not following up after giving feedback to an employee.

How do I give feedback?

The 3 Rs of feedback Regularly Right away As a Remedy, to change and reinforce behavior The more you initiate feedback conversations, the more skilled and comfortable you become. Feedback should not be just a single conversation or limited to annual performance reviews but instead a regular process that everyone feels comfortable with because it happens routinely

The BISA model B = Behavior. Identify the specific behavior you observed or what the person said. Facts are indisputable. I = Impact. Communicate the impact the behavior had on the people present, including you. S= Silence. Pause for a moment to let the person process the information and respond. A = Alternatives. Ask the person if she has ideas about what she could have done more effectively. Be ready to offer your own suggestions.

BehaviorImpactSilenceAlternatives At last nights meeting, I noticed that you spoke much more than any of the other staff members and didnt allow time for anyone else to share their ideas. Everyone had spent time coming up with ideas and I felt disappointed because we didnt get to hear the others perspectives and might have lost out on valuable ideas. Because they werent asked to contribute, their expressions showed that they thought the meeting was a waste of time. Most people are uncomfortable with silence, but if you just rush ahead, the person doesnt have enough time to process what youve said and have time to formulate responses and ideas. Ask the person if she could think of alternative ways she could have handled her allotted meeting time. Be ready to give the person some of your own suggestions.

Lets fix some unsuccessful conversations…

What did the supervisor do well? What mistakes did they make? How would you have directed the conversation so that it has a better outcome? yF8Ufz4Q&feature=related

What did the supervisor do well? What mistakes did they make? How would you have directed the conversation so that it has a better outcome? U7fMmuD34

What did the supervisor do well? What mistakes did they make? How would you have directed the conversation so that it has a better outcome? RfbN6eew

Feedback is important Giving feedback can be nerve-wracking, but the benefits of giving feedback far outweigh the cost You can fix common feedback mistakes using simple easy to remember feedback models You are doing a better job than many characters on television and in the movies! By giving great feedback and not giving up, you can inspire greatness!

Questions? Comments Thank you for coming!