A Forbes study of 51,896 managers revealed that those in the bottom 10% for feedback had team engagement scores averaging just 25%. In contrast, leaders in the top 10% saw scores soar to 77%. This stark difference highlights the power of feedback. The impact is clear. Hence, top-performing companies globally implement employee feedback programs to reap the benefits of this powerful tool. Some popular feedback programs like employee satisfaction surveys and 360-degree feedback are the most common ways used to create a culture of growth. In this blog, we have covered how to give and receive feedback effectively.
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The Advantages of Feedback
We know no one takes your feedback form seriously and they need to hear this. Feedback has a lot of advantages that are absolutely crucial to building high-performing teams. From ensuring everyone is on the same page to clearing out confusion, the advantages of feedback at the workplace are numerous. Here are just a few of them to motivate you to use more of those feedback forms at the office:
- Bridges Gap Between Perception and Reality
Feedback helps close the gap between how people see their performance and how they actually perform. Regular feedback opens up clear communication between team members. Feedback acts as a great tool to clear out confusion.
- Reduces Confusion
A good feedback process makes it less likely for misunderstandings to occur. It also helps build stronger relationships within teams. When team members understand each other better, they contribute better together to performance.
- Acts as a Motivator
The biggest advantage of feedback is that it serves as a powerful motivator for employees. When individuals get encouragement to share their thoughts and receive feedback in a supportive manner, they feel much more valued.
- Improves Team Bonding
Providing and receiving feedback at work strengthens the bond between team members. Employees feel a solid connection with the company as they see their contributions, opinions, and self-betterment matter to the company.
- Promotes Self-Learning and Development
Fair and unbiased feedback at work drives continuous growth. Not only negative but even positive feedback helps people identify areas they need improvement.
The Art of Giving Feedback
Giving feedback is an art. When done right, it can go a long way to inspire positive behavior and cultivate a healthy work culture. However, not everyone knows how to give feedback constructively without offending the person on the other side. The tone matters and so does what you say! Here are 7 ways to give feedback at work to encourage growth:
- Prioritize Your Feedback
It is crucial to be selective with your feedback. When giving feedback to your coworker, focus on the most pressing issues first. The goal is to help them process the feedback and allow them time to reflect. Overloading them with information can be overwhelming.
- Be Specific
This is the right way to give feedback to your coworkers. Feedback should be precise and actionable. Your suggestion must concentrate on measurable areas – something they can proactively work on (like communication). The objective is to facilitate improvement, so identify aspects that can be enhanced through training. Corporate training workshops are a great way to provide individual feedback to each employee based on SWOT analysis. If your feedback is surrounding unobtainable areas, it is not only unnecessary but also causes frustration on the employee’s part.
- Use the Sandwich Approach
This is the best strategy to give feedback at the office. Many people receive feedback as criticism. Hence, focusing on strengths first takes the bitterness out of ‘criticism.’ This is especially true if what you are about to say is difficult for them to grasp. It makes it easier for them to accept critical feedback later.
Start with praise for their work style and strengths. Then, address specific areas for improvement – what challenges they face and what you would like them to change. Lastly, end with more positive feedback – like something they did great recently. This approach helps maintain confidence and keeps the conversation constructive.
- Make It Ongoing
Feedback should not be a one-off event. Whether through one-on-one conversations, pulse surveys, or employee feedback forms, giving feedback should be a continuous process. Managers should remain accessible and invested in their teams’ progress.
- Right Time for Feedback
To master the art of giving feedback, timeliness is essential. The most effective feedback is given as soon as possible after the event/behavior that needs addressing. This way the details are all fresh in their mind and your feedback can hit the right spot. When feedback is delayed, it can lose its impact.
- Right Setting for Feedback
“Praise in public and criticize in private” is the mantra every healthy workplace needs. Private conversations are often best, especially for sensitive topics. As a coworker or a manager, it is important that you create a safe space to make the recipient feel comfortable and open to discussion.
The Art of Receiving Feedback
Enough about how to give feedback positively, now let’s move on to how to take it well at work. This area also needs a lot of focus simply because most of us are not naturally good at it. While some of us might ignore feedback, most of the time employees do not know how to take feedback positively workplace. They tend to feel criticized or end up disliking their managers.
- Avoid Defensiveness
Embrace feedback without being defensive. Remember that receiving effective feedback is a gift, not a personal attack. It is aimed at fostering growth and development, not pointing fingers.
- Acknowledge and Appreciate
A good approach to receive feedback well is to express gratitude for the feedback you receive. In order to grow in your career, it is important to stay open to negative feedback too, not only the positives. Listen carefully to what is being said and strive to understand the underlying message without jumping to conclusions. This approach helps you absorb more information without harsh feelings at the workplace.
- Conduct a Self-Evaluation
This is a crucial thing to do after you receive feedback – reflect on your performance. Assess your strengths and weaknesses, and consider why you might have scored low in certain areas. Self-reflection is crucial for gaining awareness and context for your conversations with managers.
- Follow Up
The best way to receive feedback is to act on them. Once you identify your strengths and areas for improvement, set realistic goals with specific timelines. Avoid setting overly ambitious goals, as they can lead to discouragement if not achieved.
Conclusion
Constructive feedback empowers better decision-making. Employees, managers, or CEO – every person whose contributions matter to the company needs to know how to give and receive feedback positively. No matter the designation, everyone needs to know where they can improve especially because it is often to minutely dissect every action one takes and self-introspect every decision one makes throughout the day. Getting unbiased and actionable feedback serves as a rich resource to improve business outcomes.
If your team is looking for corporate training programs to develop these crucial skills, EducationNest is the best platform for you. They have the best expert-led courses for corporate employees to brush up on their crucial skills – from communication/soft skills to cybersecurity and big data analysis!
