Providing Quality Feedback:
For Managers and Employees
Introduction
• Feedback is essential to development. It
reinforces positive behaviors, helps employees
achieve their goals and allows for course
correction.
• Feedback is most effective when it is part of a
regular process of inquiry rather than a single
conversation.
Examples
Example
Better Feedback
• You did a good job
• You restated relevant points and asked
excellent questions in the meetings, like “if
you were the project leader, how would you
address the problem?” This helped the
group examine their decision making.
• You need to be more customer focused
• You did not seek feedback from our
internal customers before creating the
spreadsheet. The spreadsheet would have
been more useful to our internal customers
if we understood what data they needed to
drive their projects.
• You need to improve your presentation
skills
• You seemed distracted when you noticed
people were not paying attention and began
providing unnecessary details and data. As
a result, you had a less impact than keeping
the message to 3 clear priority points.
Opportunities for Providing
Formal Feedback
Jan/Feb
June/July/Aug
Dec/Jan/Feb
1
2
3
Key Goal and
Responsibility
Setting
Mid-Year
Discussion
Year-End
Review
Opportunities for Providing
Informal Feedback
1.
2.
3.
4.
Utilize all available feedback channels
Don’t let the challenge of finding time for face-to-face
interactions limit the amount of feedback you provide.
While face-to-face conversations is the most common
method of delivering informal feedback, it is not the only
method at your disposal.
Other feedback channels have been shown to be just as
effective as face-to-face, including:
E-Mail
Instant
Messaging
Written Notes
Phone
Conversations
Questions to Consider
Reflect Often to Identify Feedback Opportunities:
• Ask yourself the following questions each day. This will
help you to identify opportunities to provide quality
informal feedback and serve as a reminder to provide
feedback as soon as possible after the event.
Positive Feedback Opportunities
• Did employee demonstrate improvement in a developmental area?
• Did employee go out of their way to support their teammates or
other colleagues?
• Did employee demonstrate Our Winning Behaviors?
• Did employee go above and beyond what was asked of them?
• Have I heard positive feedback from others?
Tips for Employees
Key Principles for Providing Quality Feedback:
• Receiving quality feedback allows a person to improve
their performance by better understanding what is
working well and what can be adjusted.
Tips
• Be responsible to get the feedback you need
• ‘Play back’ feedback received to verify your understanding – seek
clarification about what specifically you can do
• Be open, balanced and flexible
• Share your perspective using specific examples
• Be objective and solution-oriented
Tips for Managers
Tips
• Help employees see their strengths and when their work is
appreciated
• Feedback should be well timed – as closely tied to the event as
possible, but not rushed
• Balance positive and constructive feedback
• Be specific, not general – focus on relevant information and
observations the person can act upon
• Read nonverbal cues to get an indication of whether you need to
elaborate or pause for the person to absorb what you are saying and
respond to it
• Make feedback frequent and informal and be prepared to receive
feedback yourself
Summary
Providing quality, timely feedback
will reinforce good performance and
Our Winning Behaviors.