Feedback is a crucial part of the communication process, especially in the professional world. When delivered in a constructive and effective manner, it can help to build relationships, strengthen performance and create a culture of growth. However, the way in which feedback is given can have a major impact on how it is received. Thus, when discussing feedback styles, it is important to consider the various ways in which feedback can be delivered, and the impact that each style can have. This blog post will explore the various methods of providing feedback, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each, and offer guidance on how to select the best style for a given situation. Ultimately, by gaining an understanding of the different feedback styles, you can be better equipped to choose an approach that will be most successful for you and your team.
- Informal. Informal feedback occurs any time you spontaneously comment on something. …
- Formal. Formal feedback is a planned and scheduled way to talk about an employee. …
- Periodic. …
- Constructive. …
- Motivational. …
- Empathetic. …
- Positive feedforward. …
- Negative feedforward.
What is a feedback style?
A way to describe how you communicate comments and observations to your employees is through your feedback style. There are various feedback styles because, in an ideal world, you want to give everyone feedback at some point, regardless of their aptitude or receptivity. To accommodate a variety of potential workplace situations, they can differ in tone, intent, and inflection.
There isn’t just one way to give feedback because each style serves a different purpose. The most crucial thing is to be conscious of your style and how others might interpret your commentary. In this manner, you can try your best to ensure that the feedback’s content and interpretation match.
Types of feedback styles
Following are some examples of the various types of feedback:
Informal
Informal feedback occurs any time you spontaneously comment on something. As soon as this comes to mind, you can either tell your employee in person or in a brief email. To avoid confusion, it’s best to save informal feedback for workers you already get along with. Informal feedback is useful for giving advice on minor issues or mistakes that can be easily fixed.
Example: “Steve, I think thats the wrong shade of red. Would you mind checking?”.
Formal
Formal feedback is a scheduled and planned method of discussing an employee. An annual performance review, for example, is an example of a report that covers a specific time period and provides formal feedback. Ensure that your formal feedback follows the format that your company adopts before providing any additional notes in another manner. For discussing long-term objectives and providing formal feedback to new hires,
Example: Annual performance review for Jason Mann
Periodic
Periodic feedback combines formal and informal styles because it is scheduled but takes place in a casual setting. Some workers perform better when their manager regularly monitors their workload because it gives them a chance to request assistance. Regular feedback may actually be detrimental to those who perform their best when left alone. When you only have a small window of time during the week to monitor your employees, providing regular feedback works well.
“You said you were getting started on a new spreadsheet template during our meeting last week, but there doesn’t seem to be any progress,” for instance Is that still a priority right now?”.
Constructive
Constructive feedback is observation-based, specific and actionable. By showing the recipient how to do something correctly rather than fixing their mistake yourself, you are giving them a concrete way to improve their work or overall performance. If the person is already familiar with the idea, refrain from providing extensive constructive criticism for errors that are probably simple oversights. For workers who are actively trying to improve their performance, constructive criticism is fantastic.
“You might want to read your report aloud before submitting it the next time,” for instance. It might be useful to prevent you from spelling some names incorrectly in the future, as I’ve noticed you do it occasionally. “.
Analytical
Analytical feedback is like constructive feedback, but more results-oriented. Employees may ask you for specific numbers or figures to go along with your verbal criticism if they want data-driven suggestions for improvement. Limit analytical feedback to employees you believe will be receptive to it because some people may not feel helped by those kinds of comments. Employees in sales and marketing who are familiar with performance metrics are particularly suited for analytical feedback Example: %22Zack, your return rate on cold call emails was an admirable 85%, but the 50% open rate means you probably want to work on your subject lines “.
Motivational
Although motivational feedback is generally applicable, each employee finds it particularly inspiring. This kind of evaluation enhances the spirits of both your team and individual members. Since wholly positive affirmations lack substance, motivational feedback for employees who seek constructive criticism is likely to be ineffective. If you’re a leader who enjoys using positive affirmations as part of your management responsibilities, motivational feedback can be effective.
Example: “Team, today was another fantastic workday, and I’m so proud of everyone for keeping us moving in the right direction.” “.
Empathetic
Empathetic feedback givers communicate emotionally with the recipient. By using an employee’s circumstances to frame their performance, you can demonstrate that you are aware of and care about their personal circumstances. Employees who value their privacy may not react well to compassionate criticism. Employees who have overcome significant obstacles to achieve success respond best to this style.
“Jamie, I really appreciate how much work you put into this,” for instance I realize that it couldn’t have been easy, especially in light of your mother’s recent accident. I would have been completely fine with you taking the week off, but you still managed to do a fantastic job. Glad to hear she’s going to recover, by the way. “.
Positive feedforward
Feedforward is a design approach that concentrates on potential future performance and behavior. Positive feedback validates behavior that you’ve already seen and want to keep up in the future. Avoid providing positive feedback to staff members who desire practical solutions to their current problems. Positive affirmations are beneficial for elevating one’s self-esteem and establishing expectations for the future.
“Sam, I want to see you taking notes at more meetings,” for instance. It will be very helpful in the future because I think you do an excellent job of distilling a lot of difficult concepts. “.
Negative feedforward
The emphasis on future behavior and decorum is shared by negative feedforward, but it takes a more corrective tack. In general, negative feedback is most helpful when attempting to correct a concerning pattern of behavior that you have noticed over an extended period of time. Before being critical, try your best to make things better with constructive feedback or feedforward. Older employees should use negative feedforward since they are probably more accustomed to it.
Example: “Rick, you need to check your work more carefully going forward.” Please double-check your spreadsheet input the next time because I’m concerned that your calculations aren’t lining up. I know you can improve. “.
Self-evaluation
Although it is started by the employee’s employer, self-evaluation is feedback provided by the employee. To help them reach their own conclusions during self-evaluation, encourage them to think back on their accomplishments and attitude. In order to provide people with a structured way to evaluate themselves, it is typically best to do this as part of a formal performance evaluation. The best time to conduct a self-evaluation is when you already have a firm opinion of your employee.
Example: “On your self-evaluation, you mentioned that email marketing is your strongest area. Sarah, you definitely did a fantastic job with those campaigns, but I also believe you did a fantastic job with your social media posts. “*.
The secret to giving great feedback | The Way We Work, a TED series
FAQ
What are the 3 types of feedback?
- Appreciation: recognising and rewarding someone for great work. …
- Coaching: helping someone expand their knowledge, skills and capabilities. …
- Evaluation is the process of comparing someone to a set of criteria in order to determine expectations and make decisions.
Are there different types of feedback?
Feedback can come in a variety of formats, including verbal, written, informal, formal, descriptive, and evaluative, as well as peer and self-assessed.
What are different feedback techniques?
- Give your feedback an EDGE. In The Feedback Book, Dawn Sillett describes the EDGE feedback framework.
- Conduct regular 1-2-1 meetings and check-ins. …
- Use 360 feedback. …
- Establish an optimal feedback ratio. …
- Align feedback to objectives and key results (OKRs)
What kind of feedback is best?
The most effective type of feedback to begin with is impact feedback because it informs a person about the outcomes of their behavior without analyzing the specifics, assuming motives, or assigning blame.
