Giving feedback to others is important, whether it is with your children, spouse or in your business. Feedback is vital to clear communication. Negative feedback is more of a difficult task than positive feedback. Being tactful and having consideration while conveying your point to another person are key skills in learning give feedback. Some steps are listed below for you to follow if you want to give effective feedback:
Instructions
1. Think about the situation. Take time to think and gather thoughts before giving feedback, otherwise you may not be able to fully clarify your desired outcome to the other person. Get an idea in your mind of exactly what you want to say and plan how you will say it. If you criticize in a way that discourages them, they may never know how you feel, so be cautious in your approach.
2. Describe to the other person the situation, as you see it. If your feedback is concerning something that another person did or did not do, in which you had asked them, don't hold back your observations. Be precise in your description, stating the facts of the matter and also what your view is on the issue. If you communicate your goals clearly, the other person will gain an understanding of what it is that you want to accomplish.
3. Ask for their view of the situation. After you have clearly stated your opinion, let them tell you what their own understanding was of what was asked of them. Simply ask them how they understood the request to see if it is the same or different than what you meant. Before you say too much, let them first explain themselves.
4. Reach a mutual understanding. When you have heard the other person's explanation of the particular situation, go over it with them stating the reason that there was a misunderstanding. If they didn't pay attention to what you asked or did not read through the memo, tell them that is what happened. Sometimes bosses and even parents just say 'because I said so' and leave it at that, however, that does very little to boost self esteem in children, as well as team members.
5. Resolve the situation by developing a plan. Clearly state how you want it to be handled and give a timeline that they need to observe. You could even put the expectations down in writing to make it completely clear to them. Written feedback is very effective because the chance of an understanding increases by being able to read what is expected. Also, let them know when you will be back to follow up on your request.
6. Follow up at the time that you specified. Make sure that the problem situation has been properly resolved. Even if you know that the problem had been corrected after having the feedback discussion, it is still necessary to follow up. By following up on the feedback that you give, you let the person know that you care about them and that they are important.
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