Nine rules for giving effective feedback to your team members

Ever been in a situation where you submitted a report to your boss and never heard anything  back? Or on the flip side, got a dressing down in front of the whole office for something you didn’t get done?

Giving feedback and making it a positive experience is one of the greatest tools in the manager’s toolkit to motivate their teams and yet, the most underutilised.

Productive feedback can mean the difference between success and failure on the job because it provides team members with information as to what’s working, what’s not working, and the opportunity to correct themselves.

So why do managers avoid giving feedback or do it in a manner that makes their team members cringe? It’s often the ‘how to do it correctly’ that gets in the way.  Here are nine rules for giving constructive feedback to your team. 

Rule 1: Deliver your feedback to the person concerned

While it may be very tempting to share feedback with everyone other than the person concerned, don’t do that. Give your feedback directly to the person concerned; it maintains trust and nips negativity in the bud. 

Rule 2: Timing is important

In many cases, feedback especially positive, is reserved till a performance review. It’s like giving someone a birthday present six months later. Feedback is more effective when given right after an action or behaviour happens. As a manager, you need to give your team members regular, ongoing feedback so people know where they stand. 

Rule 3: Keep the emotions out

Refrain from giving feedback when emotions are running high and you’re really tempted to ‘lash out.’ As frustrated as you might be because things didn’t go according to plan, hold off the meeting until you are calm and in control of how you feel.

Emotion gets in the way of effective communication. You want to make sure that you can deliver the feedback in an objective manner so that it actually gets received instead of putting someone on the defensive. 

Step 4: Share the purpose of your feedback

When you begin a meeting, make sure you indicate what you’d like to cover and why it’s important. Not only does the other person know what to expect but it will keep your conversation on purpose. Don’t beat around the bush, be clear and get straight to the point. For instance, “I want to discuss” or “I have a concern about.”

Step 5: Stick to the facts

Explain only what you have observed, not what others have told you or brought to your attention. It helps maintain your objectivity and keeps you neutral while giving the other person a fair chance to respond. For instance, “During the past week, I have not noticed that the sales activity reports have not been submitted on three occasions” instead of “Mary tells me that you’ve not been submitting the sales activity reports and are always late.” 

Step 6: Let them know how you feel

Help your team member understand the consequences of their behaviour and how you feel about it. Let them know how delaying the ‘sales activity report’ has affected other people on the team. By describing the reactions or consequences, the other person gets to really understand the impact of their action on the team. 

Step 7: Be willing to hear them out

Let the other person respond to what you just said and then don’t forget to really listen. You might get a deeper understanding of what’s truly going on and see things in a completely new light. By listening, you have shown your respect towards them and built trust. 

Step 8: Suggest alternative solutions

If you have specific ideas that might help, be willing to share them. It keeps the conversation positive and focused on solving a problem or challenge and away from a ‘blame game’ approach. 

Step 9: Recap and show your support

Emphasise the main things you’ve discussed, what that person could do differently, and summarise the action items that need to be implemented. The idea is to move to problem solving and not beat up on the other person’s behavior. End on a positive note and express your confidence in the person’s ability to improve the situation.

Now that you have the tools to give effective feedback, you don’t have to dread that conversation you’ve been waiting to have for so long.

Yamini Virani is the Founder of Celebrus Business Strategies Ltd., a Management Consulting and Training Firm.