Giving Feedback Skills
Do you require giving feedback skills to function well in your job role? This article provides a guide on how you can develop the skills and include them on your resume.
What Is Giving Feedback?
Giving feedback is the act of providing information or opinions about someone’s work, behavior, or performance. Feedback can be given in a variety of contexts, including in the workplace, in school, or in personal relationships. It is often used as a way to help someone improve or develop new skills, and it can also be used to assess progress or provide guidance.
Feedback can be positive or negative, but it should always be constructive and focused on helping the recipient improve or grow. It should be delivered in a way that is respectful and non-judgmental, and it should be specific, rather than general.
Giving feedback can be challenging, as it requires careful thought and consideration of the other person’s perspective. It is important to listen to and understand the other person’s perspective before giving feedback, and to be open to receiving feedback in return. By establishing an open and honest dialogue, it is possible to foster a positive and productive relationship through the exchange of feedback.
Here are some key points to consider when giving feedback:
- Be specific
Provide specific examples and avoid general statements.
- Focus on behavior, not personality
Feedback should be about actions and behaviors, not about the person.
- Be timely
Provide feedback as soon as possible after the event or behavior in question.
- Use “I” statements
Rather than saying “you did this wrong,” try saying “I feel frustrated when X happens because of Y.” This can help the other person feel less defensive and more open to hearing your feedback.
- Be respectful
Remember to use a respectful tone and avoid criticism or blame.
- Seek to understand
Make sure you understand the other person’s perspective before giving feedback.
- Focus on improvement
The goal of feedback is to help the other person improve, not to criticize or make them feel bad.
Remember, giving feedback is a skill that can be developed with practice. By following these tips, you can effectively communicate your thoughts and help others to grow and improve.
Importance Of Giving Feedback
- Feedback is always present
If you ask someone in your organization what feedback is, they will usually mention employee surveys, evaluations, or training assessments. Feedback is all around us all the time. Every time we talk to someone, an employee, a customer, a supplier, etc., we give feedback. In fact, it is impossible not to give feedback.
- Feedback is effective listening
Whether the feedback is given verbally or through a question, the person giving the feedback needs to know that they have been understood, and they need to know that their opinions have some value. When conducting a survey, always explain why the respondents’ feedback is important and how it will be used.
- Feedback can serve as a source of motivation
Asking for feedback can motivate employees to perform better. Employees like to feel valued, and they appreciate being asked for feedback that can help formulate business solutions. And feedback from customers, suppliers, vendors, and stakeholders can be used to motivate building better working relationships.
- Feedback can improve performance
Feedback is often misinterpreted as criticism. In fact, what is perceived as negative criticism is constructive criticism and a better form of feedback that can help formulate better solutions to improve and enhance performance.
- Feedback is a continuous learning tool
Take the time to ask and learn what others in your organization are doing. Continuous feedback is important for the whole organization to stay on track, create strategies, develop products and services, improve relationships, etc. Continuous learning is the key to improvement.
How to Improve Your Act Of Giving Feedback
- Work on building trust.
People naturally accept feedback from someone they feel is just trying to help them improve, rather than judging them for their mistakes. Focus on your employee’s career goals and how they can improve. The more trust you build, the more honest you can be with your employee.
- Offer criticism in private
Unwavering business (and personal) wisdom recommends giving praise in public and criticism in private. An employee’s perception of others is crucial to his or her sense of fitting in and maintaining dignity. So remember that the person being criticized can be put at risk by the way you handle the feedback.
- Choose the right moment.
Naturally, people respond better to feedback when they are in a good mood. The sooner you solve a problem after it has arisen, the clearer and easier it is to state it, and the less surprised the employee will be when they hear it. On the other hand, it is important to keep time in mind.
- Prepare in advance.
Practice what you are going to say. Rehearse the difficult feedback you have to give with a trusted family member or friend, or in front of a mirror. Record yourself on a tape recorder and study the recording if it helps you improve your speech. As with any other management skill, the more experience you get in giving feedback to employees, the easier it will be to do so and the more competent you will become.
- Offer specific criticism and advice.
Explain clearly what the employee has done that does not meet performance or other company standards. Then explain exactly what the employee needs to do to make the necessary change. Avoid using language that could be interpreted as judgmental or that increases the risk of provoking negative emotions.
- Explain how the problem may affect the objectives
Describe the direct and specific negative impact of the behavior on a person, process, or outcome. When giving feedback to the employee, talk about the impact, not the employee’s fault. Talk about how the problem can be corrected and avoided in the future.
- Give the employee time to respond.
When setting up a meeting, allow enough time for the other person to think about the situation, respond, ask questions, discuss the details and provide an informed response. During the meeting, make your point of view clear and then ask for the employee’s reaction to the feedback you offer. Then stop the conversation and give the employee time to reflect on what you have said and formulate a response.
- Always include positive feedback.
When giving feedback to an employee, start the discussion with a positive comment. This will help your employee understand that you want them to feel relaxed and have a positive experience. It also gives the employee an example of what you consider a successful performance.
- Follow up on the results of previous feedback
Work together to identify clear and achievable criteria for improvement. Agree with some suggestions that the employee can use to avoid repeating mistakes in the future. Ensure that you provide all the advice and other support and resources necessary to achieve the objective of employee feedback, which is to help the employee improve.
- Make employee feedback a regular activity
Giving employee feedback should become a regular practice, not an occasional way to solve a problem. People need to know how their work is perceived over time so they can work with confidence that they are meeting expectations. In addition, unresolved problems can be expected to escalate or accumulate into significant losses in productivity or quality.
Jobs That Require Giving Feedback
Many jobs require employees to give feedback to their coworkers, supervisors, or subordinates. Here are a few examples of jobs that might require giving feedback:
- Managers
Managers are often responsible for providing feedback to their team members as a way to help them improve and grow. They may also need to give feedback to their superiors or peers.
- Teachers
Besides the need for teachers to possess teaching skills, they also need to frequently give feedback to their students to help them understand and improve their work.
- HR professionals
Human resources professionals often give feedback to employees as part of their performance evaluation process.
- Project managers
Project managers may need to give feedback to team members to help them complete tasks effectively and efficiently.
How to Include Giving of Feedback Skills In Your Resume
Here are a few steps you can follow to include your giving feedback skills in your resume:
- Identify specific instances where you provided feedback
Think about specific times when you gave feedback to coworkers, team members, or subordinates. Try to recall specific examples that showcase your ability to give feedback respectfully and constructively.
- Use action verbs to describe your skills
Use action verbs to describe your skills and accomplishments in your resume. For example, you might use verbs like provided,” “delivered,” or “facilitated” to describe your ability to give feedback.
- Quantify your impact
Whenever possible, try to quantify the impact of your feedback. For example, you might say that your feedback helped to increase team productivity or improve performance.
- Include any related training or development
If you have received training or professional development related to giving feedback, be sure to include this information in your resume. This can show that you are committed to improving your skills and staying up to date on best practices.
By following these steps, you can effectively showcase your giving feedback skills in your resume and demonstrate your value to potential employers.
Examples of How to Include Giving of Feedback Skills In Your Resume
- Provided constructive feedback to team members to help them improve their performance and achieve project goals.
- Trained new employees on the importance of giving and receiving feedback, and led team meetings to facilitate open and honest communication.
- Implemented a system for soliciting and providing regular feedback to colleagues, resulting in improved team dynamics and productivity.
- Assisted in the development of a company-wide feedback program, including the creation of guidelines and training materials for giving and receiving feedback effectively.
- Facilitated team workshops on giving and receiving feedback, leading to increased collaboration and improved performance.
How to Demonstrate Giving Feedback Skills In An Interview
Here are a few steps you can follow to showcase your skills in giving feedback during an interview:
- Practice giving feedback
Before the interview, try practicing the act of giving feedback in different scenarios. This will help you feel more confident and prepared to discuss your skills in the interview.
- Think about specific examples
Consider specific times when you provided feedback and how it was received. Try to recall specific examples that showcase your ability to give feedback respectfully and constructively
- Emphasize the impact of your feedback
Be sure to highlight the impact of your feedback. For example, you might say that your feedback helped to increase team productivity or improve performance.
- Be prepared to discuss how you handle difficult feedback
It’s important to be able to receive feedback as well as give it. Be prepared to discuss how you handle difficult feedback and how you use it to improve.
By following these steps, you can effectively demonstrate your giving feedback skills in an interview and show that you are a valuable asset to any team.
Interview Questions to Test Your Giving of Feedback Skills
- How do you handle giving constructive feedback to a colleague or direct report?
- Describe a time when you had to provide negative feedback to a team member and how you went about it.
- How do you ensure that the feedback you give is heard and understood?
- What strategies do you use to ensure that your feedback is well received?
- Describe a situation in which you had to provide feedback to a colleague in a difficult or sensitive situation.
- How would you approach giving feedback to someone who is resistant to it?
- What methods do you use to provide feedback in a way that encourages team members to take ownership and responsibility for their actions?
- How do you assess the impact of the feedback you give to ensure it is effective?
- How do you ensure that feedback is delivered in a non-judgmental way?
- How do you motivate and encourage team members to accept and use feedback to improve their performance?
