Fearless feedback is feedback, which is direct, honest, timely, brief, constructive, and provided with good intention.
Many people struggle with giving or receiving feedback, which is normal. If the feedback is delivered poorly, people can reflex to defend or protect.
Feedback, however, is integral to growth and confidence - through celebrating achievements, validating actions or opinions, and learning. It provides a mutual understanding of a situation, action, or emotion, to allow for easy and respectful communication.
There are four distinct types of feedback that exist on this spectrum.
| Positive | ||
| General | + | Specific |
| Negative |
Examples of each type of feedback:
Positive, general: "Harold, you did a great job the other day!"
Negative, general: "Emerald, I saw that PR you put through. It was really bad."
Positive, specific: "Harold, you did a great presentation on Wednesday, you were so confident. I learned a lot about how to use GitHub."
Negative, specific: "Emerald, I saw PR #70, some of the naming conventions were did not follow the contribution guide, making it hard to understand."
Key takeaways:
When delivering feedback, it is important to ask for permission beforehand. It is expected that some days are not going to be an appropriate time for feedback. Please do not deliver feedback when you or they are upset or angry. For feedback to be productive it is best to be level-headed. Willingness to listen and respect the feedback is a major part of the process. The outcome will not be productive if you or they are not willing to listen with an open-mind.
It can be as simple as a quick message: "Is now an okay time for some feedback?", "Would you be willing to hear some feedback from me?", or "Are you open to some feedback from me?".
Feedback is used to help someone improve and learn, it is not a criticism of a person's skills or intelligence. Assuming positive intent, from both parties, in all feedback can reduce miscommunication or offence. However, this is a skill that takes time and practice.
This is particularly important when providing constructive feedback, it is important to always seek to understand the root cause and context for a situation. Never assume to know everything about a person and make judgements. Feedback is designed to provide opportunities and create conversations for improvement. Being open to listen to the whole context can allow you to provide more specific and productive feedback, which is more beneficial for the individual.
Building relationships with each other can help facilitate the feedback process. The stronger your rapport the more honest the feedback. However, rapport does not dismiss professionalism, feedback can be critical, and it is important that it follows communication guideline and standards. Be proactive and ask for feedback from your peers, do not wait for someone to find you. If you ask for general feedback, you should expect a general response.
The environment can play a influential role in the willingness and reaction to feedback. Creating a safe space allows for effective and professional communication. For one-on-one feedback, take it to a private space and be available for an active discussion around the feedback. Ensure that there are no non-verbal power imbalances within the discussion (e.g. You standing, and them sitting).
How you frame the feedback can influence the discussion. Feedback, especially negative feedback, is not a trifle comment, it is shaped around context and values. Different models for feedback exist, such as the Compliment Sandwich, AID model, or the GROW model. Breaking the feedback into actionable sections can also help in understanding and plans going forwards.
graph LR;
A[Positive] --> B[Negative] --> C[Positive]
The Compliment Sandwich wraps constructive criticism within praise. This can be useful for people who you do not have rapport or if you are new to giving feedback. It is an easy and less destructive model to provide feedback.
graph LR;
A[Action] --> I[Impact] --> D[Development] & B[Desired Behaviour]
Action: the emphasis is on the actions, rather than the interpretation of it. All feedback relates to what is heard or observed, not intentions, characteristics, or personality.
Impact: this acknowledges the impact of the end result or the process itself. When giving feedback mention why it is important that this action is changed or continued.
Development or Desired Behaviour: the purpose of feedback is to provide learning opportunties or praise. Put emphasis on what is missing rather than what went wrong. Provide direction on how they can improve and plan a time to meet again to review.
The AID model is a simple feedback model for both positive and negative moments. It focuses uses evidence to relate feedback into the context, rather than relying on rapport.
graph LR;
G[Goal] --> R[Reality] --> O[Options] --> W[Will]
Goal: What is your goal? What were you trying to achieve?
Reality: What is the current situation? Did you think that it worked well?
Options: What are the options moving forward? What could be done differently?
Will: What will be done now? What are the next steps? Your opinion?
The GROW model is for deeper conversation around feedback. This framework naturally places feedback within the context of the team or project goals. It is also important that you ask yourself these questions. One should reflect and facilitate self-development and awareness before providing feedback.
Recognition is a key transformative tactic. Showing appreciation to team members contributions influences engagement behaviour and acknowledges to team members that their work is seen. This can be a way to build rapport, by showing you see all aspects of their contributons.
Shoutouts! MS Teams channel. Everyone in the
company is in this channel so please do not be shy.Receiving feedback follows similar principles to delivery, however, in this case it is the response that changes.
Mentally prepare to receive the feedback. Ideally, you should have given permission or asked for the feedback. Reflect and ask yourself "are you in a good mindset to receive feedbaack?" when being asked permision. It is okay to say "now is not the right time, but what about tomorrow morning?".
Be patient, now is the time to acknowledge and listen to the advice given. Develop a growth mindset. This will help you step back from the defence and accept feedback to improve and learn. Again, you should always assume positive intent. Feedback is not a criticism on the work done, it is merely advice to improve and be even better next time around.
Use active listening skills. Do not interrupt them as they are speaking. Listen to the whole story, rather than formulate challenges and excuses. Active listeners avoid interrputing, summarise the information, repeat back what they have heard, and observe body language. This will help with using a growth mindset, allowing you to focus on the person, rather than your own thoughts.
The first response should be gratitude. Giving feedback takes courage and can be risky. People are often reluctant to share all their thoughts, creating a safe space can allow them to extract all feedback. Saying "Thank you" will put you in a constructive frame of mind. Gratitude demonstrates you are willing to listen and learn.
If you want more specific information, take the time to restate what they have told you, and ask. Seeking to understand goes both ways. Even if you disagree with some of the message, there is always something to learn. Actively trying to understand another perspective can help you to reach their conclusions.
Similar to delivering feedback, there are some frameworks you can employ.
graph LR;
G[Gratitude] --> A[Agreement] --> C[Common Ground] --> D[Discussion] --> G
It is okay to disagree with some of the feedback. However, it is important to be conscious of the risk they have taken in giving feedback. Always state where you agree before discussing where you disagree. Agreement is a much similar conversation and can be short. It will also make you seem less defensive, leading to a more productive conversation following. Disagreement is a much larger discussion. You do not have to agree with their feedback. However, you should seek to understand where they are coming from. Odds are they are not the only one who thinks this way.
graph LR;
L[Listen] --> A[Absorb] --> D[Decide] --> B[Act]
Listen: Listening to the other person allows the other person to express and refine their thoughts. Be patient. Ask questions like "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" or "Feel free to send more feedback if you think of anything else". Be mindful of the tone of your voice.
Absorb: Take the time to seek to understand and clarify the feedback given to you. Asking questions for clarification and examples can help to build a more detailed understanding. These are not posed as a challenge to the person, but to receive and absorb. Questions can be:
If all the feedback is positive, it can be difficult to identify the areas for growth. Some questions to help are:
Decide: This stage is occurs both during the conversation and after. It is reflection and introspection. Here you decide whether the feedback is legitimate and something to be actioned. It is important not to become defensive, but you can disagree with the feedback. To disagree must be polite and can be discussed with the giver. The deciding stage can help with prioritising the actions to address.
Act: This stage is about creating actionable items derived from feedback. Not all feedback is actionable through outcomes or goals. Some feedback is about awareness and is highly situational. It is an important skill to learn how to action and assess feedback.
The LADA model encourages the giver to freely convey their thoughts and you to dig deeper into the details of the feedback. By asking questions and going further you may uncover added information that might be valuable to your learning.