For the giver and the receiver, constructive feedback helps everyone to learn and grow, leading to all sorts of positive outcomes that can boost productivity and help increase our skill set.
If you’re not feeling quite so confident in giving constructive feedback, it’s important to take great care to be positive when providing the feedback. You can achieve this in a number of ways, from your tone of voice to the message you’re trying to get across.
To help you deal with any difficult conversations going forward, we’ll look at what constructive feedback is, the right locations to discuss important issues with your team, and a range of actionable tips that can give you and the receiver a change to learn and grow from each other.
Quick Navigation
- What is constructive feedback?
- Which settings are appropriate to give certain types of constructive feedback?
- How to give constructive feedback as a manager
- How to give constructive feedback to a senior staff member
- How to receive constructive feedback
What is constructive feedback?
Constructive feedback is advice or guidance we might give to others to help them recognise their areas for development, so that colleagues can grow in their role in a more positive way. While we often view it as being given by a manager to their direct reports, as we’ll show later, constructive feedback can actually be given top-down, bottom-up or peer-to-peer. No one is exempt from receiving constructive feedback.
Which settings are appropriate to give certain types of constructive feedback?
Things like email, instant messenger, phones and software such as Zoom and Teams certainly have their place in most workplace contexts, and delivering feedback is no different. We’d recommend face-to-face meetings, but we understand that sometimes this might have to take place virtually.
It might be best to avoid delivering constructive feedback using text-based formats such as emails or Instant Messaging. This is because it’s impossible to detect vocal tone, body language and emotions – all of which provide key contextual information in person. With the written word, it’s possible that a positive is read as a negative, or vice versa.
On rare occasions when colleagues have consistently conflicting schedules and organising a meeting has proved to be difficult, delivery of feedback in written form is acceptable. This also makes it easier for your employees to re-visit the feedback they’ve received, although remember that both former and current employees can request a copy of all information stored under their name.
As such, it’s vital to meet face-to-face and in person when delivering constructive feedback. There’s much less room for misinterpretation and both participants can look at the issue in more detail in what should hopefully be a more relaxed setting. That said, be sure to choose somewhere quiet and private, so that the recipient is comfortable with what’s being discussed.
Constructive feedback should be given in a timely manner too. There’s no use giving someone feedback on their work weeks after the fact. Not only will the matter no longer be fresh in each other’s minds, but the recipient could well feel blindsided or taken aback by your actions.
How to give constructive feedback as a manager
Prepare the facts
Focusing on specific facts stops you from relying on any biases and misinformation – and lets the recipient know what they need to work on. Without the right facts, they won’t know what it is you’re seeking to improve, will leave them frustrated, and not create the results you were hoping for.
Reflect on your own involvement
It’s worth asking yourself whether you’re involved in the issue too. If you have been, then you should also look at whether you’re in a position to objectively deliver feedback. Remaining impartial is vital, putting you in a better position to offer support and work with the recipient on coming up with solutions.
Focus on the work, not the person
Remember: feedback inspires. Show them that you’re there to help. You can ensure this by putting the problem in professional terms and avoiding anything that concerns the recipient’s personality. Make it clear that the issue is work-related, but also entirely solvable; if they feel as though they’re being personally attacked, they’ll shut themselves off from whatever you have to say.
Brainstorm some solutions
In providing constructive feedback, you should also be ready to work together on potential solutions. Share some actionable advice that might help them to improve their approaches to work and let them know that you’ll be there if they need as they get used to building up their strengths once again.
Balance the negative with the positive
When delivering the feedback, point out some positives about their work, such as their efforts on a recent project, then follow it up with the issue you want to discuss. Once that’s done, you should then follow that up with something else they’ve done right lately, to end things on a more positive note. This makes troublesome aspects an easier pill to swallow and frequently leads to a better outcome in the long run.
How to give constructive feedback to a senior staff member
We’ve spoken about how to respectfully disagree with your boss here, and delivering constructive feedback to those who are above you requires a similar degree of tact to get right.
It’s something that’s worth doing too. Senior staff can still improve their performance, and by giving them constructive feedback, you’ll be giving them insights they might not necessarily have been aware of. And when they know where to improve, you’ll more than likely benefit from the development they’ll make as well.
So, while all the approaches a manager will take with their employees will largely apply here too, you should also keep in mind the following:
- Focus on solutions, rather than complaints you have about their management style
- Pick the right time. If they’re in the middle of a busy workday or they’ve just received bad news, opt to talk some other time
- Questions can create a non-confrontational atmosphere and draws them into a conversation
- Remember, they’re still senior to you. Be respectful and empathetic when you sit down to talk with them
- Use more “I” than “you” statements. You don’t want to appear accusatory or combative
How to receive constructive feedback
Constructive feedback goes both ways. If a subordinate or someone senior to you sits down to talk with you, then there’s a way to go about receiving their feedback graciously.
Here’s what you can do…
- Know that receiving constructive feedback is perfectly fine. The great thing about careers is they are an opportunity to grow and learn, and we should be welcoming those opportunities with open arms. We might not even realise we need to do something until someone else mentions it – so don’t be so quick to go on the defensive.
- Part of being welcoming of such feedback is through listening closely. Rather than butting in, wait until the person has finished, take notes throughout and summarise things at the end so you can clarify everything that’s just been said.
- Once the session is over, gather the facts, look at the problem, and begin to work on how you can work on improving things. When you have a strategy, share it with whoever gave you the feedback to see if you can improve things further. After this, you’re ready to put things into action.
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