Feedback Strategies
The two articles I read were Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback by Marshall Goldsmith and Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise? by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman.
The article about 'feedforward' was interesting as it took the idea of critique and feedback and made it a process that is very proactive. Instead of evaluating someone's performance afterwards, like feedback usually happens, instead the participant names a goal of theirs. This goal could be a personal improvement like becoming more confident or it could be a professional goal like reaching a certain amount of sales or customer satisfaction. Then, the person providing feedforward provides the participant with different examples or suggestions on how they can accomplish the goal. It seems like an interesting process to me that could be really useful in a professional setting. The author of the article says that it's received extremely positive feedback almost every time he's introduced it! I'm not exactly sure on how this could be applied to this class. Maybe it would be commenting on someone's blog asking them first what they would like to specifically improve on, and then providing suggestions?
The other article I read specifically described the importance of positive feedback/praise for managers, but I think this one definitely is easy to apply to most situations. Although criticism is necessary for improvement, the article talks about how positive feedback can also be a powerful force for improvement. Positive feedback serves as reinforcement for good behavior, motivates people, and also creates a stronger relationship between the person who's giving feedback and the person who's receiving feedback. This relationship is important because it makes it easier for both people to give and receive criticism and grow from it.
Overall, I think giving feedback is a lot more difficult than receiving it. The challenge for me is trying to find the right tone to use. I don't want to be too negative and discourage someone but I also want to actually say something helpful and not help them identify opportunities to improve. I think the key takeaway from the two articles I read was that it helps to frame feedback as a way to improve in the future and providing a mix of criticism and praise is the most effective way to give feedback.
The article about 'feedforward' was interesting as it took the idea of critique and feedback and made it a process that is very proactive. Instead of evaluating someone's performance afterwards, like feedback usually happens, instead the participant names a goal of theirs. This goal could be a personal improvement like becoming more confident or it could be a professional goal like reaching a certain amount of sales or customer satisfaction. Then, the person providing feedforward provides the participant with different examples or suggestions on how they can accomplish the goal. It seems like an interesting process to me that could be really useful in a professional setting. The author of the article says that it's received extremely positive feedback almost every time he's introduced it! I'm not exactly sure on how this could be applied to this class. Maybe it would be commenting on someone's blog asking them first what they would like to specifically improve on, and then providing suggestions?
The other article I read specifically described the importance of positive feedback/praise for managers, but I think this one definitely is easy to apply to most situations. Although criticism is necessary for improvement, the article talks about how positive feedback can also be a powerful force for improvement. Positive feedback serves as reinforcement for good behavior, motivates people, and also creates a stronger relationship between the person who's giving feedback and the person who's receiving feedback. This relationship is important because it makes it easier for both people to give and receive criticism and grow from it.
Overall, I think giving feedback is a lot more difficult than receiving it. The challenge for me is trying to find the right tone to use. I don't want to be too negative and discourage someone but I also want to actually say something helpful and not help them identify opportunities to improve. I think the key takeaway from the two articles I read was that it helps to frame feedback as a way to improve in the future and providing a mix of criticism and praise is the most effective way to give feedback.
Maintaining a positive relationship ensures your feedback is received well!
(Image source: Growth Mindset Memes Blog)
Hey Alyx,
ReplyDeleteI, too, had read the first article that you discussed about the feedforward instead of feedback. It was very interesting to consider. I liked how the other article discusses the pros of positive feedback, as you discussed. I did not read this article originally, so your description of it was very insightful. I look forward to utilizing some of these strategies.
-Andy