How to Give Productive Feedback [ Reasons, Steps ]

If one provides proper feedback, then that person would be handing out information regarding his or her observation regarding a particular product, service, event, or even another person. A person may then use the information to change or improve certain aspects of what has been given feedback on.

There are those people who are afraid to receive feedback simply because they think that those who are handing it out may just use it as an opportunity to only point out the negatives. So with the help of this article, one can use the information here to know the importance of feedback, as well as knowing how to provide a productive one.

Reasons Why Feedback Is Important

Whether one receives positive or negative feedback, either one can be very helpful. Feedback is a valuable source of information that can help one grow and make importance decisions. So here are reasons why feedback is so important.

• There are so many types of feedback that one can give. In a business, there are so many things you would want to know more about. If you would like to know what your employee’s think of their working conditions, then you create employee feedback forms for them to fill up. If  you would like to learn more about the performance of your employees, then you conduct a performance appraisal. We almost always provide feedback on daily basis, so knowing which specific one to give can definitely help out.

• Feedback can help those who provide understand that their opinions or suggestions have been taken into serious consideration. So whether one receives feedback verbally or through an effective survey, it’s best to explain that the information that you have gained is very valuable and will be used.

• Feedback can give employee’s the motivation they need to perform better within the workplace. If an employee were to receive a lot of positive reviews from clients, supervisors, vendors or anyone else that’s willing to give feedback, then that person would feel a sense of satisfaction, as well as help him or her build better relations with these people.

• It can help improve one’s performance. If one were to receive the results of a performance feedback, then that person will be able to see what he or she is doing right. Even if it states that there are areas that the employee needs to work on, one can use the criticism as an advantage to improve from any previous mistakes that were made.

• It helps one learn more about the many different things. Feedback is an essential tool that will help someone achieve the goals set out, formulate different strategies to achieve success, improve relationships with others and much more. Always remember that proper feedback will present you with information that can help you and others develop.

5 Steps that Will Help You Provide Productive Feedback

Giving and receiving any kind of feedback can be a very delicate process. While it can help in identifying certain issues, depending on the way one does it can have a serious effect on the receiver. One should always remember that the point of feedback is for growth and improvement. So here are 5 steps that can help you do just that.

• Make the receiver of the feedback feel safe. People who receive uncomfortable feedback, then it is most likely that they won’t even take heed to the information that is presented to them, thus making the feedback unproductive. So one of the best ways to provide proper feedback is to remain civil and keep your tone as professional as possible to avoid making the receiver feel bad or uncomfortable. Point out the skills or traits that these people should be proud of and work from there.

• Try to be as positive as possible, see to it that you point out all the good. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t point out anything negative, but if you do, then you will have to accompany it with a solution or  a suggestion that can help someone. Providing positive feedback can boost the receiver’s morale and may just make the person more productive and effective. So if you’re going to give feedback to employees, be sure to always point out the positives.

• Be specific on what you want people to improve on. If you want these people to grow, you’re going to have to tell them what it is they have to improve on, then you will need to point out and provide a proper explanation on how they should accomplish a certain goal. For example, you’re about provide feedback on an employee’s performance, you want the employee to talk more during meetings so you cannot just say “You should learn to talk more” but instead you can phrase it in a way such as “It’s best that next time we have a meeting, you share at least one or two ideas because you have more to offer than you know”

• You’ll need to do it sooner rather than later. Lets say that you are going to provide feedback on one’s project. If you wait too long to do it, then there is a very high chance that once you do, the person receiving the information might not even remember the important parts of how he or she conducted the projected. So it’s always best to do it as soon as possible because relying on one’s memory alone can be risky.

• When giving negative criticism, do not do it in a harsh way. If you know that almost everything that a person did was wrong, then tell that person about his or her stupidity. Tell that person that you are willing to help ensure that goals are achieved. Ask that person if he or she understands everything that you expect, as well as making suggestions on how to solve these problems.

You may even go through our feedback forms available on our site in the event that you would like to learn more about feedback or if you want to create you own form to obtain the information you need.