Feedback for Growth: How to Deliver Actionable Feedback that Drives Improvement

Feedbacks are an essential tool for learning, growth, and improvement. Whether in a personal or professional setting, feedback loops enable us to receive and respond to information in a way that helps us achieve our goals.

There are many different sub-categories under feedback like anonymous feedback, product feedback, restaurant feedback/ratings, and so on. In this article, we'll explore the construct of feedback in a one-on-one setup or person-to-person, why they're important, and how to give actionable feedback so that they are effective.

Why Feedbacks are necessary?

Feedback is important for several reasons, both in personal and professional contexts. Some of the key reasons include improving individual performance, clarifying expectations, providing motivation, building relationships, enhancing communications, and, in more formal contexts, driving professional performance.

Feedback should have a tangible outcome

Giving actionable feedback is a skill that you should keep improving and fine-tuning. If done correctly can have significant benefits for individuals and organizations. However, many of us either don’t feel comfortable or miss delicate nuances which leads to immaterialistic discussions.

Try to see if your feedback falls under one of these outcomes, if not reevaluate what message that you want to send across when giving feedback.

1. Positive reinforcement
2. Constructive criticism
3. Helping you build skills
4. Helping you understand your growth
5. Expressing gratitude if someone has gone the extra mile
   1. Bonus: documenting this achievement if they report to you
6. Helping you build relationships and communication.

Types of Feedback:

Based on the last section where we talked about actionable buckets, we can tag feedback with either one or more types.

1. Positive Feedback: to reinforce positive behaviors and actions. It can help motivate individuals, build confidence, and encourage them to continue performing well.
2. Constructive Feedback: to help individuals improve their performance. This type of feedback typically highlights areas for improvement and provides suggestions for how to improve.
3. Negative Feedback: to address specific issues or problems with an individual's performance. Although it can be difficult to give and receive, negative feedback is crucial in helping individuals identify areas where they need to improve. Structuring negative feedback is very crucial.
4. Formal Feedback: Formal feedback is typically given through performance reviews or evaluations. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive review of an individual's performance over a specified period.
5. Informal Feedback: Informal feedback is given on an ongoing basis and is typically less structured than formal feedback. Its purpose is to provide regular feedback on an individual's performance, highlight areas for improvement, and reinforce positive behaviors.

When should you give feedback?

1. Regular check-ins: Schedule regular check-ins with team members to provide ongoing feedback and support. This can help to prevent issues from escalating and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
2. After significant milestones: Provide feedback after significant milestones, such as the completion of a project, to help team members reflect on their accomplishments and identify areas for improvement.
3. After training or development opportunities: Provide feedback after team members have completed training or development opportunities, to help them apply what they have learned and continue to grow.
4. When goals or objectives change: Provide feedback when goals or objectives change, to ensure that team members are aligned with new priorities and understand what is expected of them.
5. When team dynamics change: Provide feedback when team dynamics change, to help team members adapt and work effectively together.
6. When performance issues arise: Provide feedback when performance issues arise, to help team members identify areas for improvement and take corrective action.

Additional points to consider when deciding when to give feedback include:

1. Critical events like
   1. Critical bug fix
   2. Extra mile work
   3. Failure to complete their work
   4. Behavioral issues
   5. Conflict in the team
2. Sometimes immediately after a demo or dry run by your peers
3. Sometimes identifying if someone is going through a rough phase
   1. Give them good feedback about their growth so far
   2. if the above point is not feasible try to help them create a growth plan (will cover this in the future)

What should you avoid?

To provide effective feedback, it is important to avoid the following:

1. Causing hurt feelings: While it is important to be honest in your feedback, it is also essential to be tactful. People are more likely to be receptive to feedback when they don't feel attacked or criticized.
2. Giving negative feedback without providing actionable outcomes: It's easy to point out what someone did wrong, but it's harder to suggest ways to improve. To make your feedback more impactful, be specific and provide actionable steps that the recipient can take to improve.
3. Engaging in a one-sided monologue: Feedback should be a two-way conversation. Allow the recipient to respond and ask questions so that the feedback can be a constructive dialogue.
4. Poor timing: make sure to understand the recipient's statement before providing feedback: It's important to give feedback in a timely manner, but it's equally important to make sure that you fully understand what the recipient is saying. Take the time to really listen and understand what they are saying before giving feedback.
5. Avoid Judgemental Language: Avoid judgmental language that could make the recipient feel defensive. Instead, focus on the impact of their actions and how it affects the team or project (check out "Preparation before you give Feedback" section).
6. Going in unprepared: disconnected thoughts will not help facilitate a constructive discussion: Before giving feedback, take the time to prepare your thoughts and organize them in a logical manner(check out "How to Structure your Feedback?" section). This will help ensure that your feedback is clear, concise, and constructive.

We will cover certain verbose styles to avoid in the next section of this article.

Preparation before you give Feedback

Providing feedback is an important aspect of both personal and professional development. Here are some tips to structure your feedback effectively:

Use the "I" statement:

Start with an "I" statement to make your feedback feel less accusatory and more personal. Instead of saying "You never listen to me," you could say "I feel like I'm not being heard." This approach takes ownership of your feelings and helps the recipient understand your perspective.

Positive example with negative context: "I appreciate that you are always willing to share your ideas during team meetings. However, I feel like I'm not being heard when I try to share my own ideas. Could we find a way to ensure everyone has a chance to speak during meetings?"

Positive example with positive context: "I really appreciate you taking some time to review my document, this helps me fast track the deliverables" instead of “Your document review helped in fast tracking the deliverables”

Focus on specific behaviors or actions:

Avoid broad generalizations and focus on specific behaviors or actions to help the recipient understand what they need to work on. Instead of saying "You need to be more professional," you could say "I noticed that you were late to a few meetings last week and it made it difficult for us to stay on schedule." This approach helps the recipient understand which behaviors specifically need to be improved.

Positive example with negative context: "I appreciate the effort you put into your work. I did notice, however, that there were a few typos in your report. Could you take some extra time to proofread your work before submitting it?"

Positive example with positive context: "I* think you did a great job when you presented that summary slide, which really shows your presentations skills*" instead of “It was a great presentation”

Use examples to illustrate your points:

Using examples to illustrate your points makes the feedback more concrete and easier for the recipient to understand. Instead of saying "You need to be more organized," you could say "I noticed that you missed a deadline last week because you forgot to add it to your calendar." This approach helps the recipient understand how their actions affect others.

Positive example with negative context: "I want to recognize the effort you put into organizing the project. I did notice, however, that we missed an important detail in the final presentation. Could we work together to create a checklist to ensure nothing is missed next time?"

Positive example with positive context: "One of the things that I admire about you is your ability to welcome new team members and make them comfortable. This should you are shaping out to be a great people person" instead of “You are a great people’s person”

Avoid judgmental language:

Avoid judgmental language that could make the recipient feel defensive. Instead, focus on the impact of their actions and how it affects the team or project. Instead of saying "You are lazy," you could say "I noticed that you didn't complete your assigned task on time, which caused the rest of the team to have to pick up the slack." This approach helps the recipient understand the impact of their actions without feeling attacked.

Positive example with negative context: "I appreciate your enthusiasm for the project. I did notice, however, that your approach may not be the best fit for this particular task. Could we explore some alternative approaches together?"

Positive example with positive context: “The way you answered the questions made it obvious that you really understand XYZ topic” instead of “You are really good at XYZ topic”

Keep it concise:

Finally, keep your feedback concise and to the point. Rambling or going off-topic can make the recipient feel overwhelmed or confused. Stick to the specific behaviors you observed and the impact they had.

Positive example with negative context: "I want to recognize the effort you put into the project. I did notice, however, that there were a few areas where we could improve. Could we work together to create a plan to address these areas?"

Positive example with positive context: “Your last quarter achievements exceeded expectations, I would like to specifically discuss the top highlights A, B, and C” instead of “Your contributions for this last quarter has been great on so many fronts, like ….(long description)”

Remember, feedback should have a tangible outcome, whether it's positive reinforcement, constructive criticism, or helping someone build skills. By structuring your feedback effectively, you can help the recipient understand how they can improve, and ultimately help them reach their full potential.

How to Structure your Feedback?

I would encourage you guys to give it a try without using the below templates, but if you are lost as to what should be the preparation content then follow these templates which simplify thoughts for both the giver and the recipient.

The two most commonly used templates for giving feedback are SBI (Situation, Behavior, Impact) and STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) methods. STAR is typically used to showcase key outcomes but in this case, it acts as a precursor to set the context before talking to the recipient.

Here are some additional details and tips on how to use each method:

SBI method: I recommend using this with actionable points

• Focus on the behavior, not the person. Use objective language and avoid making assumptions or judgments about the person's character or intentions.
• Be specific and give concrete examples. This helps the person understand what they did well or what needs improvement.
• Be clear about the impact. Please describe how the behavior affected you or others, and explain why it matters.

Note: in the SBI model post discussing the Impact you should talk about the actionability part.

STAR method: You can draw a lot of similarities based on the above SBI+Actionable point.

• Be specific and concrete. Use real examples to illustrate your points.
• Be balanced. Highlight positive and negative outcomes, and be clear about what the person did well and what could be improved.
• Be constructive. Use the feedback as an opportunity to help the person learn and grow, rather than simply criticizing or praising their performance.

How to Deliver your Feedback?

Begin with a personal connection statement. This could include asking contextual questions based on notes from past 1-1s, such as how a side project is going or how guitar lessons are progressing. You could also share an anecdote or observation that shows you have been paying attention to the recipient's life outside of work. This creates a positive environment and helps to build trust.

If possible, conduct the feedback session in person or via video call. This allows for picking up the recipient's body language and interest, which can help to facilitate a more productive conversation and adjust your flow accordingly.

Refer back to the points you have prepared for this feedback. Make sure to provide specific examples and actionable suggestions for improvement. Be sure to listen actively to the recipient's responses and take their perspective into account.

Encourage the recipient to ask questions and clarify their understanding. It's important to ensure that the feedback is understood and that the recipient feels comfortable discussing any concerns or questions they may have.

Conclude with final thoughts and an action plan. Summarize the key takeaways from the feedback session and create a plan of action for moving forward. Make sure to follow up on the action plan in future 1-1s to ensure that progress is being made.

Ensure the success of actionable Feedback by follow ups

Check in with the recipient to see how they're doing. We can leverage some of the following metrics:

1. Tracking progress: When you give feedback to someone, it's important to check in with them later to see how they're doing and to track their progress. This can help you understand how well they're implementing your suggestions and whether they need any additional support or guidance. It also shows that you care about their progress and that you're invested in their success.
2. Ask how they're feeling: It's important to ask how the recipient is feeling after receiving feedback. This helps to ensure that they are not feeling demotivated or demoralized. Giving feedback can sometimes be stressful, so it's important to be empathetic and supportive during the process. Asking how they're feeling also provides an opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings and address any concerns.
3. If the conversation did not end on a positive note, it's important to follow up with the recipient, especially if they were not happy or content with something. This helps to ensure that they understand the feedback and that they are on the right track moving forward. It also shows that you care about their success and are willing to work with them to address any issues.

If you were responsible for providing additional support, follow up on action items, it's important to follow up with the recipient to ensure that they have everything they need to implement the feedback successfully. This includes providing resources or training, answering questions, or providing additional feedback. Following up also shows that you're committed to their success and that you're invested in helping them improve.

Use positive reinforcement as needed: Feedback is most effective when it's balanced with positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement helps to encourage and motivate the recipient and can help to reinforce the behavior or actions that you want to see more of. It's important to be specific when using positive reinforcement, highlighting the specific behaviors or actions that you want to see more of. This helps to ensure that the recipient understands what they are doing well and can continue to build on those successes.

Conclusion:

It might seem overwhelming amount of information, but knowingly or unknowingly we are tuned to always give feedback. We just need to dial a few knobs to make those feedback effective. I used this framework to even give feedback to myself. I even write down action items, but my personal struggles have been to take tangible actions and track and measure the growth. Measuring growth is equally important for multiple reasons, which I will write about in a separate article.

Thanks for reading! Will continue to learn.

TLDR

1. Feedbacks are important for continuous growth in the right direction

2. Feedback should have tangible action items for the recipient to work on

3. Understand the situation and accordingly choose the type of feedback, you can combine more than one type like positive, constructive, formal, informal, and so on

4. Timing of the feedback is also important

5. You should avoid

   1. Hurting feelings
   2. Negative feedback
   3. One-sided monologue
   4. Poor timing
   5. Going in unprepared
   6. Avoid judgmental language

6. Prepare beforehand

   1. Use the "I" statement
   2. Focus on specific behaviors or actions
   3. Use examples
   4. Keep it concise

7. Structure your Feedback

8. Delivery

9. Follow-ups