
The Essentials: Giving Feedback
Women at Work
How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students
Teresa O'Mara: I've always tried never to forget what it's like to be a teacher or any role, right? What are they dealing with right now? They're on teachers who have spotty Wi-Fi. So if the students are not engaged, is it because the teachers Wi-Fi keeps going in and out? Is it because they are getting, you know, shotty Wi- Fi? For me it would be like at the end of the day when they're exhausted. It has been this constant battle that I've been having with myself of how do I let them know they did an amazing job?" "I just feel like I should be doing so
This is the first episode in a new series called The Essentials, where we invite women from essential sectors (think health care and education) to join us in interviewing experts on essential career topics (think negotiating and managing stress).
In this episode, we tackle giving feedback — something we know is important to being a good manager, somebody people look up to and not just report to. But very few of us actually like to do it. So how can we get better at this critical skill? How can we deliver feedback in a way that motivates a team member rather than demoralizes them? Which pieces of feedback do we prioritize? And how do you make room in your already busy schedule to have these difficult conversations?
Amy G is joined by a school principal from Southern California to interview Therese Huston, a social scientist and feedback expert. They talk about three different types of feedback conversations, how to make time to share feedback with team members, and tips for giving feedback remotely.
Guests:
Jessica Gomez is an elementary school principal in Southern California.
Therese Huston is the author of Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower and the founding director of Seattle University’s Center for Faculty Development.
Resources:
- “We Deserve Better Than ‘Attagirl’” by Women at Work
- “Research: Men Get More Actionable Feedback Than Women,” by Elena Doldor, et al
- “Giving Critical Feedback Is Even Harder Remotely,” by Therese Huston
- “Everything You Need to Know About Giving Negative Feedback,” by Sarah Green Carmichael
- HBR Guide to Delivering Effective Feedback, by Harvard Business Review
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