Therese Huston, a cognitive scientist at Seattle University and author, teams up with Jessica Gomez, an elementary school principal renowned for her feedback strategies. They delve into the nuances of giving feedback, exploring types like appreciation and coaching. Their discussion highlights the importance of trust in tough conversations, particularly for women leaders. They also stress follow-up conversations and proactive communication as keys to fostering growth. With personal anecdotes and practical strategies, they make the art of feedback both accessible and engaging.
Employees react more negatively when receiving feedback from women.
Balancing informal and formal feedback is crucial in educational settings.
Deep dives
The Importance of Giving Feedback
Giving feedback is a critical part of being a good manager, but it can be challenging. Employees react more negatively when receiving feedback from women. It is important to focus on appreciation, coaching, and evaluation when giving feedback. Appreciation is positive feedback, coaching is advice, and evaluation is letting someone know where they stand. It is recommended to give more appreciation than the other two types. When giving feedback, it is crucial to listen and ask questions to understand the other person's perspective. Trust can be built by putting the other person in the driver's seat and offering coaching or appreciation based on their preference. Progress principle suggests focusing on areas where immediate progress can be made. Transparently scheduling feedback conversations and following up to track progress is essential.
Challenges of Giving Feedback
Time constraints can make it difficult to give feedback, especially in a virtual work environment. Finding the right time and approach to provide feedback is crucial. Personalizing feedback for the current learning environment is challenging for educators. Building trust and creating a culture of open communication is important when giving and receiving feedback. Balancing informal and formal feedback is crucial in educational settings. Appreciation should be given at every opportunity, while coaching can be more selective. Transparency and scheduling ahead of time can help manage feedback conversations effectively.
Clarity in Giving Feedback
Ensuring clarity when giving feedback is important to ensure it is understood by the recipient. Asking specific questions and reframing the feedback can enhance comprehension. Follow-up questions like 'what are your top takeaways?' and 'what progress have you made?' help reinforce the key points and track development. Scheduling follow-up conversations and using calendars as reminders can ensure that feedback is revisited and progress is monitored.
Conclusion
Giving effective feedback is crucial for managers and leaders. By focusing on appreciation, coaching, and evaluation, listening actively, and asking targeted questions, feedback conversations can be more productive and meaningful. Building trust, providing timely feedback, and following up on progress are key elements to ensure feedback is understood, applied, and beneficial.
If you’re a leader, you know how critical feedback is to your team’s success and growth. But giving the kind of feedback that motivates people to improve is harder than it may seem.
In this episode, Therese Huston, a cognitive scientist at Seattle University who specializes in giving and receiving feedback, and Jessica Gomez, an elementary school principal whose job involves observing teachers and giving them feedback on their teaching, break down the art and science of giving effective feedback.
They discuss what to prioritize when you give feedback, how to make sure your message is clear, and how to lay the groundwork for these difficult conversations.
HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.
