Feedback - food or fodder

Someone said that “feedback is the breakfast of Champions” – it’s a bit of a cliché I suppose but my recent series of posts about feedback hopefully shows that the way it is delivered can have quite an impact – be it positive or negative.

In my work at the moment I have been evaluating some initial feedback from training that is currently being rolled out on a global basis. The audience for the training is large (100,000 people) and diverse so designing an intervention for such an audience has certainly been a challenge. Results so far are encouraging and we are now looking at what we do with the information. The process has made me think about some key learnings that I wanted to share with you:

• What are you trying to evaluate? For me there are broadly two kinds of things that are useful to evaluate:
• Did the intervention meet your desired learning outcomes? Assuming you defined some learning outcomes (knowledge, skills and attitude), how will you know if people have achieved them? Without wishing to delve into a debate about evaluation and Kirkpatrick, it is often valuable to ask delegates how well they have met outcomes. For example asking them if they feel confident in their ability to do something new, whether they know where to go for help etc (assuming these are defined learning outcomes).
• Was the method of delivery appropriate? You will probably be able to tell this from the answers to your first set of questions about learning outcomes. However it is useful to know why….was the course too fast, too slow; was the content pitched at the right level (eg. was it patronising); would they have preferred classroom/elearning; was it relevant etc.

• How are you trying to collect evaluation data? There are many ways to obtain feedback from your audience and you need to select the most appropriate medium. This could be via a survey (preferably online) but could also include a more qualitative follow up approach via focus groups or one to one interviews (a recommended approach). It is important to always try and get a representative view using some statistics and then some analysis.

• Look for themes. When faced with a ton of statistics from your survey results it may be quite daunting. However the first activity is to pull out some themes. Start at a high level – did we broadly meet our learning objectives. Then, drill down further – did we meet all the objectives fully, were some met better than others etc. Once you have some themes the next step is to get some qualitative information to validate the ‘why’ – use focus groups, workshops and interviews to explore the themes further.

• Don’t just focus on the negative. I always find it tempting to look at the negative comments – what didn’t people like, what didn’t work… However it is really important to also understand what worked well…..and why. It is really important to understand the positive items if you are to be able to replicate them again in the future.

• Make it easy for people to give feedback or provide an incentive. Most people aren’t too keen on providing feedback and often it is the people who have strong feelings (positive or negative) that will provide it. So it’s important to make it as easy as possible for people to contribute their views.
• Try and collate the feedback as soon after the course/event as possible. The longer you wait the less likely people are to provide it.
• Give people an incentive for sharing their views. This doesn’t have to be a prize but can be as simple as letting people know how important their views are and how it will help shape future courses/events

• Follow up with delegates. They took some of their valuable time to share their views with you so the least they deserve is to know what the information will be used for. Provide a summary of the key themes (what worked, what needs some attention) and what actions will specifically be taken as a result. Oh and one other thing – remember to say thanks.

• Do something with it. There is no point in collating the feedback if you are not going to do anything with it. Sounds obvious – but I have seen feedback ignored on a number of occasions. Even if the message can be hard to swallow you need to take some action. Also remember to pass on any learnings to other parts of your organisation that may find it useful. If people didn’t like an approach to online training in a particular part of the business then this could be valuable information.

I would be very interested to hear your learnings too – if you can find a couple of minutes then please do let me know.

Feedback - are you a Cat....?

What's your style of giving feedback....and have you even thought about it?

Are you a Cat?

The Cat is someone who wants to be liked. They don't really like conflict and believe it is really important to build really good relationships with people - that makes for a better working environment, right?

What's it like to be on the receiving end?

It's strange. All of the feedback that the Cat gave you was really positive, he even gave you some good examples. However your rating was 'meets expectations'....that just doesn't seem to make sense. I am not sure if I have done a good job or whether I need to do a bit better.

What's it like to be the Cat?

As the Cat you feel it is important that the person feels good about the feedback. You certainly don't want it to impact your relationship with them. You really want to try and avoid any conflict so it's probably best to avoid those negative thoughts that you might have. If only they knew what you were really thinking - imagine that!

If you are a Cat have a think about the impact you are having.

For some tips and advice on feedback check out these posts:

Different types of feedback and the difference between feedback and coaching

Specific tips on feedback and coaching

Feedback - are your a Parrot....?

What's your style of giving feedback....and have you even thought about it?

Are you a Parrot?

A Parrot is someone who doesn't really have anything original to say about you. In fact they don't really have much to say at all. They seem to have a list of special phrases that they think are insightful.....but are really quite meaningless. For example 'attitude and aptitude gets you altitude..'.

What's it like to be on the receiving end?

Confusing! You were keen to get some feedback from them but it was like talking to a mirror. Whenever you asked for feedback they just seemed to ask back what I thought. When I suggested an area I should focus on they did seem to agree but didn't really provide any advice or suggestions.

What's it like to be the Parrot?

Well as a Parrot this feedback stuff isn't really top of your agenda. You know that the activity has to happen once or twice a year but you would rather get it over and done with quickly if possible. You are sure that people already know what they need to do and anyway that coaching course you were told to attend taught you that it is better for people to find out things for themselves. Sometimes, if I take some time to think about it I can come up with some good examples that might be useful to them....but that's not my job is it?

If you are a Parrot have a think about the impact you are having.

For some tips and advice on feedback check out these posts:

Different types of feedback and the difference between feedback and coaching

Specific tips on feedback and coaching

Feedback - are you a Bull...?

What's your style of giving feedback....and have you even thought about it?

Are you a Bull?

A bull is someone who likes to 'tell you like it is'. They don't believe in 'skirting the issue' and feel it is their duty to deliver the message loud and clear. They believe that there should be no doubt in your mind about the message being delivered and really can't stand those HR types that just try and dress the message up with corporate speak...

What's it like to be on the receiving end?

Well, if you like to get your feedback in a very direct manner then it's fine. However for most people the messages are often delivered without any empathy or consideration of the emotional impact. For some people it can be quite upsetting and this can be made even worse if the direct message isn't backed up by any solid examples or constructive suggestions as to what needs some focus. Tears can be a common outcome from the feedback session...

What's it like to be the Bull?

As a Bull you think it is really important that people get the feedback that other people may not be capable of delivering. You feel it is your duty to avoid any 'flowering up' of the message - you don't want people to get confused now, do you? If people can't deal with the truth then that's surely their problem isn't it? You have often noticed that people find it hard to deal with the truth and some even seem to get all emotional - you just can't understand that....they should just deal with it and move on.

If you are a Bull have a think about the impact you are having.

For some tips and advice on feedback check out these posts:

Different types of feedback and the difference between feedback and coaching

Specific tips on feedback and coaching

Feedback - are you a Hare...?

What's your style of giving feedback....and have you even thought about it?

Are you a Hare?

A Hare is someone who is probably well intentioned but always extremely busy. Allocating some time to give feedback is always on the 'to do' list but other items always seem to push it down in priority - client meetings, that important sales pitch, meeting your own manager etc. The Hare often rearranges feedback sessions at the last minute and may have to cut them short to dash off to something else.

What's it like to be on the receiving end?

Even though the session has been rearranged twice, you are still looking forward to receiving some feedback from the Hare. After all you respect them and believe their feedback will provide some valuable insight. When the Hare does actually arrive it is a whirlwind of rushed messages that you find quite hard to decipher. Although there are some really insightful items you just don't have time to explore them further because the Hare has had to dash off to something else.

You are left feeling like you only have half of the picture and also quite undervalued as you seem to be low on the priority list. Clearly getting on around here means allocating minimal time to this sort of activity.

What's it like to be the Hare?

Well as the Hare you actually feel that feedback is important and have been thinking about what to say for a while. However there always seem to be other things that are more important too. However you always do your best to provide some insightful nuggets and of course they can always follow up with you if they want to know more....... Actually it is quite frustrating being a Hare because you really want to allocate more time to giving the feedback but never seem to be able to......maybe next time.

If you are a Hare have a think about the impact you are having. For some tips and advice on feedback check out these posts:

Different types of feedback and the difference between feedback and coaching

Specific tips on feedback and coaching

Feedback - what's your style...?

I have been on the receiving end of quite a bit of feedback recently as part of our bi-annual performance review process. On the whole I have been impressed with the way the feedback has been provided and people have been prepared to share some really valuable insights. Lots of feedback food for me to consume and consider.

It was really interesting to observe the different styles of the various individuals that provided the feedback and how effective they all are (or aren't). Over the next couple of posts I am going to examine a couple of different styles of feedback delivery to compare their impact and effectiveness. Which one are you....the Hare, the Bull, the Cat, the Parrot.....? If you aren't sure then ask the people who are on the receiving end......they might just give you the feedback YOU need!

I have written about feedback in some previous posts so if you want some general tips then check these out:

Different types of feedback and the difference between feedback and coaching

Specific tips on feedback and coaching

Tapping Talent - The way out of the credit crunch..?

Some interesting research from Accenture recently has highlighted that approximately half of all women and men in the workplace don't think they are being sufficently challenged by their jobs.

What's more interesting is that 76% said they already have the skills to take them to the next level, but they are just not being utilised.

Wow - that's amazing! Think about how much latent talent is there just waiting to be tapped....!!

If we could just help people release even a fraction of that talent then maybe that's the way out of this credit crunch.

....and it is the role of you as a manager that has the most influence on this.

Check out the following posts toget some tips and advice on how to release this potential:

• How to motivate people

• Coaching and how to give feedback

• The power of mentoring

Talent management has a huge role to play in the current climate - do you have the guts to take the lead in your organisation?

Specific tips on coaching and feedback

In my last post we started to look at how feedback and coaching are important elements of a line manager's role.

As a line manager there are a couple of specific components that are worth focusing on with respect to feedback and coaching:

• Being as specific as possible and avoiding generalisations


• Thinking about whether this is the right time


• Avoiding being judgemental and focusing on being descriptive


• Providing a balanced view


• Having a two way conversation


• Maintaining self esteem.

The following table gives some specific examples for all of these components.

Click on the image to make it bigger and print it out as a reference.





















As with all development this requires practice so don't expect to get it absolutely right first time. Also, the next time you are on the 'receiving end' have a think about why it went well, or not so well. Which of the components above were in place and which weren't - why and how did that make a difference?

More Line Manager tips - feedback and coaching

If a line manager is not taking steps to develop the people that work for him then they aren't doing their job properly. Of course as a line manager there a hundred different priorities that need to be sorted out but how often is people development near the end of this list?

One of the key ways in which a line manager can do this is to provide some good quality feedback and little coaching now and then. It doesn't take a huge amount of effort (but it does require some) and the rewards can be very high for both the line manager and the individual.

First a question - what is the difference between feedback and coaching........?

• Feedback is what happened and can be praise or for issues identification
• Coaching is how to improve

As a line manager you need to deliver both and in sequence - feedback and then coaching.

There are lots of types of feedback that you need to provide to your people. 

Consider the following types of feedback:

Reinforcing: encouraging what they are doing right. If people know that they are doing the right thing then they will keep on doing it. If they aren't told it they may well assume that it must be wrong!

Correcting: adjusting what they are doing wrong (the opposite of reinforcing)

Confronting: probably the most difficult type of feedback and the one that many line managers avoid. Conflict is inevitable and there are likely to be performance issues.

Of course, what is most important here is how you provide the feedback. Many line managers often fire the feedback like a bullet from a gun.....and then wonder why it didn't go down very well.

Just take a moment to put yourself in their shoes - 

• How might they be feeling?
  
• What would be the best way to deliver the feedback?
  
• Is this the right time to provide them with feedback?
• How can I remove emotion from the situation by keeping things factual? 
  

In my next post I will give some further insights into the best way to provide feedback including some specific examples.

....and now with your coaching hat on some questions to ask yourself.

Do you genuinel believe that every member of  your team has untapped potential?

• You, the person you are coaching and the operating context all affect the way a task is done. If you thought about all of the variable how might things work differently, rather than just following a process that you always use?
• Everyone has their own way of learning. Do you coach the way you would want to be coached?
• Your team member will have their own perspective - on their performance and on you. How is your coaching affected by what you believe your team member thinks of you?
• You can't like everyone. What impact does liking or disliking a team member have on your relationship with them?

In my next post we will look at some of the key components in a bit more detail with some examples and advice on how to coach and provide feedback....