Giving Effective Feedback

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Giving Effective Feedback

Feedback is the communication of information, relating to a person's recent actions to a specific goal. Giving staff effective feedback is the key to personal and professional development. Feedback can improve motivation by acknowledging effort and results. Effective, consistent feedback by managers can also enhance employee performance and increase efficiency.

This diagram illustrates why feedback is an important concept in professional communication:

Forms of Feedback

There are three types of feedback:

1. Constructive criticism.
2. Destructive criticism.
3. Appreciation and praise.

1. Constructive Criticism

Everyone needs, at sometime, to receive constructive criticism.

Therefore, managers should know how to communicate criticism in a constructive manner, which will inspire and give confidence to the receiver.

Criticism should focus on the performance issue and not the person.

Make the feedback objective and specific and ask for their commitment to change.

Failure to give constructive criticism is a common communication error and some managers resort to giving destructive criticism.

2. Destructive Criticism

It is easy for negative feedback to deteriorate into destructive criticism. Destructive criticism leads to bad feelings, broken relationships and a reduction in performance.

Managers should learn the difference between constructive and destructive criticism and to perfect their communication skills in order to communicate in a constructive and confident manner.

3. Positive feedback

Managers must give proper appreciation, praise and thanks for a job well done. By acknowledging effort and results, staff motivation is increased.

Always remember the power of a few kind words.

Remember that the lack of appreciation is sometimes the cause of a conflict.

Communication Skills Training

If you would like to know more about how to communicate in order to inspire the best performance in others, take a look at this one-day Communication Skills Training Course.

About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.

Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.

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Further Reading in Coaching, Mentoring and Developing Staff

• Are There Universal Laws That are True for Everyone?
  Base your staff training on ten principles for successful action.
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• Help With My Staff Training
  Help your managers and team leaders in handling difficult members of staff, by providing them with good training in the correct skills and knowledge.
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• With the right training, you can do anything
  Have you got what it takes to succeed? If not, then the right training will certainly help you achieve anything you want to do.
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• Giving Effective Feedback
  Performance feedback in the workplace is valuable to the personal development of individuals and to the effectiveness of the organisation itself. Managers need training in how to deliver feedback consistently and rationally.
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• Good Training is Fun
  There is a certain thrill of excitement that you feel whenever you know you are learning useful, new stuff and making rapid progress. Progress feels like fun. So good training is fun.
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