How to Handle Negative Feedback At Work
How to Handle Negative Feedback at Work
There are seven steps to handling negative feedback at work:
- Listen without interruption.
- Question down to get specifics.
- When you fully understand the criticism, ask yourself honestly, is the criticism true, partially true or false?
- If the criticism is false, then defend your position.
- If the criticism is true, or partially true, formulate an adaptive response.
- Either way, always learn from negative feedback.
- Build on your past performance.
Nobody is perfect.
We all make mistakes and omissions. Consequently, we all need to hear occasional negative feedback, in the form of criticism of our recent performance.
Nobody likes to hear such criticism and many people stubbornly resist it, claiming that, "Nobody has the right to criticise me!"
But progressive people are more open to working with critical feedback, because they understand that progress is made by eliminating errors, and we cannot eliminate what we won't acknowledge.
If we intelligently use negative feedback, then we can benefit from it. Here are the steps.
1. Listen without interruption.
When being criticised, the instinctive urge is to argue and fight back.
Control your primitive urges, instead simply LISTEN to the criticism without interruption, and if possible, take written notes.
2. Question down to get specific facts.
Criticism often comes worded in emotive, subjective language, such as "inappropriate", or "attitude problem". Whenever you hear this vague and emotive language, question it to get the objective facts, which will fall into four categories:
What was said, or not said; What was done or not done.
You need to identify the "behavioural facts", not their "subjective opinions".
3. When you fully understand the criticism, ask yourself honestly if the criticism is true, partially true or false.
The criticism of your behaviour will either be true, partially true or false, and you must be completely HONEST with yourself. If you have made an error, then admit it, at least to yourself. If you honestly believe that the criticism is NOT true, then take the next step...
4. If the criticism is false, then defend your position.
If the accusation itself is unjustified, then do not accept it and correct the record by stating the facts.
5. If the criticism is true, or partially true, formulate an adaptive response.
If the criticism of you is true, or partially true, then you must accept the criticism as valid and make the necessary adjustments to your speech, or behaviour to bring yourself back into alignment with what is "Reasonable".
It is here that we gain the benefit of critical feedback. We use it to make adaptive changes to our current modes of thinking, speaking or acting, which brings us closer and closer to reason.
Our aim is that everything we do and say, can be demonstrated to be reasonable.
6. Either way, always learn from negative feedback.
Taking negative feedback and using it to improve performance is the sign of a mature personality. Nobody likes criticism, but all need to hear it.
Wise people profit from it.
7. Build on past performance.
Life is an evolution, which is the process of progressive change by means of small modifications in response to failure. People who don't, or won't modify their approach based upon negative feedback, do not evolve and do not progress.
Those who use negative feedback to build their performance, make more progress in less time.
Personal Development Training
Please check out our personal and professional development training, if you would like to know more.
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.
Blogs by Email
Do you want to receive an email whenever we post a new blog? The blogs contain article 5-10 minutes long - ideal for reading during your coffee break!
Further Reading in Personal Development
-
Three ways to improve your personal effectiveness
Three ways to improve your personal effectiveness You may be thinking about how you might be able to improve your personal effectiveness. Your personal effectiveness is a measure of your ability to make rapid progress towards your own goals or the goals that have been assigned to you. If John is...
Read Article > -
What Skills Do I Need To Improve?
Learn from expert trainer Chris Farmer the skills that you need to improve to progress in your professional life. Read advice in our online training blog.
Read Article > -
How to Improve Self-Confidence
Would you like to improve your self-confidence? Even the least confident person can improve their confidence, by taking some simple steps. Check out this guide and begin your journey to becoming more self-confident, today.
Read Article > -
How to be Even More Successful
No matter what you currently possess, you would probably like to see an improvement in your current situation. You would like to be more successful.
Read Article > -
How to Build More Self-Esteem
People who suffer with low self-esteem, generally under-perform in all areas of their life. It is possible to raise your self-esteem, and this blog shows you how you can develop your self-esteem and feel better about yourself on a daily basis.
Read Article >
Looking for Personal Development Training?
If you're looking to develop your Personal Development Skills, you may find this Personal Development Training Course beneficial:
Open Training Course Pricing and Availability
Next Open Course Starts in 9 days, Online - Teams, places available