How to Give Effective Feedback

Today with the way the economy is and people fearing for their jobs. Most company's do their evaluation at years end. Giving effective feedback can sometimes be challenging. The biggest challenge is giving effective feedback that reinforces good behavior while affecting behavior change

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Day to day:
   
   The foundation to effective feedback is to provide it on a day to day, minute- by- minute- basis. If feedback is a once a year occurrence, rather than a daily discipline, people tend to be surprised rather than aligned with the feedback they are being given. If you have suggestions that will help an employee perform their job better, it is more productive to communicate that sooner than later.

2. Feedback is not about filling out a performance review:
   Many Managers confuse filling out paperwork with feedback. There are good reasons to document the performance review process. Most of them involve administrative performance tracking, but what might have been an ongoing helpful and coaching conversation has turned into an uncomfortable, defensive dialogue. Formal feedback should never be a surprise for the person being reviewed.

3. Feedback from 360 degrees:
   
   Soliciting feedback from other leaders and peers gives a well round view of your employee's successes and opportunities. There may be areas of their performance that you have not had an opportunity to experience. In a team-driven performance environment, 360 review offers a more complete performance view.

4. A raise is not the same as feedback:
   
   Most people expect a raise when given a performance review. Pay raise and feedback need to be addressed separately. While pay and performance are intricately linked, daily feedback should not include discussions of pay.

5. Check yourself:
   
   Think about the feedback that you are giving.
   > Is the feedback you are giving working for the people who are receiving it?
   
   > Are you affecting positive change?
   
   > Is it working for them, your business or customer, or you?

6. Some times we get to caught up in our lives. Need to love ourselves but still try to help other people. Living a more positive life, can reward us to be happier. Isn't it what we are reaching for? So make a promise today that you will reach out to one person and make a difference in there life...
   In order to provide constructive feedback, you should include not only areas of opportunity ( including suggested solutions), but positive reinforcement for areas of success. Be sure to make it relevant and timely!

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that your employee knows that it is to make them a better employee
• reinforce that point...

[staysik]

on 1/10/2009 great, detailed article 5*'s