Useful feedback identifies something a person can examine or change, rather than leaving them with a verdict about themselves.
Describe the work before judging the person
‘You need to be more professional’ can sound serious while leaving almost everything unspecified. Does the report need clearer figures, the meeting need a firmer agenda, or the email need a direct answer? A person cannot easily act on a broad judgment about their character.
Begin with the observed detail and its effect. ‘The dates appear in three different formats, which makes the sequence difficult to follow.’ This gives the conversation a subject both people can inspect. It does not require you to dilute an important concern. It requires you to make the concern clear enough to address.
Check what the person was trying to do
Feedback becomes more accurate when you understand the intention and constraints. Ask what the work was meant to accomplish and which requirements the person understood. You may discover an unclear brief, conflicting requests or a decision you had not noticed.
That information may change your response. It may also leave the original concern intact. Either way, you are discussing the work in its actual context rather than imagining that every disappointing outcome comes from insufficient effort. Avoid asking a question merely to create the appearance of consultation before delivering an unchanged lecture.
Agree one improvement that can be observed
Choose a next step proportionate to the task. ‘Use the same date format throughout, then ask someone unfamiliar with the project to check the sequence’ is something the person can do and you can review. A list of fifteen improvements may be less useful than identifying the first important one.
If the subject is personal rather than professional, ask whether feedback is wanted before launching into it. Being able to notice a possible improvement does not automatically make you the right person to deliver it. Before speaking, write the action you hope the feedback will make possible. If all you have is an adjective, you may need to become more specific first.
A question to take with you
After hearing my feedback, would this person know what to try differently?
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First published by JustLearn (JL). Part of our Life Skills & Relationships collection.