WEBVTT

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JustLearn. Feedback that gives someone a next step. Useful feedback identifies something

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a person can examine or change, rather than leaving them with a

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verdict about themselves. This edition uses synthetic narration.

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Describe the work before judging the person. ‘You need to be more

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professional’ can sound serious while leaving almost everything unspecified. Does the report

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need clearer figures, the meeting need a firmer agenda, or the email

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need a direct answer? A person cannot easily act on a broad

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judgment about their character. Begin with the observed detail and its effect.

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‘The dates appear in three different formats, which makes the sequence difficult

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to follow.’ This gives the conversation a subject both people can inspect.

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It does not require you to dilute an important concern. It requires

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you to make the concern clear enough to address.

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Check what the person was trying to do. Feedback becomes more accurate

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when you understand the intention and constraints. Ask what the work was

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meant to accomplish and which requirements the person understood. You may discover

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an unclear brief, conflicting requests or a decision you had not noticed.

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That information may change your response. It may also leave the original

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concern intact. Either way, you are discussing the work in its actual

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context rather than imagining that every disappointing outcome comes from insufficient effort.

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Avoid asking a question merely to create the appearance of consultation before

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delivering an unchanged lecture.

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Agree one improvement that can be observed. Choose a next step proportionate

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to the task. ‘Use the same date format throughout, then ask someone

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unfamiliar with the project to check the sequence’ is something the person

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can do and you can review. A list of fifteen improvements may

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be less useful than identifying the first important one. If the subject

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is personal rather than professional, ask whether feedback is wanted before launching

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into it. Being able to notice a possible improvement does not automatically

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make you the right person to deliver it. Before speaking, write the

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action you hope the feedback will make possible. If all you have

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is an adjective, you may need to become more specific first.

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A question to take with you. After hearing my feedback, would this

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person know what to try differently? First published by JustLearn. Read the

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original article at justlearn dot online.