The purpose of providing feedback is to help others improve their performance. However, it's not just about sharing feedback, but also about the right way to share it. If you express yourself inappropriately, you can diminish the performance of those you wanted to help. How can you recognize if your feedback is harmful?
The following practical tips were published on the Harvard Business Review website by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, a recognised expert in psychometric testing, professor of organisational psychology at University College London and newly appointed CEO of Hogan Assessment Systems.
1. You don't help others understand themselves better
The less capable we are, the less we are aware of it. Thus, people around you would benefit from you alerting them of their poor performance. Effective feedback should show the difference between how we see ourselves and how others see us. Ineffective feedback only tells what we already know.
2. You don't share criticism
It is a matter of course that positive feedback is shared more easily. Criticism is, however, actually more useful. If we don't know what we are doing wrong, we have no motivation to change it. Companies should focus more on providing negative feedback and train managers how to do it effectively.
3. Your feedback is not backed up by relevant data
The feedback provided by managers should be based on empirically measurable performance data. One of the most effective ways to improve on-the-job performance is to provide feedback and coaching based on the results of 360-degree feedback.
4. You don't tell stories
Data itself is not enough. Feedback should not be merely descriptive (eg. "You have problems with setting priorities."). It should explain behaviors based on specific examples (e.g., when there was a poor choice of priorities, what the consequences were and how it can be avoided next time).
5.You don't have a personal approach
When sharing feedback, it is not your communication style that is important, but the recipient's reaction to your feedback. The way they accept your feedback is strongly dependent on their personalities. Managers should be know their people well and adapt their communication style to their listener's personality characteristics.
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