Best Techniques for Providing Feedback

Have you ever wondered how to give associates more effective feedback? Having practiced law for 15 years, I received and gave a lot of feedback. Much of it was ineffective. Here’s why. Attorneys who are delegating work are busy. They often think the most efficient way to give feedback is to tell the associate what they did wrong and how to fix it. But research shows that telling people what they did wrong triggers stress, shame and fear. It raises defenses and lowers confidence. People on the receiving end typically become resistant or compliant. Neither response helps the attorney develop. Harvard Law professors Sheila Heen and Douglas Stone found that even when the person giving feedback is well-intentioned, telling someone what they should do can “spark an emotional reaction, inject tension into the relationship, and bring communication to a halt.” Research shows that using a coaching approach to feedback is most effective. Here are 3 steps senior attorneys can take to give more effective feedback: 1️⃣ Create an atmosphere of trust and acceptance so the associate feels the senior attorney genuinely cares about their professional development. Psychological safety is a prerequisite for the associate’s brain to be open to learning. 2️⃣ Engage in a conversation with open-ended questions, based in non-judgmental curiosity, to explore the associate’s thinking, planning, and execution of the project you’re discussing. Draw out the associate’s own ideas for improvement. 3️⃣ If the associate lacks the experience or knowledge of how to improve, ask, “may I share some tips?” and then share. Asking permission helps the associate feel respected. This further lowers their defenses and opens their brain to learning. If you’ve received or given effective feedback that led to genuine growth, what worked well? Please share in the comments. #AttorneyDevelopment #ProfessionalDevelopment #EffectiveFeedback

After 15+ years as a Chief People & Culture Officer for Fortune 100 & 500 companies, I’ve seen firsthand that delivering feedback is both an art and a science. I’ve managed teams ranging from 5 to 1,000, and if there’s one thing I know for sure—it’s that great feedback isn’t just about what you say. It’s also about when and how you say it. Mastering this skill takes time and intention, but here are five of my best lessons from years of real-world leadership: Be specific & timely – Don’t wait for annual reviews. Celebrate wins or address issues in real-time. Focus on behavior, not personality – “Your report was late” is more actionable than “You’re unreliable.” Listen more than you speak – Feedback should be a dialogue, not a monologue. Follow up – Show you value the conversation by checking in later. Lead by example – Be open to feedback yourself. It sets the tone for your team. A feedback-rich culture starts at the top. Leaders, how you give (and receive) feedback shapes your entire organization. And the best teams embrace feedback that flows both ways. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned about giving or receiving feedback at work?

"I'm just going to be direct with you." I once had a business partner who would preface feedback this way—and then just spew whatever was on his mind. He thought he was being helpful, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t positioning the feedback in a way that the person could hear it. He only wanted to get that feedback off his chest. That’s not a good leader (... or colleague, or friend, or parent.) If you have feedback to give, think about how you can deliver it in a way that will be well received. The Situation-Behavior-Impact model (link in comments) is the best approach I've seen. Instead of jumping straight to judgment, you: 1. Start by getting on the same page about the situation. 2. Then, you describe what you observed. No assumptions about intent. It’s clear and objective. 3. Then, you finally share the impact. This framework has impacted every relationship I have in my life. I even used it with my kids. When they'd come to me, complaining about each other, I taught them this approach, and over time, they learned to address their issues with each other directly. As adults, they’re now excellent at giving feedback to each other and their friends. And, of course, to me! Developing the skills to give and receive honest, thoughtful feedback is one of the most valuable things you can do for your culture. How are you equipping your teams with these skills? Ready to dig deeper? Subscribe to my email newsletter for more leadership insights. https://lnkd.in/ePKX2VC8.

"Your feedback just cost you your best cook." Not because you were wrong. Because of how you delivered it. here's what I learned over the course of my career. The message is only 20% of communication. The delivery is 80% of success. A real story from last year: My client lost his sous chef. Not to another restaurant. Not to burnout. Not to money. To a 30-second conversation about knife skills. The cost of poor delivery: - $50K to replace key staff - 3 months of retraining - Crushed team morale - Damaged culture Here's the framework that changed everything: The 3-2-1 Feedback Method: 3 Questions Before Speaking: - What's their state of mind? - What's their learning style? - What's their motivation? 2 Minutes of Prep: - Frame the positive outcome - Plan your tone - Choose your timing 1 Golden Rule: Make it about their growth, not your frustration. The math is simple: 30 seconds to ruin trust or 6 minutes to build excellence Which are you choosing? ➡️I'm Simon I Partner with Restaurants to Craft Kitchen Cultures That Drive Retention and Profitability. #chefs #cookingislife #leadership #kitchenculture #culinarymechanic P.S. please repost for your network ♻️

In my first year as a manager I alienated one of my reports by giving him too much feedback in a direct and pointed way. The feedback was "right" but delivered to bluntly and thus unwelcome. Just because you “can” give feedback doesn’t mean you should. The power of your feedback comes from the trust you build with your reports. Here is how you can build it: The most important thing to understand is that even if you have the institutional authority to deliver this feedback (your title), you need the relational authority before you can deliver it effectively. Read this line again please - doing so will help you avoid either giving pain or making problems for yourself (I did both). This means that your reports need to trust and respect you before they will listen to any feedback you give. You can build this trust and respect by: 0) Being Empathetic I was too blunt. I thought that only being right or wrong mattered, not how I said things or the judgment in my tone and words. I lacked Emotional Intelligence (EQ). How you say things matters, and this means not just the words you say but the real intent behind them. My intention in that early review was not truly focused on helping the person, but rather on scolding him into better behavior. I'm not surprised he reacted poorly to it. 1) Being Consistent Good managers are consistently giving feedback—both bad and good—to their reports. Make sure you are recognizing and acknowledging your employees’ strengths as much (or more) than you are pointing out their areas for improvement. This will make them feel comfortable with you pointing out room for improvement because they know you see them for more than their flaws. 2) Never surprise someone with a review. This is related to point 1. If you are consistently giving small pieces of feedback, a more serious piece of negative feedback should not blindside your employee. They should know that it is coming and understand what the issue is. 3) Deliver corrective feedback ASAP, and use clear examples. As soon as you see a pattern of behavior that needs to be addressed, address it using clear evidence. This gives the employee the chance to reflect on the behavior while it is still fresh in their minds, not months later when their review comes around. 4) Check in to confirm that you are being heard correctly Ask the employee if they understand the feedback you are giving and why you are giving it. 5) Be specific enough to drive change The more specific behaviors and examples you can use to support your feedback, the better your employee can understand that you aren’t speaking from a place of dislike or bias. This also gives them more concrete references to inform their behavior change. Readers—What other ways do you build a relationship before giving feedback? (Or, how have you messed this up?)