[2022-05-19] Offering feedback

In response to last night's post (Editing your work), a friend emailed to say that she had forwarded my article to a colleague who wasn't reviewing their work before sending it out. She was seeing a lot of deficiencies in the person's output despite feedback from their boss. And even though my friend doesn't supervise the employee, she wondered: "Should I offer this person feedback? And if yes, how would you go about it in a way that would be well received?"

There was a time when I might have discouraged my friend from providing feedback to her colleague. Early in my career, I found that although employees said they wanted feedback, they often responded negatively to observations about their performance, no matter how carefully worded.

But over the years, I developed a few approaches to providing feedback that achieved the desired result: an improvement in performance rather than a deterioration due to defensiveness.

So I recommended to my friend that she offer feedback, the key word being offer, as she had written in her question. I shared six tips to help her with this task:

  1. Request permission to provide feedback. Most people will be more open to input if they have a moment to pause, reflect and accept the offer for advice than if they receive constructive criticism out of the blue, unsolicited. You could start by asking, "Would you like some feedback on your work?" or "Could I give you some feedback?" You may wish to open with something positive, such as, "I really enjoy working with you. Would you be open to some feedback on your work?" or "I really appreciate your enthusiasm for the work of our network. Could I give you some feedback on your contributions?"
  2. Use the PNP technique. PNP stands for Positive-Negative-Positive. Start by briefly stating what is good about the other person's performance, such as their commitment, their responsiveness or their willingness to pitch in. For the person receiving the comments, this creates psychological safety, a feeling that the person providing feedback has their best interests at heart. Then comment on the areas they could improve. For example, "I love your enthusiasm and your willingness to help the team. If you're not already doing this, can you review your work before you share it to make sure it communicates everything you want it to say in as clear and concise a way as possible?" Finally, reiterate what they are doing well, for example, "I'm grateful for the positivity you bring to the team, and think that by reviewing your writing before you share it, you will be adding even more value to the team."
  3. Be curious. Ask the person whether they have any areas in which they are struggling and where you might help. They may be writing in their second language and need help with wording. They may not know how to use built-in writing and editing tools or even that they exist. They may have a hidden disability. They may have previously received only brief comments on their work and are confused when it comes back rewritten.
  4. Offer to review their work with them or provide detailed written feedback. Some people respond well when they are able to see how someone comprehends their writing. As head of communications, I would often sit down with the writers of speeches I was asked to approve. It was an excellent learning opportunity for the speechwriters and a more efficient process for me, since they could see where I was struggling to follow their text and they could help me to improve the document as we went along. For those who might find this approach intimidating and become defensive, you can provide feedback in writing by, for example, adding comments in track changes explaining why certain text doesn't work or why you made the changes you made.
  5. Time permitting, comment don't rewrite. If a piece of writing isn't ready for editing and needs a rewrite instead, provide overall comments and send it back to the author to rework. Avoid the temptation to rewrite the piece when, with a little guidance, the author could produce a much better second draft. This is a better outcome for everyone. The author gets a second chance to work on their piece, and you don't have to rewrite the document.
  6. Create a checklist. If someone repeatedly makes the same oversights, create a checklist of the things you want the person to review before sending their work to you. Remember that the primary reason people don't do what they're supposed to do is that they don't know how.

It's easy to forget how we developed the skills and habits we have, traits that others may lack. Perhaps we had a boss in the past who took the time to provide helpful feedback to us, or we took a course or received on-the-job training that helped us refine our skills. We may be good at something precisely because someone had the courage to tell us when we weren't. Tomorrow's post will expand on the process of both giving and receiving constructive feedback.

It's also worth noting that employees can receive conflicting feedback from successive bosses. One might prioritize speed over quality, while another might prioritize quality over speed. When an employee approaches a task in a way that differs from what we would do, it's useful to consider that their approach may be precisely what a previous manager expected of them.

Regardless, if an employee or colleague isn't giving you what you need, have the courage to talk to the person. Offer to provide feedback and proceed if they accept. Acknowledge their strengths. Ask how you can help them. Provide specific comments. Give them a chance to redo work after providing guidance. And share a checklist of things you're looking for when they submit work to you. You may end up giving them exactly the kind of constructive feedback they've been looking for.