FEEDBACK – How to make it work for your team
Top Team Tip
Make time for feedback. Your team comprises many mini-relationships and interactions. Creating time and a structure for feedback enables each individual relationship to function more effectively and can get rid of any blockages in the system.
Feedback doesn’t work if:
· It is uninvited
· It happens at the wrong time
· It is unstructured
Feedback does work if:
· It is invited
· It is expected
· It is structured
Support your team in giving each other feedback by:
· Emphasising how important it is
· Creating a time and space for it to happen
· Suggesting a structure
· Doing it regularly yourself
Example Structure for Feedback:
· Plan a one-to-one meeting
· Limit the time to 5 minutes each to share your feedback with each other
· Use a structure like this:
o “I feel ________when you do / say _________”(what drains my energy)
o “I feel _______ _when you do / say _________”(what boosts my energy)
· Spend 2 – 3 minutes in a dialogue to clarify (not to justify or get defensive)
· Agree actions: make suggestions and offer commitments
Regularly practising giving and receiving feedback in a structured way has a significant impact on how team members interact and can prevent breakdowns within the team.