By Dana Phillips.

Whether you are a leader of an organization, managing a team, or a coach, you will be giving feedback to others.  Remember that feedback can be “on course” or “off course.”  We receive these messages all day.  What is working and what is not working to get me to where I want to go is the purpose of feedback.

Here are four tips to make it easier for YOU to give feedback.

  1. Ask permission to give feedback. This helps many coaches to pause and think about their intentions and reminds both of you that the giving of feedback is a gift, not an instruction.  You might say, “May I give you some feedback that I feel might support you?”
  2.  Give your feedback in observation mode.  Feedback is your expression of an observation. External feedback, coming from you, is easier to give if you recognize that it is your experience of that person.  Be mindful that your truth is “your truth,” not necessarily “the truth.”  Approach the feedback conversation with an attitude of observation, not criticism.
  3. Concentrate on the behavior, not the person.  Before you give feedback, think about the behavior, not the person.  “I have noticed you are not making the goals you have set.  Would you be open to some feedback about goal setting?” instead of “You aren’t cutting it, and you need to change your ways.”
  4. Practice out loud.  The words running around in your head seem smooth.  Them you look the other person in the eye and become tongue-tied.  When you practice out loud, you create a muscle memory that will make it easier to say what you want to say.

Try these simple steps before giving feedback.  Let me know how they work.

Who Helps You Shape Your Feedback?

As you build your team and grow as a leader, you’ll no doubt find yourself providing feedback on a regular basis. Team Connections Pro offers you two coaching calls a month to refine your feedback process.  Moreover, if you want more detailed materials on feedback, you can access the webinar series on Essential Lessons in Feedback.  With this series, we answer some of those most common questions for you with practical, action-oriented advice on what you can do to grow.

Questions like …

  • Do you struggle when it comes to giving a team member feedback?
  • Are you afraid if you tell them the truth they might quit?
  • Do you think they won’t like you if you let them know something you feel they need to correct?

This series, along with all of the others we’ve produced, give you hundreds of hours of video and audio training.  You might want to join Team Connections Pro for a month to see for yourself.