Giving and receiving

feedback

Hannah Boschen

Oxford Learning Institute

Tuesday 24 March 2015

Objectives for the workshop

Today you will:

• Learn how to prepare for and structure the giving and

receiving of feedback

• Practise the skills necessary to give and receive

feedback in a clear, positive and constructive manner

What is feedback?

• The means by which one person

recognises/acknowledges another’s achievements and

highlights areas for development

• ‘Feedback is information about our actions that helps

us to learn’

Praise and the appraisal’, Nancy Slessinger, 2003, Vinehouse Essential Ltd

Why is it important?

‘People at work have three basic rights which can only

be met by receiving ongoing feedback:

• To know what’s expected of them

• To know how they are doing

• To know what they need to know to

improve/become even better’

Peter Honey

What currently happens where

you work?

• When do you give feedback?

• Who to, and when? (Specific times? All the time?)

• How do you usually give feedback?

• How often do you hear feedback? How does it

happen?

The Johari Window: Why we avoid

feedback

Public Blind

Private Unknown

Known to

others

Not known

to others

Known

to self

Not known

to self

Based on Luft, J.; Ingham, H. (1955). "The Johari window, a graphic model of interpersonal awareness". Proceedings of the western training laboratory in group development (Los Angeles: UCLA).

The cost of avoidance

• No improvement in an activity that needs to change

• Gives a signal that nothing needs to change when it

does

• Gives a signal that you haven’t noticed or don’t care

when something has been done well

• Has a long term effect on success and motivation

Is technology changing how we

do it?

A framework for giving feedback: EEC

• Works as well for praise as it does for change

• E talk about a specific example of what went right or

what went wrong

• E explain the effect of what happened

• C say what you need to see continuing or changing

Feedback tips

• Be specific and clear

• Own the statement ‘I have noticed’ not ‘you seem to’

• Be prepared to listen - you may be making

assumptions that are unfair

• Don’t be personal - focus on the behaviour not the

person

• Describe exactly what you have observed rather than

what you’ve heard second-hand

Feedback tips

• Be realistic - only focus on behaviours you think it’s

possible and important for an individual to change

• Ask for ideas rather than telling and discuss options

rather than giving solutions

• Be encouraging - it’s not a hit and run. Make it clear

you’re prepared to talk about this again

• Timing: immediate feedback is most valuable, don’t

store it to give when it’s no longer helpful

Receiving feedback

Avoid:

• Justifying: ‘well, you’d have done the same...’

• Explaining: ‘well, what really happened was...’

• Denial: ‘no, that didn’t happen at all...’

• Self-deprecation: ‘anyone else would have done the

same...’

• Embarrassment: in response to positive feedback

• Anger/hurt: in response to negative feedback

Receiving feedback

Instead…… • Thank the other person for their feedback

• Absorb it

• Reflect on it

And ONLY then...

Decide if you want to take it on board, challenge it or

reject it

Putting it into practice!

• Individually make a note of some feedback you would

like to give (or have given someone) using the EEC

framework (5 mins)

• In pairs take it in turns to say it out loud to the other

person

• Give each other some feedback: starting with the

giver of the feedback - how did it sound? What

worked well? Anything to change/do differently?

• Then the receiver to give their feedback

QUESTIONS?