The Art of Giving Feedback
By Crystal Housewright
Be curious, not judgmental. –Ted Lasso
Giving feedback is an important part of investing in employee growth. Good feedback can guide workforce skill development, just as it improves product development. As Associate Director of Software Engineering at ITHAKA, Crystal Housewright understands the art of giving feedback and has seen how it can strengthen engineering teams. We hope that sharing our experience with this crucial management skill will help others who are building their engineering and development teams and working toward a productive, healthy workplace culture.
In this series, Crystal explores the vital role of feedback and offers a few suggestions on transforming feedback conversations into empowering interactions. This entry focuses on giving feedback. Future blogs will address receiving feedback and seeking it out.
What is a feedback loop and why is it important?
A feedback loop is created when all or some portion of the output is fed back into the system. A feedback loop captures the essence of how feedback operates within a system. Just like in engineering practice, where we may introduce a feedback loop in order to optimize a system’s performance, feedback loops are equally important to continuous performance management. Feedback loops serve as a powerful mechanism for gaining valuable insights into areas of strength and areas for improvement, fostering ongoing growth and alignment.
A feedback loop highlights the iterative nature of feedback and its ability to create a continuous improvement cycle. This approach influences our productivity and innovation as engineers by enabling us to make data-informed adjustments, refine our strategies, and ultimately reach our goals.
By embracing a feedback loop approach, we can create a culture of continuous improvement and learning within our engineering teams. It encourages open communication, collaboration, and a shared commitment to excellence. Feedback becomes not just a one-time event, but an ongoing conversation that fuels our growth, helps us uncover areas of unawareness, and propels us towards higher levels of productivity and innovation.
When giving feedback, it’s important to acknowledge emotions and individuality to create a supportive and respectful feedback culture, where individuals feel heard and valued. Focusing on actions, behaviors, and their impact can help create a feedback culture that promotes respect and growth.
Source: Wikipedia
Giving feedback
Effective feedback is authentic and actionable. That means that even positive feedback should be clear, and feedback that could feel critical needs to be delivered sensitively. If you’re not used to giving feedback, a thoughtful approach can make these conversations easier and more productive.
Ask first
Respectful feedback starts with obtaining consent and establishing a comfortable space for open dialogue. No one likes to be surprised with criticism, so it is especially important to ask for permission before offering any constructive feedback. Let the other person know what you’d like to discuss (be specific), and ask them when and how they’d prefer to receive that feedback.
Example: “I want to share some feedback with you about.… Would you be open to that? What is the best way to give you feedback?”
Share observations (facts)
Start your feedback conversation by offering your observations based on the facts: the who, what, when, and where. (Note that there is no why here. We’ll get to that in a moment.) Outline the situation with clear and specific context (for example, a specific meeting), data points (such as a change in the number of escaped issues), or tangible examples.
Example: “I have noticed that.… Here is an example.…”
Share impact (feelings)
Now it’s time to add the why. Share why this matters to you and how you feel about the situation. This feedback is for the other person, so emphasize the impacts and effects they will find the most compelling.
Example: “I am bringing this up because.…”
Ask a question
Up to this point, you are still only working from the version of the story that you are telling yourself or that someone has told you. You need the other person to contribute to the “pool of shared knowledge.” Ask an open-ended question that tests your assumptions. Make space for the other person to respond so that you can hear their perspective. When you approach giving feedback with curiosity, you create a safe, non-judgmental space and your feedback has a greater chance of being accepted. Rather than assuming you have all the answers or making judgments, you should approach the conversation with a willingness to learn and explore different viewpoints.
Example: “What is your take on this?”
Listen to the response
This is where you get to hear more about the other person’s perspective, so listen. If you’re providing critical feedback, be open to their counterpoints. Focus on seeking understanding, suspending judgment, cultivating empathy, and creating a safe space. This helps assure them that their perspective is valued and encourages open dialogue. The goal here is to foster mutual understanding, promote learning and growth, and build stronger relationships based on trust and respect.
Open discussion
Now that you have a better understanding of each other, you can collaborate on next steps. Look for things you agree on and build on those. If the conversation is about performance improvement, you might offer accountability support and set up a time to check in on progress. If the conversation is about exceptional performance on a project that goes beyond their current role, you can use it as a springboard to discuss potential growth opportunities.
Remember that your feedback is one data point. Focus on thoughtful delivery and the value you are trying to provide. Those are the parts of giving feedback that you can control and influence. Ultimately, the person receiving the feedback has to take ownership of what they do with that information. At the end of the conversation, make sure to offer a sincere thank you.
Example: “I appreciate you hearing me out and sharing your thoughts. Let’s check in about this next month.”
tl;dr
Giving good feedback takes thoughtful preparation. Having a simple framework to structure feedback conversations makes it a little easier. Giving good feedback requires you to pay attention to others. Take note when you see people do good things or when you see opportunities for improvements.
Start by giving someone positive feedback today. Noticing and recognizing people’s strengths helps create a psychologically safe environment where people are open to receiving other types of feedback.
💡 Feedback tip: People who are good at giving feedback are typically the same people who routinely ask for feedback. Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts that will help you get better at seeking and receiving feedback too!
Interested in exploring careers and Ann Arbor jobs or New York jobs with ITHAKA? Check out our ITHAKA jobs page to learn more and speak with recruiting.
