What is constructive feedback?

Feedback provides an opportunity for someone to gain insights about their personal or professional actions and behaviors. Why is feedback important? Andy Bailey, founder and coach at Petra Coach, says it’s crucial for people to acknowledge where they stand in their interpersonal relationships and with the quality of their work product.

“We’re creatures of habit, so without feedback, we tend to continue moving forward in the same way we always have, often without realizing our shortcomings. We need others to stop and tell us what they are seeing, so we can incorporate outside thoughts and suggestions into our ideas of ourselves and improve accordingly,” Bailey says.

According to Arquella Hargrove, president of Epic Collaborative Advisors, a common feedback scenario involves a manager and an employee discussing on-the-job performance. Another, more personal scenario, is when married couples exchange feedback to keep their marriage strong.

Why is constructive feedback important? It provides a number of benefits:

• Improves performance. Constructive feedback includes clear suggestions for  how a person can develop or enhance their professional or personal behavior.

• Creates a positive environment. Constructive feedback ensures that people have higher morale as they begin to work on their weaknesses.

• Minimizes confusion. Cryptic comments often lead to misunderstandings, whereas constructive feedback is rooted in specificity and clarity.

• Strengthens relationships. The focus of constructive feedback is improvement. There’s an underlying sense of mutual trust and camaraderie involved.

• Avoids mistakes. With a culture of constructive feedback in place, people can reduce mishaps and pitfalls by focusing on continuous improvement.

Breaking down constructive feedback

Types of feedback

Feedback can be classified in a few different ways:

• Positive versus negative. Positive feedback is about affirming that the recipient is doing something as expected. In contrast, negative feedback lets someone know their actions need to be corrected. “This could be telling someone they’re exhibiting inappropriate behavior at work,” says Hargrove.
• Formal versus informal. Formal feedback is typically given on a set schedule and is much more involved, such as an annual review. Informal feedback tends to be brief and is usually given shortly following an action or event. “It may be more random, like a quick aside in the hallway or a response sent via email,” explains Bailey.
• Annual versus monthly. Feedback can be given at different intervals; annual, biannual, and monthly reviews are common in the workplace. However, more frequent feedback — weekly, daily, or even throughout the day — may be warranted, such as when a new employee is being trained.
• Verbal versus written. Feedback may be given verbally, in writing, or through a combination of both forms. In most cases, written feedback is considered more formal.
• Manager versus peer. The type of feedback given depends on the relationships of the people involved. For example, a manager and a peer would have different perspectives in their feedback to an employee.

Qualities of effective constructive feedback

Feedback can be ineffective if it isn’t given in the right manner. Bailey and Hargrove note that the most effective feedback has several qualities:

• Objective. “Keep your personal feelings toward the person at bay,” says Bailey. Even if you’re not pleased about the situation, any hostility in your tone could cause the recipient to automatically shut down or become defensive.
• Timely. “Don’t wait a month to say something you should have said immediately after the fact,” says Hargrove. She explains that, in many cases, feedback should follow quickly after an event while it’s still fresh and clearly referenceable.
• Constructive. Show you respect the receiver and that you’re giving feedback with their best interests in mind.
• Actionable. Feedback must include advice that the receiver can translate into immediate next steps, rather than telling them what they’ve done wrong just for the sake of getting it off your chest. “Help them set up measurable performance indicators based on your feedback that they can track of moving forward,” notes Bailey.
• Warranted. It can be difficult as a leader to avoid micromanaging, but it’s crucial that you don’t give feedback for every decision or action your employees make. “Give them the space to make mistakes and learn from them. If they aren’t showing they’ve learned and corrected on their own, that’s when you can step in and provide insight,” explains Bailey.

How to ask for constructive feedback

Bailey says that asking for feedback requires self-awareness and humility, crucial traits for business professionals. He says you must honestly ask what needs fixing to be able to make effective changes. It can be as simple as stopping by your supervisor’s or peer’s office and asking for their thoughts, or setting up a more formal time to meet and discuss. “However, if you ask for feedback, make sure you are prepared for and open to receiving it,” Bailey cautions.

When receiving feedback, Hargrove says to keep an open mind. Ask follow-up questions to clarify and better understand what the person is trying to communicate. Don’t be on the defensive. “Remember that the person giving the feedback probably doesn’t like delivering it. Be introspective and see how you can use what they said to improve moving forward,” Hargrove says.

How to give constructive feedback

Providing effective constructive feedback is a special skill and requires some forethought and planning. When giving constructive feedback, it’s important to

• Be as specific as possible. Before launching into feedback, take some time to write down clear examples of what you want to discuss. For example, if you want to provide feedback on a particular behavior, note some examples of when that behavior occurred and specifically how it can be improved.
• Focus on the positive. While constructive feedback includes improving upon weaknesses, it’s vital to use positive language during the interaction. Be sure to discuss what the individual is doing well and what their strengths are, and then lead into what they can improve. Starting out the feedback session on a negative note may cause the person to become defensive.
• Consider the surroundings. It’s important to choose the right place and time to provide constructive feedback. Be sure to address the issue you want to discuss in a timely manner, as opposed to waiting weeks or months. Plus, make sure the environment is right for the discussion — for example, is a formal meeting warranted, or should you just have a quick chat in the break room?
• Ask questions. Constructive feedback is a dialogue, not a monologue. Ask questions to ensure you understand the whole situation, and continue to check in with the individual during the conversation to make sure they’re following along and feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.

Now that we’ve solidified the concept of feedback, let’s move into one of the feedback areas we mentioned above: peer feedback.