Employee Feedback

Here’s what to say and how to say it.

By Sally Williamson

Too often managers don’t offer input until performance evaluations or when constructive feedback is often long overdue.

A good manager understands the value of ongoing communication in team development.  Proactive input – positive or negative – is essential and if handled properly, builds trust and respect throughout the team. Your goal should not just be to simply solve a problem, but rather to help employees grow personally and professionally.

Five Steps to Constructive Feedback

1. Plan it out! Employees often worry for days about feedback while most managers spend too little time thinking through what they want their feedback to accomplish.  Take time to think through the message you want to convey by outlining your thoughts with specific examples of behavior you’re trying to change.

2. Own it! 
Focus on your perception of the situation, rather than what the person did wrong, and address the employee with facts rather than assumptions and hearsay.  Instead of saying “You were wrong to speak out in the meeting,” say, “When you spoke in the meeting, I felt that you were very angry about the situation.”

3. Ask for it! 
Allow the employee the opportunity to explain.  Most managers spend too much time talking in feedback sessions. Your employee deserves a chance to react to your perceptions and explain her perspective.  This dialogue will help the employee move beyond the situation.

4. Map it out! 
Develop a plan to help the employee correct and move beyond the situation.  Addressing the situation is the first step, but most employees want and need to learn how to improve and how you are willing to help them.

5.Sum it up! 
Once you’ve offered constructive feedback, recap the outcome of the conversation in a one-page summary, outlining the circumstances and next steps, including a follow-up date and how you’ll measure their progress.

Sally Williamson is an executive communications and speech coach at Sally Williamson & Associates.