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Five Features of Feedback

Giving feedback is a skill, and most of us were never taught how to do it well. Here are 5 things I’ve learned feedback should be…


  1. Based on goals and expectations. Grounding feedback in what was agreed upon from the start keeps the conversation objective and removes the feeling of being blindsided.

  2. Specific to a behavior, not a person. One can be corrected, the other just hurts. 

  3. Balanced. Constructive and positive feedback have to both be present and genuine.  

  4. Timely. Right time, right place, and never a surprise. 

  5. Actionable. Feedback without a next step is just commentary. Close every feedback conversation with a clear and agreed-upon path forward.


When all five are present, feedback stops feeling like something that happens to someone and starts feeling like something you do with them.

 
 
 

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