Did you ever stop and consider how it feels to be on the receiving end of your feedback? There’s an art to giving both positive and negative feedback. If done correctly, both kinds will lead to a safer workplace. Below, we give you some tips and tricks on how to improve your skills.
Effective feedback for a safer workplace
Through giving feedback, you can align your team’s actions and behavior in the workplace with the desired culture of your organization. When you give someone a positive evaluation on how safely they behave at work, chances are great that their way of working will continue to be safe. Positivity reciprocates positivity.
Both positive and corrective assessments are best served warm to ensure a safer workplace for everyone. By giving immediate comments on things that went well or wrong, it stays relevant for everyone involved.
Whether you give someone supportive feedback or corrective reviews on how they can improve, make sure it’s delivered in a positive way. This will favorably impact your employees’ behavior and their safety in general.
The art of presenting negative feedback
Good feedback isn’t the only kind you’ll need to give. Giving corrective comments is a part of being a team leader. There’s an art to delivering this kind of criticism to people. When not done well, negative feedback can have damaging results, both for the employee, the team leader, and the organization as a whole.
The secret to well-delivered evaluations lies in taking time to communicate. You won’t help anyone by quickly giving rushed feedback. By taking your time to deliver your comments, you also show your team members that you value them and their growth. Ultimately, both delivering and receiving feedback boil down to showing mutual respect.
A few tips for sharing constructive criticism
We give you a few tips and tricks for sharing constructive criticism with your team:
- Focus on performance, not personality. Always give feedback on actions or behavior, not on someone’s personality or traits. Don’t say “You’re really smart”, but choose “I really appreciate how you solved that problem”.
- Fact, not feelings. Facts keep the discussion from becoming a personal matter.
- Be clear, direct, and specific. Beating around the bush never helped anyone.
- Make it a two-way conversation. Not only focus on your own critique, but also on the wishes and growth plans of your employees. Discuss matters openly and together.
- Start off with some good points to balance out the impact of the negative comments.
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