Critical Skills: Giving Constructive Feedback

Overview

Feedback is the conclusion of the communication cycle, which takes place in every environment in which people interact. Communication refers to how humans share information with one another. Generally, it takes the form of a four-step process.

The first step is often called encoding. In this step, someone intending to send information chooses a form in which to send it. Typically, the form is verbal or written but can also include body language, visual art, and other modes. The message is then encoded into the most appropriate symbols for that form of communication, such as spoken language or written words.

Next, the sender transmits the encoded information to the receiver—the listener, reader, or viewer to whom the message is directed. Senders may use their voice; their gestures or expressions; or tools such as ink and paper or keyboards and websites to transmit the message. Upon getting the message, the receiver then performs the third step in the communication process, which is decoding the message. That means the receiver must interpret and try to understand the meaning of the information the sender has transmitted.

The final step in the communication cycle is feedback. In this step, the person who received and decoded the message has a chance to respond in some way and show how he or she feels about the message. Feedback may take almost any form and convey practically any meaning. For example, if the original message is a question, the feedback is likely to be an answer. If receivers agree with the original message, they may give verbal feedback such as “yes” or “I think so, too.” Alternately, people may give negative feedback such as “no” and “I feel differently.”

Feedback may be written, such as a reply to a letter, a text message, or an e-mail. Often, feedback does not even require the use of words. Body language may be an effective form of feedback as well. Clapping, nodding, or smiling is likely to show support, while sneering or booing probably means disagreement or disgust.

Indirect feedback may also send a message to the original communicator. This kind of feedback includes audience behavior such as checking watches, looking out windows, or chattering with one another, which usually communicate impatience or disinterest in the message given. Even the lack of feedback—no reply or reaction at all—can convey disinterest in and disregard toward the sender.

Feedback is a crucial part of communication in everyday life, academic study, and most kinds of professional tasks. It allows people to learn how their words and ideas are affecting others, and what other people think about them and their behavior. Part of being an effective communicator means learning to give constructive feedback, or feedback that is thoughtful, helpful, and focused on improvement. Even when people provide negative feedback, being constructive about it can make a criticism useful and may help communicators learn and increase their skills.

Core Skills & Competencies

Giving feedback is often quite simple. It may even occur instinctively or subconsciously. People may automatically cheer when they receive good news, or frown or cry when they hear of a tragedy. However, giving truly constructive feedback may be much more challenging and require the use of several skills and other competencies.

Someone giving constructive feedback should be willing to dedicate time, effort, and personal attention to the task. When possible, constructive feedback should be given in person, instead of in writing. That way, the people giving feedback can directly moderate their tone and see the immediate effect of their feedback. In many cases, attempting to give feedback in writing is difficult because without the ability to use voice, expressions, and gestures, conveying a positive and supportive tone may prove challenging. In addition, miscommunications may be corrected more quickly in person than indirectly.

Giving constructive feedback requires a strong degree of self-control and moderation. In giving feedback, people should keep their emotions in check. That will help the person giving feedback remain calm and level-headed and better able to assess the good and bad points of the message received. It will also help to keep the person receiving the feedback at ease and reduce defensiveness or other tension that might develop. One way to control emotions is to keep the feedback objective, meaning that it focuses on a particular topic—the message or behavior being discussed—rather than on the person receiving the feedback.

Many experts recommend that people giving constructive feedback should start, if possible, by talking about positive aspects of the topic. That can help to establish that the person giving the feedback has good intentions and boost the confidence of the person receiving the feedback. It can also soften the blow of any subsequent negative feedback. However, the feedback-giver should not invent positives, or be reluctant to discuss negatives, because that is not conducive to improvement.

Constructive feedback benefits greatly from openness and clarity. Usually, feedback is not a one-way exercise, and the person receiving feedback should be able to reply freely to it. That open communication can help improve clarity and allow people to reach greater levels of mutual understanding about the topics at hand. The person giving feedback should also be clear about the reason for the feedback. He or she should explain that the feedback is intended to help rather than to criticize, complain, or belittle.

Similarly, giving feedback is most constructive when it focuses on specific examples of the matters being commented upon, and, when appropriate, offers suggestions for change. For instance, saying “your report was too boring” may be honest, but it is not constructive because it is broad, close-ended, and focused solely on a negative. A more constructive approach might be to say, “I found my attention drifting in the middle of paragraph 5. I think adding some more colorful language or varying the sentence structure could help maintain reader interest.”

In offering feedback about someone’s behavior or performance, using clear and up-to-date examples is usually more effective than referring to events from long ago, which may no longer represent that person’s behavior. Discussing recent topics can also ensure that they are still fresh in the mind.

Empathy is another major skill for constructive feedback. Empathy refers to a person’s ability to accurately understand—and, in a way, “feel”—the others’ emotions. Receiving feedback may be nerve-wracking or upsetting, particularly if the stakes are high or the feedback is largely negative. Empathic people will realize this and use their empathy to deliver feedback in the most thoughtful and supportive way possible. They may also emphasize that they are willing to help in the future, thus showing their dedication to the person’s ultimate success.

Research & Theory

Experts believe that constructive feedback is an essential part of healthy communication. It may be used during interactions at school, at work, at home, and anywhere else people interact. Constructive feedback can encourage people to grow and improve in their tasks as well as in their personal attributes. While it may address both positive and negative points, constructive feedback is the opposite of destructive feedback. Destructive feedback includes messages that are not helpful and do not strive for improvement, and may be hurtful, overly personal, or accusatory.

Constructive feedback may build trust between people, such as peers, teachers and students, or employers and employees. It can show that communication is open-ended, and that one person’s messages are heard and taken seriously by others. It can create feelings of cooperation and morale. Many experts believe that the most successful teachers, managers, or peer reviewers are not necessarily those who are “popular” or offer the most praise, but rather those who show respect and concern by offering honest and helpful feedback.

This feedback may clarify complex points, such as a professor’s requirements for an “A+” report or the skills needed for a challenging task at work and reduce feelings of confusion that may lead to poor performance or feelings of alienation.

Using constructive feedback can give people new perspectives and insights that can help them understand the effects of their ideas and actions, and, often, to adapt or improve them to better suit their circumstances.

Bibliography

“Constructive Feedback.” Corporate Finance Institute, 25 Apr. 2022, corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/constructive-feedback/. Accessed 21 June 2022.

“Giving Constructive Feedback.” The University of North Carolina Greensboro, Human Resources, hrs.uncg.edu/wp-content/themes/uncgwp/Files/Performance‗Management/constructive‗feedback.pdf?nocache=1. Accessed 21 June 2022.

Hargie, Owen (Ed.) Communication Skills, 4th Ed. Routledge, 2019.

Krakoff, Sonya. “How to Give Constructive Feedback in the Workplace.” Champlain College, 2022, online.champlain.edu/blog/giving-constructive-feedback. Accessed 21 June 2022.

Oster, Marlo. “Constructive Feedback: The Ultimate Guide to Giving and Receiving Feedback.” Work Patterns, 15 Dec. 2020, www.workpatterns.com/guides/constructive-feedback. Accessed 21 June 2022.

Sennett, Phil. “Giving Constructive Feedback.” University of Rochester, 2 Aug. 2021, www.rochester.edu/emerging-leaders/giving-constructive-feedback/. Accessed 21 June 2022.

“What is Empathy?” Greater Good Magazine, 2022, greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/empathy/definition. Accessed 21 June 2022.

Worth, Richard. Communication Skills, 2nd Ed. Ferguson, 2004.