Course 3, Discussion 2: Accepting and Providing Feedback
If you prefer a video/audio explanation, please watch this video.
Some reasons why accepting feedback is important:
It helps us improve our craft/skills/ourselves
We become aware of our own short comings.
We can learn how others may perceive us.
Reasons why it can be challenging to hear constructive feedback:
We might associate it with who we are as a whole.
We may think the person giving it has lost respect for us.
It can hurt our ego.
The choice is yours! Are you willing to deal with discomfort for your greater good? If so then constructive feedback is an essential tool you must utilize.
Now let's see how to give feedback!
If you prefer a video/audio explanation, please watch this video.
Steps to give useful feedback:
Sandwich it between genuine positive feedback.
Don’t do it too often. Remember a person can only accept so much constructive feedback before it drains them. Use it sparingly.
Ask yourself what you are communicating is beneficial to the person or your own personal preference. Only provide feedback if it will help the person.
Let's practice giving constructive feedback.
This is the situation.
Username: CoffeePerson198
Positive traits: is punctual, responds in under 24 hours, cares about people and is empathetic.
Areas of improvement: Is not completing assigned task for 3 weeks, not communicating with you (the leader) why the task is not being completed.
✒️ You are a leader of the team and have been tasked with giving constructive feedback. Please draft a message of no less than two sentences using the sandwich method (praise + constructive feedback + praise).
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
❗After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next post here!
🔉This post is brought to you by the Leadership Development Program, find information on it here tinyurl.com/AcademyLDP
@FrenchToastClub
✒️ You are a leader of the team and have been tasked with giving constructive feedback. Please draft a message of no less than two sentences using the sandwich method (praise + constructive feedback + praise).
Thank you for being a member of our Team. I appreciated the particular work you did on 'X'. That helped us with other portions of our work. That said, the task you agreed to and committed to is complete and your completion date is overdue by a week. I am sure that you are able to complete your task and want to you to know that I and other members of our team can help. In the past when you ran behind you reset our expectations for your task and by doing that we were able to reset the expectations for our overall tasks. Thank you.
✒️ Please reply to at least 1 of your peers in this thread with encouraging or supportive words!
@FrenchToastClub
This is the situation.
Username: CoffeePerson198
Positive traits: is punctual, responds in under 24 hours, cares about people, and is empathetic.
Areas of improvement: Is not completing assigned task for 3 weeks, not communicating with you (the leader) why the task is not being completed.
✒️ You are a leader of the team and have been tasked with giving constructive feedback. Please draft a message of no less than two sentences using the sandwich method (praise + constructive feedback + praise).
Hey, Coffee! It's nice to check in with you! I am contacting you to discuss some feedback I have for you. When I first started getting feedback, it was a really hard time for me to accept it. I felt like I was being punished, but what was going on, I was needing some growth and improvement in myself and my roles here. This is not a punishment or a critique but our way of checking in and giving some guidance.
We admire your punctuality, dedication, and effective communication skills. However, we have noticed that your assignment remains incomplete for several weeks now, and we haven't heard from you regarding any assistance or break that you might need. We hope everything is well, and if not, please do not hesitate to inform us of how we can support you in your role. We care for you and would like to extend our assistance. Your empathy and passion for your team role are commendable, and we understand if you need to take a break. Thank you for your hard work and dedication.
@Jenna that is such a thoughtful and well-put-together response. I am definitely gonna steal this when I get to lead a team!
Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Hey CoffeePerson198!
Just dropping by to check in on you, and see how you're doing.
I also wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I appreciate your punctuality and the genuine care you show towards people on our team. It really makes a difference and creates a positive atmosphere.
While going through the monthly progress report though, I've noticed that the task you were assigned hasn't been completed and I haven't been able to understand why.
It would mean a lot to me if we could have a conversation about this so that I can better support you and help overcome any obstacles.
Your commitment to our team is truly valuable, and I believe together we can find a solution that benefits everyone.
Wishing you good health, good fortune, and a good day!
Hi coffee !💛
I wanted to message to discuss an issue that cropped up with assignments not being completed and deadlines not being met. I hope we could discuss more regarding this so that I can understand your side of things.
You are an essential member of our team and invaluable to so many aspects that bring success to our team, I hope we can work to strengthen it even more by discussing possibilities of options such as taking less work load, anything that helps us to help you.
Hope to hear from you soon with your thoughts on the matter 💛
@Rivelino3
This is very well-written and concise. I think your message may come across better if you specifically list what they're doing well, in addition to everything else. Overall, great job!
@FrenchToastClub
Steps to give useful feedback:
Sandwich it between genuine positive feedback.
Don’t do it too often. Remember a person can only accept so much constructive feedback before it drains them. Use it sparingly.
Ask yourself what you are communicating is beneficial to the person or your own personal preference. Only provide feedback if it will help the person.
Let's practice giving constructive feedback.
This is the situation.
Username: CoffeePerson198
Positive traits: is punctual, responds in under 24 hours, cares about people and is empathetic.
Areas of improvement: Is not completing assigned task for 3 weeks, not communicating with you (the leader) why the task is not being completed.
Hey Coffee, how have you been doing lately? I haven't heard from you in a while and I just want to check in to make sure that you're doing alright. You've been doing a great job on this team so far- you're punctual, empathetic, and respond in a timely manner. Could we schedule a time to chat about the task assigned to you? We had agreed on a deadline that was 3 weeks ago, and I would really appreciate a progress update. Please let me know if you'll need any help with it, if it should be assigned to someone else, or if there's something going on in your life that is keeping you from communicating. This project needs to move forward and with your help, we can make it happen!
Please let me know what time will work for you for a quick chat and keep up the good work!
@FrenchToastClub
Hey Coffee, how have you been doing lately? I haven't heard from you in a while and I just want to check in to make sure that you're doing alright. You've been doing a great job on this team so far- you're punctual, empathetic, and respond in a timely manner. Could we schedule a time to chat about the task assigned to you? We had agreed on a deadline that was 3 weeks ago, and I would really appreciate a progress update. Please let me know if you'll need any help with it, if it should be assigned to someone else, or if there's something going on in your life that is keeping you from communicating. This project needs to move forward and with your help, we can make it happen!
Please let me know what time will work for you for a quick chat and keep up the good work!
@Gilbird
very nice wording and examples of sandwiching praise - constructive feedback - praise (well done!)
Username: CoffeePerson198
Positive traits: is punctual, responds in under 24 hours, cares about people and is empathetic.
Areas of improvement: Is not completing assigned task for 3 weeks, not communicating with you (the leader) why the task is not being completed.
✒️ You are a leader of the team and have been tasked with giving constructive feedback. Please draft a message of no less than two sentences using the sandwich method (praise + constructive feedback + praise).
Hi Coffee, how are you doing? I really hope that you're well. I'm impressed by your punctuality and response time. 24 hours is great, so well done! Also, I noted that one of your tasks is pending and that you haven't been communicating for 3 weeks; please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you. I'm here to help. Thank you for being empathic and caring towards everyone. I really appreciate it.
@FrenchToastClub Thank you for your post!
Username: CoffeePerson198
Positive traits: is punctual, responds in under 24 hours, cares about people and is empathetic.
Areas of improvement: Is not completing assigned task for 3 weeks, not communicating with you (the leader) why the task is not being completed.
✒️ You are a leader of the team and have been tasked with giving constructive feedback. Please draft a message of no less than two sentences using the sandwich method (praise + constructive feedback + praise).
Hi CoffeePerson198, I wanted to tell you how wonderful you are as a listener! You're always on time, reply quickly and care about everyone's feelings. Your positivity makes our team better! I noticed that a task has been unfinished for three weeks, and we haven't talked much about why. It would be super helpful if we could talk more openly so we can work together to overcome any obstacles. I believe we can do great things as a team! Thanks for being such a valuable team member <3
This is the situation.
Username: CoffeePerson198
Positive traits: is punctual, responds in under 24 hours, cares about people and is empathetic.
Areas of improvement: Is not completing assigned task for 3 weeks, not communicating with you (the leader) why the task is not being completed.
✒️ You are a leader of the team and have been tasked with giving constructive feedback. Please draft a message of no less than two sentences using the sandwich method (praise + constructive feedback + praise).
hello coffee! I hope you’re having a great day. I first off work like to mention that I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to others and be authentic and kind. I think that listening ear and sportsmanship is really helpful to them. On another note, I would like to know if there’s any way I can support you because I noticed the task I gave you three weeks ago isn’t complete. I wanted to know if there was anyway that you could give me an update regarding what happened with the task, so we can avoid this from happening again. Some things I want you to keep in mind is how I can support you the next time, next time you need help with something please just ask we are here to support you. You are an amazing leader, you have shown so much growth and you are a pleasure to work with. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep being the amazing person you are!
@FrenchToast
This is the situation.
Username: CoffeePerson198
Positive traits: is punctual, responds in under 24 hours, cares about people and is empathetic.
Areas of improvement: Is not completing assigned task for 3 weeks, not communicating with you (the leader) why the task is not being completed.
✒️ You are a leader of the team and have been tasked with giving constructive feedback. Please draft a message of no less than two sentences using the sandwich method (praise + constructive feedback + praise).
Hi CoffeePerson198! Hope you're doing well. Thank you so much for the work you've been doing here on 7 Cups. I can tell you really care about people and your empathetic approach really goes a long way. I noticed you haven't completed your assigned task in the past 3 weeks, and I was wondering if there was a reason why you haven't been able to do so. If you can DM me and give me an update, that would be great! I know you're a very punctual person and I appreciate that you're always so diligent in responding to messages under 24 hours. As always, it's great speaking with you.