Constructive feedback is essential for the growth and performance of your team, but it can also be challenging to deliver and receive. How do you schedule constructive feedback sessions with your team to ensure they are effective, timely, and respectful? Here are some tips to help you plan and conduct feedback meetings that foster trust, communication, and improvement.
Before you schedule a feedback session, you need to have a clear and specific goal in mind. What is the main message you want to convey to your team member? How does it relate to their work objectives, skills, or behaviors? How can you help them improve or celebrate their achievements? Having a purpose will help you focus your feedback, prepare your examples, and avoid vague or irrelevant comments.
You’re not going to schedule a specific session just to give feedback! A one on one session can cover lots of worthwhile topics: 1. What are you working on? How’s it going? 2. How is your workload? 3. What are you learning? What are you interested in learning? 4. How can I help you? Are there roadblocks I can help you push aside? 5. How are you feeling about the job? Is it meeting your needs? 6. Where are you struggling, if you are?
Timing is crucial for constructive feedback. You want to schedule your feedback session as close as possible to the event or situation that triggered it, but not when emotions are high or distractions are abundant. Ideally, you should give feedback within a week of the occurrence, and avoid Mondays, Fridays, or busy periods. You should also consider the availability and preferences of your team member, and ask them when they would be most receptive and comfortable.
Once you have decided on the purpose and time of your feedback session, you need to communicate it to your team member. You should send them a meeting invite with a clear and positive subject line, such as "Feedback and Coaching Session" or "Celebrating Your Success". You should also include a brief agenda that outlines the topics you want to discuss, the format and duration of the meeting, and the expectations and outcomes you have. This will help your team member prepare mentally and emotionally, and reduce any anxiety or confusion.
The feedback session should take place in a private and quiet location, where you and your team member can have an open and honest conversation. You should avoid public or noisy areas, such as cafeterias, hallways, or open offices, where others can overhear or interrupt. You should also ensure that you have a comfortable and respectful atmosphere, where you can maintain eye contact, use positive body language, and listen actively.
A feedback session should have a clear and consistent structure that guides you and your team member through the process. A common structure is the SBI model, which stands for Situation, Behavior, and Impact. In this model, you start by describing the specific situation where you observed the behavior, then you explain the behavior and its impact on the work or the team, and finally you invite the team member to share their perspective and agree on the next steps. This structure helps you provide factual and constructive feedback, and avoid personal or subjective judgments.
A feedback session is not a one-way communication, but a two-way dialogue. You should not only give feedback to your team member, but also ask for feedback yourself. You can ask them how they feel about the feedback you gave them, what they think you can do to support them better, or how they rate your leadership style or skills. Seeking feedback yourself shows that you value their opinions, that you are open to learning and improving, and that you are modeling the behavior you expect from them.
The question implies scheduling a session with the team rather than an individual teammate. However, feedback is generally most effective in 1-1 settings unless the issue involves the whole team. Second, as decades of academic research shows, feedback should be provided as close to the observed behavior as possible. There are exceptions to this, but scheduled sessions should be used when a discussion space is needed, not as a delay tactic due to anxiety. An HBR survey indicates that 21% of managers avoid giving negative feedback, often because of anxiety. Lastly, specific positive feedback is also worth scheduling (even if just in your own calendar as a reminder). This feedback has proven to improve productivity, morale, and retention.