Remote team members are struggling with feedback. How can you help them provide it constructively?

Explain what effective feedback looks like and its importance for team growth. Encourage focus on specific behaviors and outcomes, and provide suggestions for improvement. This ensures feedback is actionable and fosters a collaborative spirit

Simplicity and accessibility for speed was key. As much as there are many fancy tools out there — the simplest communication tools were most effective. Emojis for emotions. Calls to answer burning fires. DND - for breaks. K.I.S.S.

Use video conferencing for nuanced discussions and non-verbal cues, while collaborative documents or feedback platforms work well for reflective feedback. Ensure everyone is comfortable with and understands how to use these tools effectively.

When you're a new leader coming into a situation where you're trying to seek open feedback from your team, it's important to step back and take a look at the prior culture. For example, was your team able to safely get feedback without criticism or ridicule in the past? If the answer is no, then that is exactly where you need to start by addressing that elephant in the room. I have personally found it successful to be fully transparent and honest when it comes to righting past wrongs first, to establish a better foundation of trust. Once that has been done, lead by example and be the first one to be vulnerable and share a perspective that is transparent and open. I think you will find people will start following suit in time.

Use video conferencing for nuanced discussions to capture non-verbal cues and immediate clarification. For reflective feedback, collaborative documents or feedback platforms are effective. Ensure everyone is comfortable with and understands how to use these tools effectively

Offer sessions on communication techniques focusing on active listening, empathy, and constructive feedback. Role-playing exercises can help them practice these skills in a low-stakes environment before applying them in real-world scenarios

A more compassionate attitude might be fostered by encouraging remote team members to reflect on themselves before providing comments. They can better understand the significance of framing their remarks positively by thinking back on their own experiences and how feedback affects them. This method improves the team's general performance and communication, and meaningful, helpful feedback is ensured.

One of the great challenges with feedback is that we're reporting on what's in the past. We also tend to focus on what the team member did wrong. I learned that offering guidance is better than giving traditional feedback. Guidance is looking ahead through the windshield. Feedback is like looking in the rearview mirror. Offer guidance and offer it this way. Identify where you are and what your team member did well to get you here. This gives credit and reinforces desirable activities. Then share where you want to be. This is where you coach on the things your team member needs to different to get to where you want to be. Offer guidance instead of feedback. The more effective way to coach is to offer guidance. Give credit first, then coach.