What are the most effective feedback strategies for motivating a coachee to change?

1 Understand your coachee's needs and goals

Before giving feedback, you need to understand your coachee's needs and goals, as well as their current situation and challenges. This will help you tailor your feedback to their specific context and preferences, and avoid making assumptions or judgments. You can use various coaching techniques, such as active listening, powerful questioning, and reflection, to explore your coachee's needs and goals, and to establish rapport and trust.

2 Use the SBI model

The SBI model is a simple and effective framework for giving feedback, based on three elements: Situation, Behavior, and Impact. You start by describing the situation where you observed the behavior, then you describe the behavior itself, and finally you explain the impact of the behavior on yourself, others, or the results. The SBI model helps you give feedback that is factual, objective, and specific, and avoids personal opinions or interpretations.

3 Balance positive and constructive feedback

Positive feedback is feedback that recognizes and reinforces what your coachee is doing well, and encourages them to continue or expand on it. Constructive feedback is feedback that identifies and suggests areas for improvement, and helps your coachee develop new skills or behaviors. Both types of feedback are essential for executive coaching, as they can boost your coachee's confidence, motivation, and learning. However, you need to balance them carefully, and avoid giving too much or too little of either one. A good rule of thumb is to use the 3:1 ratio, which means giving three positive feedbacks for every one constructive feedback.

4 Ask for permission and feedback

Feedback is more likely to be accepted and acted upon if your coachee feels that they have a choice and a voice in the process. Therefore, you should always ask for permission before giving feedback, and check if your coachee is ready and willing to receive it. You should also ask for feedback from your coachee, and find out how they perceived and valued your feedback, and what they plan to do with it. This will help you create a feedback loop, where you can both learn from each other and adjust your feedback accordingly.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?