How do you follow up and communicate feedback results and actions to participants and stakeholders?

When going back and forth with stakeholders post-facilitation regarding feedback, I find it helpful to be forthright on the areas I feel I could improve and learn from. For example, I recently facilitated a group of 20 people, and in the second hour of the session, I was talking too much and could feel the group losing steam. I alluded to this during our follow-up discussion and was curious if they had similar feedback. Whether they aligned with my feedback sharing insights opens the door for collaboration and growth.

El abrir un espacio para evaluar la sesión permite entrar en un ciclo de mejora continúa y manda un poderoso mensaje a los participantes sobre que tomas en cuenta las ideas para crecer que entre todos podemos construir y cuidar de dicho espacio. Y cómo facilitador te permite mejorar continuamente, hacer ajustes y mejorar cada sesión. Yo uso diferentes formatos como Hapiness Door

It is probably no surprise that the best way to get feedback on a facilitation is right after the facilitation! This is where budgeting time before the end for people to complete a short feedback form helps you to get the most responses. I have used paper forms or electronic ones. I have scheduled electronic feedback to arrive in the inboxes of participants in advance or during the break whenever possible. I have also used a QR to help individuals use their smartphones to access the electronic feedback form. I aim to have a form that can be completed in 10 minutes or less so I can honor the time the group has invested in gathering by not holding them over.

Once you collect data and feedback, taking the information seriously but not too personally is essential. Feedback is an opportunity to learn and grow, not to feed into insecurities and limiting belief systems. i.e., "I'm not good enough to facilitate.", "I should have done it differently." Staying present and avoiding overanalyzing every facet of previous facilitation sessions is essential. I've been facilitating for years and have yet to leave a session where I said, "That was perfect." I've always had areas for continued growth and expansion.

I've found that honest, objective feedback is the most helpful. Sharing my feelings openly and inviting stakeholders to do the same opens the door to collaboration and compassion. I always make myself available to the participants and let them know they can reach out anytime as the learning process continues beyond the actual session.

In my experience, giving and receiving feedback is a skill. That's the good news. It's not some mystical thing that is possessed by a few but it is a skill that can and should be developed by those who are willing to learn. Articles like these are so helpful because they help us think, make knowledge accessible and give us action tools for the next time we encounter similar opportunities. I'm going to reflect on how I collect feedback and try some of the recommendations mentioned here.

Feedback is a great tool to strengthen a relationship especially when it’s given in the moment, so schedule formal sessions to help others grow with your reflections on their performance and encourage informal feedback whenever possible. And when it comes to giving feedback, make sure you’re listening to the person you’re delivering it to so you can see how they’re understanding and incorporating it, and to learn how you can get better at delivering it.