What are effective feedback techniques for active listening and critical thinking?

In my experience, the mere word "feedback" stirs anxiety and negative energy. We can hypothesize many reasons for this reaction, but I want this contribution to be focused on solutions to the existing cultural barriers. I encourage readers to redefine feedback and use a word and process that aims to benefit the end receiver more directly. I suggest using the word "perspective" and discussing it from the viewpoint of "how I see it." At the end of the day, feedback comes from one way of viewing things, whether right or wrong. By offering a perspective, especially when it comes from a subject matter expert, the receiver feels valued, not criticized. They'll focus on the mentor's insight and will more likely make a more long-lasting progress.

To make communication effective while collaborating within a team in an organization of any team size, both active listening and critical thinking play a crucial role. Also, being receptive to positive criticism is challenging for various team members depending on their knowledge, expertise, and experience. Some techniques can be encouraging retrospectives. Owing to my personal experience, I have worked in several Agile projects where retrospective helped develop critical thinking skills and active listening to enhance my skills.

As per me, effective feedback techniques for active listening and critical thinking are essential for meaningful communication. By using reflective feedback, empathetic responses, and avoiding judgment or interruptions, you create an open dialogue. Clarifying questions deepens understanding and encourages critical thinking. Validating the speaker's perspective and using nonverbal cues promote engagement. Constructive feedback focuses on growth rather than criticism while offering alternative viewpoints stimulates critical thinking. Validating differing opinions and self-reflection further enhance these skills, fostering respect, understanding, and productive discourse.

Feedback is a mechanism that helps individuals improve — it’s not a platform to rant. Types include: Formal, Informal, Peer-To-Peer, Self, Positive, Positive feedforward, Negative, Negative feedforward, Constructive, Destructive, etc.

What many people forget is that feedback is truly a gift. What you know and understand about yourself may not be aligned with what others see or perceive about you. Others can perceive you "higher" or "lower" than what you actually do, and either way they are hidden from you, be it a strength or an area for development. This is where feedback plays an important role as a gift. You are given a gift to understand more about yourself, where you are actually better that you think you are or where you actually need to improve for the better you. Asking for feedback is a proactive approach to continuous self development. Imagine if you're placed in an environment where feedback is encouraged and celebrated. Imagine your potential growth

The book, The Art of Giving and Receiving feedback, authors Shirley Poertner and Karen Massetti Miller, talk of 4 characteristics of a good feedback: 1. Focused on action, not attitude?– best given responding to specific actions that are done, not on a person’s attitude/characteristics 2. Directed to the future?– Useful feedback uses past actions as a starting point to help the recipient to develop effective plans for future action 3. Feedback is multi-directional?– Not just from a manager to his subordinate, but upwards to one’s manager and also laterally to other co-workers. 4. Given in a spirit of supportiveness?– Never be given in a way that belittles the recipient or make others look good at that person’s expense

It helps to create scheduled space for feedback frequently and often. This keeps conversation going while feedback/grievances are still small and also removes the stress of being pulled aside for an assessment.

We have to have the right number of team leaders to effectively address feedback. All my career when I was a leader I did not have enough time for, the team was so big. When I received feedback, all my team leaders did not have time to deliver the right number of feedback by month, never. Same reason, too many people in the team. The companies think they are saving money having a big team with one leader, but they are losing money and they can't see.

One technique for providing feedback is the sandwich technique, also known as the feedback sandwich. It is a communication strategy where you begin and end a conversation with positive or encouraging remarks, while sandwiching constructive or critical feedback in the middle. This method is designed to soften the impact of criticism, promote a more receptive atmosphere, and help individuals receive feedback more constructively.

In my experience and from my perspective I completely agree with these principles. I would add that I’ve found it helpful and very meaningful to approach the feedback from the perspective of belonging. So often constructive feedback has the receiver feeling excluded or less than even if that is not the intention nor true. Ensuring that the receiver hears and receives that they belong and are valued AND there is an opportunity for improvement is critical for employees. I use that as my guiding principle along with inquiring first to see if they can come to the offered feedback on their own prior to giving it kindly, respectfully and directly.

Providing feedback is a tough job. In my experience, motivation to connect with the person first, on an emotional level works wonder. It is important to connect with people on an emotional level to understand their state to figure out the solution and provide constructive feedback which is taken in the same spirit. Wherever critical thinking is required, offering constructive criticism grounded in evidence, logical reasoning and focusing on ideas yield better results rather than judging the other person’s motivation. Finally, it is collaboration and not individual effort that delivers results. Creating a culture of learning, mutual respect, collaboration, and growth helps in building a sustainable environment in which everyone gains.

My favourite techniques is A.I.R., consisting of 3 components: Action, Impact and Request. The first is Action. Describe the action or actions of the person that lead to the feedback being delivered. The second is Impact. Point out what we thought the impact of their actions were. The impact might be related to you, the team, the customer or the business, etc. The last is Request. Here we should point out what we would like the person who is receiving this feedback to continue doing (positive feedback) or do differently (negative feedback). Saved me many times!

Feedback should be seen as an act of care from the ones providing it. Having an open mind, see from a different perspective and ask clarifying questions (not push back) are elements that can help digest the input and, is applicable, trigger adjustments for the given situation

In both intimate and professional settings, effective feedback skills are crucial. Individuals and teams can develop, enhance their performance, and strengthen their relationships when they receive constructive feedback. Remember that the ability to provide feedback can be developed over time. It is essential to modify your approach based on the individual's personality and the particular context of the feedback. Effective feedback can be a potent instrument for personal and professional development.

Let's explore why empathy is so important in improving your feedback skills. Imagine empathy as a superpower that helps you connect with people on a deeper level and make your feedback even more effective. When you put yourself in someone else's shoes and truly understand their feelings and perspective, it's like magic! It makes your feedback kinder, more helpful, and builds stronger bonds with others. So, remember, when you use your empathy superpower, you become a feedback champion, making the world a better place one conversation at a time!

A critical element to remove barriers is building trust and a psychological safe environment to provide the feedback. When giving feedback we need to convey the message: I'm sharing this because I care about you and I want to see you succeed. And like Brené Brown would say, "clear is kind".

Feedback barriers refer to obstacles or challenges that can hinder the effective exchange of feedback in various contexts, such as in the workplace, relationships, or educational settings. Identifying and resolving these obstacles is crucial for ensuring that feedback is constructive, well-received, and ultimately leads to growth. Some individuals avoid providing feedback for concern that it will result in conflict or negative reactions. Individuals and organizations should concentrate on developing a culture of trust, enhancing communication abilities, resolving power dynamics, and offering training on properly providing and receiving feedback in order to get over these obstacles to feedback.

Among the factors contributing to communication breakdown, I would also include language barriers in a diverse workforce. Office policies may dictate the use of a single language, such as English, across the entire company, but the company may be composed of individuals with different mother tongues. While all employees might be fluent in English, they might be unable to phrase sentences to the very high standards of diplomacy or know how to convey nuances in meaning. In the process of giving and receiving feedback, nuances and diplomacy definitely matter. Sharing best practices for phrasing and wording concepts might help a diverse workforce practice the feedback process in a more thoughtful and effective manner.

There are several barriers to feedback, but I think the most critical are a lack of transparency and focus. When giving or receiving feedback, it's important to know why it's being given or why you're receiving it. What's the point? Having a focus is useful to, so if you ask for feedback --what do you want feedback on? If you're giving feedback, select no more than 3 areas to focus. Otherwise, things become too big and then feedback is not specific or targeted enough to be useful.

Keep a balance in life to make sure you aren't becoming desensitized. We consume so much information daily, that it can be hard to keep a clear, empathetic focus when communicating. The goal of communicating is to understand one another. You cant do that when you don't even try to relate or understand the other person.

In my experience, effective feedback is both an art and a science. I've found that timing is crucial; giving feedback soon after the event makes it more actionable. Being specific has also been key. For example, instead of saying someone is disorganized, I'd point out that missing a project deadline led to delays. This focuses on behavior, not character, and reduces defensiveness. I've also made it a point to open up a two-way dialogue during feedback sessions, letting the other person share their perspective, which often reveals additional insights. Finally, scheduling a follow-up conversation to assess changes and make adjustments has been invaluable for sustained improvement.

In my opinion, in order to perfectly develop critical thinking we need to consider both sides of any scenario. Then address the drawbacks and benefits in it to judge it correctly, in our mind. Often people become stern as to their views. They hold them with strong conviction and at times due to that they keep bias, towards a different perspective. Which could in fact be their own other and perhaps a better idea! However, less relied upon and comparatively not assessed mindfully. We must develop the key skill of having a broad mindset which accepts, is open to many ideas and does not restrict us. As we rightfully analyse the weakness and strength of any situation, idea or plan. We can thus master critical thinking and achieve resolution.

In both personal and professional settings, feedback is a crucial part of good communication and personal development. Different feedback tactics may be needed for different situations and people. Remember that providing excellent feedback is a talent that must be honed over time. Personalize your approach to the circumstance as well as the individual's personality and preferences. In order to consistently improve your communication abilities, be open to accepting comments on your feedback style.

In order to overcome egos and have the strategies mentioned be effective, I have found the "?/???" model to be effective, especially when a whole team gives feedback to everyone on that team. Performance evaluations from a single supervisor have limited value, however feedback from the whole group corrects for outliers and grudges or personal feelings by allowing the reciever of feedback to find recurring information. The plus/delta model also encourages a growth mindset by making the entire focus on strengths and not weaknesses, but areas for positive change and improvement.

Constructive feedback requires more than what a person can do at the time. Without ethos (credibility), any feedback provided will be shrugged off, period. If you aren't respected as an authority on the subject matter, then your wasting everyone's time opining. However when a person is established as credible and actively listens, people are much more receptive (ahem, Simon Cowell anyone??). The true art comes in how that feedback is presented. Being brutally honest, for both positive and negative feedback, inspires critical thinking for those receiving it. Try questions like, "How would you improve your _____?" or, "What advice would you give me (someone more knowledgeable/experienced/etc.) if I were to do the same _____?" "Why?"

Feedback is often a pain point, whether you are giving or receiving. It comes with an unsaid intention of telling, “you need to change.” And, change can be overwhelming, some people are receptive to it and some may take a back step. Most importantly, the way in which we provide the feedback makes all the difference.

Ideally, feedback should be a smooth process among peers and team members, a two-way natural, open and fact-based communication with major goal of making people better on what/how they do what they need to do

Effective feedback techniques for active listening and critical thinking are like the superpowers that help you become a better communicator and thinker. Imagine you're having a great conversation with a friend, and you want to make them feel heard and appreciated. Active listening means giving them your full attention, nodding, and making eye contact. When you share your thoughts, think before you speak, and use kind and constructive words to avoid hurting anyone's feelings. Remember, these skills will make your conversations stronger, your relationships better, and you a more awesome communicator! ??

Effective feedback techniques for active listening and critical thinking are essential skills for effective communication and problem-solving. These techniques help facilitate meaningful conversations, build rapport, and promote deeper understanding between individuals or within groups. Effective feedback techniques that can enhance both active listening and critical thinking are Reflective Responses,Asking open-Ended questions,Summarization,Asking clarifying questions,Empathetic responses,Avoid Interruptions. In conclusion, effective feedback techniques for active listening and critical thinking are indispensable in personal and professional interactions.