How do you adjust your feedback style to fit different contexts?

1 Assess the situation

Before you give feedback, you need to consider the context and the purpose of your feedback. Ask yourself: Who are you giving feedback to? What is their role, level, and relationship with you? What is the goal of the feedback? Is it to praise, correct, coach, or motivate? How urgent and important is the feedback? How receptive and responsive is the person to feedback? How much time and resources do you have to give feedback? These questions will help you decide whether, when, and how to give feedback.

2 Choose the right approach

Depending on the situation, you may need to use different feedback styles. For example, you can use direct feedback when you need to be clear and concise, especially in a crisis or a high-stakes situation. You can use indirect feedback when you need to be diplomatic and respectful, especially with someone who is senior, sensitive, or defensive. You can use sandwich feedback when you need to balance positive and negative aspects, especially with someone who is new, insecure, or struggling. You can use SBI feedback when you need to be specific and constructive, especially with someone who is eager, open, or learning. SBI stands for situation, behavior, and impact, and it helps you describe what happened, what the person did, and how it affected the outcome.

3 Deliver the message

Once you have chosen your feedback style, you need to deliver the message effectively. Here are some tips to do that: Be timely and relevant. Give feedback as soon as possible after the event, and focus on the most important and recent issues. Be honest and respectful. Give feedback with sincerity and kindness, and avoid personal attacks, sarcasm, or blame. Be clear and concise. Give feedback with simple and direct language, and avoid jargon, ambiguity, or filler words. Be supportive and positive. Give feedback with empathy and encouragement, and acknowledge the person's strengths, efforts, and potential.

4 Follow up

The last step of giving feedback is to follow up with the person. This will help you ensure that the feedback was understood, accepted, and acted upon. Here are some ways to follow up: Ask for feedback. Ask the person how they felt about the feedback, and listen to their perspective, concerns, or questions. Ask for action. Ask the person what they plan to do differently, and offer your support, guidance, or resources. Ask for progress. Ask the person how they are doing with their action plan, and celebrate their achievements, challenges, or improvements.

5 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?