To give better feedback, be a noticer
There's more to feedback than just a verbal exchange. What is seen can be just as important as what is said. And unless we're paying attention to the visual cues and clues that line these conversations, our feedback may not be complete.
Even the best of us fail to recognize the signs that are hiding in plain sight. It could be the result of willful blindness. Or perhaps a lack of?self-awareness . But when we aren’t picking up on the signals around us, we get bad data, make poor decisions, and deliver?fearful feedback .
The solution??Become a feedback?"noticer."
Noticers do more than just pay attention. They observe and absorb situational and behavioral patterns. This noticing habit allows them to spot clues and potential consequences. Really strong noticers are more aware of what others are thinking or feeling without them even saying a word. Their heightened state of noticing spares them from making costly errors and enables them to size up business opportunities and threats. Most importantly, noticers possess a deep understanding of people and situations, which allows them to share feedback that truly captures the full picture of who others are and what they've done.
Some people are natural-born noticers. They can recall the worn look on the face of an over-stressed employee. They can discern the body language and sideways looks of team members during a meeting. They remember who was taking notes during a presentation and who was checking social media.
And then there's everybody else, who somehow manage to overlook the obvious. When we miss these signs, our feedback might end up missing its mark.
How can we become better noticers? By paying attention to what's right in front of us.
Set aside judgement
Too often, we pay more attention to what we’re?looking for?rather than what we’re?looking at. (If you are one of the 13 million people who couldn't spot the?invisible gorilla , you know what I mean.) These visual blinders keep us from seeing the whole picture – or worse, cause us to distort it entirely.
My rule of thumb: When you size up a situation – how people or places look, sound and feel – be a reporter, not an op-ed writer. Describe what you see, not what you think it means. Without that objectivity, it's much harder to spot the patterns or connections hiding in plain sight.
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Challenge initial assumptions
Sometimes we miss information simply because we don’t want to acknowledge it exists. Psychologists call this “bounded awareness ” – the tendency to notice things that fit inside the bounds of our preconceived beliefs. As a countermeasure, it's vital to challenge our assumptions. Are we seeing the picture clearly? Have we ignored something important?
A good way to stretch the bounds of awareness is to "look twice." Seek alternate perspectives. Ask a colleague or trusted partner for their point of view.?Since different people have different bounds of awareness, getting multiple views can help us see past our own blinders.
Build a noticing habit
Noticing is a conscious choice. When we pay attention to the way we pay attention, our visual field becomes sharper and more deliberate. To train myself on becoming a better noticer, I designate time each day for "noticing bursts" – short, intentional periods of time when I heighten my visual awareness. At first, this can be very difficult. Given our bias for action, we're more naturally drawn into a state of doing, not being. My initial "noticing bursts" lasted barely a minute. But with time and practice, I’ve managed to sustain my awareness for longer stretches of time.
We’re living in an age of busyness, distraction and disconnection. That makes it even more difficult to decode and deliver feedback effectively. But when we take time to engage with our surroundings, challenge our beliefs and assumptions, and reflect on what’s right in front of us, we can become first-class noticers and give better feedback. Because what we see might just surprise us.
Keep fixing,
Joe?
Dr. Joe Hirsch helps organizations design and deliver feedback without fear. He's a?TEDx ?and?global keynote speaker ?and the author of "The Feedback Fix ." Joe's work and research has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. and other major outlets. He also hosts the popular podcast,?I Wish They Knew .