Life Hacks about feedback and strategic communication
Celso Costa
?? Taking people, teams and organisations to the next level of their development as CEO and Founder of Next Level Hub
Why is feedback the ultimate communication tool?
Feedback is the Swiss Army Knife???? of communication.
It’s amazing how many tools, each tailored to a unique purpose, can be found in one concept.
Feedback can be formal (expected or predictable) or informal (spontaneous or unpredictable). Even though it may be given typically in a professional setting, its impact can be pretty personal.
How can thinking of feedback as positive or negative hinder your communication?
It’s true: feedback can be positive and it can be negative. But is there a more effective way to think about it?
Framing feedback as positive or negative can be helpful to the feedback giver but not necessarily productive for the receiver.
When providing feedback, we should aim to turn people into sponges that become reflexive, not bricks where they block and go into judgmental or defensiveness mode.
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You can think of feedback as having 3 different directions or purposes towards behavior/performance:
?? Encouraging or Incentivizing
??? Improving or changing
? Reducing or eliminating
How can thinking of feedback become a headache?
The recipe for disaster is quite simple:
? Give it rarely
? Provide it only when problems arise
? Using an overly nice or misadjusted tone
??Present it as a confusing or unstructured conversation
? Express it as a monologue or venting with excessive emotion
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How do you like to receive feedback? What’s most valuable and meaningful?
For most people, feedback will be appreciated when:
??Given frequently as part of typical interactions
??Focused on specific behaviors/actions/results
? Explained as a point of view, not as an absolute truth
? Expressed as a dialogue where topics are backed with evidence and examples
? Ensuring we are legitimate to provide that feedback
? Finding a balance between focusing on the problem(s) and the solution(s)
How can you make the most out of feedback?
Make sure you have a vision – strategy – action.
Having a clear vision of what you want to happen during the conversation, but above all, after the conversation, is vital. I like to start with the end in mind – what do I want to happen after the conversation?
After a clear vision, you should have a solid strategy. Deciding what type of feedback to give, through which tone, how the other person will perceive it, and the ideal timing should all be considered.
With a clear vision and a solid strategy, you’re better equipped to deliver more efficient and impactful feedback. While there aren’t magic formulas or a “one-size-fits-all” approach, for many situations, the following 4 step approach gets the job done:
?? Micro yes
Start with a question—something as simple as asking about the timing of the conversation. Evidence suggests that feedback that starts with a yes gives the receiver a sense of control.
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?? Data point
Focus on the specific behavior/action/result being targeted and explain it as clearly as possible. Remember that for feedback to work, the receiver must understand and be able to recall the critical information.
?? Show impact
Demonstrate how a particular behavior/action/result impacts the team/culture/performance – avoid blaming or making it personal, but clarify how a particular action helps or hurts.
?? End with a question
The conversation should end with solutions. Feedback is not about dumping information on someone. When you provide feedback, you become responsible for that person's evolution. Evidence suggests that when the feedback receiver comes up with suggestions or ideas, their commitment to change increases.
Connecting the dots ??
Just like a Swiss Army Knife, you can get a lot done with it. But it won’t cut iron.
Behaviors linked to personality traits (think narcissism) or deeply rooted beliefs or habits will be challenging to change through feedback. Here, other mechanisms will need to be activated.
Feedback is part of a team’s or a company’s culture. Designing a system where it takes place regularly, centered on evolving behaviors/performance rather than just judging/classifying it, will incentivize higher accountability, ownership, and proactiveness.
Remember that feed-back is important, so is feed-forward – focusing on what needs to happen differently in the future.
Finally, a very healthy sign of any culture is when you find feedback pullers. Why wait for feedback when you can ask about it any time? ?? As Ken Blanchard said:
?“Champions eat feedback for breakfast.”
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Hi, I’m Celso, founder and CEO of Next Level Hub.
At Next Level Hub, we believe mental health & well-being and personal & professional development are core areas in anyone’s life and great boosters of career growth and advancement.
We are on a mission to take you, your team, and your organization to the next level of your development, objectives, and metrics!
Our methodologies use the scientific power from behavioral sciences to creatively adapt to your goals and needs. We focus on 3 main areas:
SKILLS
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
MENTAL HEALTH & WELL-BEING
We provide tailor-made training programs for teams and organizations, consultancy services, prize-winning skills training programs, and 1-on-1 sessions. We're currently working with teams in +20 different countries ??.
More about me ??
With a behavioral sciences and innovation background, I deeply believe in the untapped potential of combining the know-how from Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavioral Economics to develop impactful and evidence-based solutions for teams and companies.
With over a decade of experience as a psychologist, I've held, from 2017 to 2021, the position of Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. My soft skills training programs earned a spot among the top 10 most innovative initiatives in Education in Portugal.
My work extends across various industries, including tech, cybersecurity, aviation, banking, healthcare, non-governmental, and construction, delivering consultancy and crafting tailor-made training programs.
I'm passionate about solving problems, continuous learning, and disruption through innovation, making me a very goal-oriented and solution-focused professional person.