I was recently talking to someone about feedback and how so many people try hard to NOT receive it….I found this mind boggling as I LOVE feedback; positive or negative.
Feedback to me is letting me know if I am on track. When I have managed businesses I love people coming and talking to me to advise about areas that may need improving. Often it is those “unhappy” customers who become “loyal” customers, just because you took the time to listen to them.
Some tips for receiving and providing feedback.
Be mindful of stuff that arises during your conversations that might mess up the negative feedback you’re conveying. For example, don’t use judgement words, which are any adjectives like ‘lazy’, ‘careless’, ‘disinterested’, and so on. It’s more effective to focus only on the specific behaviour that needs rectifying. Judgement words trigger people to become defensive immediately, whereas sticking to concrete actions are harder to dispute.
Areas that could disrupt an accurate interpretation of your message include:
- your body language (do you look like you want them to succeed, or not?)
- your communication method (is it mirroring their preferred learning style, or yours?)
- the location (is it in a neutral and comfortable place, or your office?).
Negative feedback doesn’t have to end in a crash.
Remember that continuous improvement for an RTO revolves around feedback.