![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/buffsinchucks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/il_fullxfull.4994966923_e8gn.jpg?resize=1024%2C1002&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nWe have already explored why we give feedback before the interlude. Now, it\u2019s about how you can do it best.<\/p>\n
An example: You are working on my team, and I am not satisfied with your performance. You don\u2019t know it yet, but if things don\u2019t change soon, I will have to let you go. As a good leader, I know that you need to provide feedback if you want to improve a situation. I\u2019ve learned that you can only expand the \"Open Area\" by giving feedback: \u201cI am dissatisfied with you. Your performance is not adequate, and I feel you're lacking team spirit! Even clients have already complained. If things don\u2019t change soon, we will have to part ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Perfect. Feedback communicated, you know what's up, and I mentally give myself a self-high-five as I walk back to my office.<\/p>\n
Mission accomplished. Unless...<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Unless my feedback was far from being effective.<\/p>\n
Through my feedback, you\u2019ve received the information that I am not satisfied and even learned about the possible consequences. However, whether this feedback will actually have the desired effect remains questionable.<\/p>\n
A silly phrase, but not entirely wrong when it comes to effective feedback. Which brings us to the first rule of effective feedback:<\/p>\n
1.) Effective feedback focuses on a person's behavior, not on the person themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n Even though it is proverbially never too late to change, in reality, it's not that simple. According to psychologist William James, the development of our personality solidifies around the age of 30. This doesn\u2019t mean that particularly significant experiences, therapy, etc., cannot continue to impact the development of your personality. However, one should not be under the illusion that feedback in a professional context could bring about a real change in a person\u2019s personality (usually not in a private relationship either *wink-wink*).<\/p>\n So, it is not very effective to simply tell an employee that they are lazy, nice, sneaky, brave, hardworking, or unreliable.<\/p>\n What we can change, however, in contrast to personality, is our behavior. And this is precisely what is crucial for effective feedback: it focuses on a specific behavior of a person, not on the person themselves. 2<\/span>.) Effective feedback focuses on behavior that can be changed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI lose it when someone says \u2018Tunke\u2019 (very German word for sauce, not used in Austria)! I just can\u2019t help it!\u201d\u2014I can understand that, but it\u2019s still a behavior that can be changed if one chooses to.<\/p>\n To give even more illustrative examples: I can't tell someone who is bedridden due to a severe illness to just get up and go to work (unless I'm Jesus). Similarly, I can't tell someone with severe depression to just pull themselves together, take a week's vacation, and then everything will be fine. However, with an employee's habitual lateness, it\u2019s a different story. Whether professionally or personally, regular lateness is a matter of willingness. Therefore, it is a behavior that can be changed, and feedback on this can effectively contribute to a change.<\/p>\n 3.) Effective feedback is based on personal observation.<\/span><\/p>\n This point is important and practical because the word \"observation\" itself helps us reinforce the first point. I observe behavior, and through my observations, I form my opinion about a person.<\/p>\n Hmm, but are there other sources of information that can influence your opinion about a person? Yep, and one of the most important sources is the opinion of others in your environment. Especially when it comes to people you respect, their opinion (often rightly) has a significant impact on your own.<\/p>\n In a professional context, especially when it comes to feedback, it is important to be aware of this external influence and not incorporate the opinions or feedback of others into your own feedback. It's less about the input itself and more about the fact that behavior observed by third parties is harder for the person receiving the feedback to accept. It\u2019s easy for that person to dismiss claims made by others as untrue. This becomes much more difficult when I have observed the behavior myself and am now giving feedback on what I have personally observed.<\/p>\n You could also bring the third person into the feedback conversation, if it weren't for the 4th rule of effective feedback.<\/p>\n 4.) Effective feedback is given in private.<\/span><\/p>\n This rule mainly applies to critical feedback and is probably the one most frequently broken. All too often, we react immediately when we observe behavior that displeases us. In doing so, we forget why we give feedback in the first place: not for our own sake, but to bring about improvement.<\/p>\n When I give feedback to someone in front of an audience, I am, consciously or unconsciously, sending a message to the onlookers. This message could be something like, \"I am the boss here,\" or \"This is what happens if you do the same.\" The person receiving the critical feedback, however, is put on the spot instead of being encouraged to self-reflect. They feel ashamed or have their pride hurt. This leaves little mental capacity to engage with the actual issue at hand.<\/p>\n Even though we often hear, \"Praise in front of a broad audience, give critical feedback in private,\" it\u2019s best to give praise in private as well, unless it\u2019s an event specifically aimed at recognition (e.g., an anniversary celebration, etc.). In a smaller setting, such as praising a team member in front of other team members, it may be well-intentioned, but it doesn\u2019t always have a positive effect.<\/p>\n 5.) Effective feedback is given promptly.<\/span><\/p>\n We already touched on the first example of this in point 4. When I give feedback immediately, there is not only the risk that it won't happen in private but also that I might still be emotional. Feedback that aims to change or reinforce behavior should be as rational as possible.<\/p>\n More often, however, is the second case, and this happens not just in a professional context: we keep things that bother or please us to ourselves for far too long. This is especially a serious mistake with critical feedback. Perhaps this has happened to you as well\u2014someone accuses you of things that happened weeks, months, or even years ago. Two things happen in your mind: a) WTF? Why are you telling me this only now? So, all this time, you've \"lied\" to me about your true feelings, and b) That was so long ago, I don\u2019t even remember what the situation was about, and besides, that was basically my old self.<\/p>\n Professionally, it\u2019s not much different. That\u2019s also why annual feedback meetings are often challenging, and ongoing feedback is so important. There\u2019s a reason why, for example, written warnings or dismissals can be contested if they are not issued very promptly after the incident (or its discovery).<\/p>\n With timely, but not immediate, feedback, we ensure that our emotions are under control while the incident is still fresh in memory.<\/p>\n What feedback techniques do you know? FEEDBACK SANDWICH! Of course, who doesn\u2019t? There isn't a single leadership course where this isn\u2019t invariably the first feedback technique mentioned. And unfortunately, it\u2019s usually the only one. Don\u2019t get me wrong\u2014the feedback sandwich wouldn\u2019t be so bad if it were at least done correctly. \u201cWell, overall it\u2019s fine, but *insert random constructive feedback*. But as I said, overall it\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n The actual idea of the feedback sandwich is to wrap one piece of constructive feedback between two different (!) positive points. And these positive points should also, according to the rules of effective feedback, be concrete observations of specific (in this case, positive) behavior. If you are going to use the sandwich technique, then at least do it correctly; otherwise, it\u2019s not even worth as much as a ham roll without a pickle.<\/p>\n In reality, there are many more feedback techniques besides the sandwich method: Today, I\u2019m going to introduce you to the two techniques that, in my opinion, are the most promising:<\/p>\n * COIN<\/strong> Let's start with COIN<\/p>\n COIN<\/span><\/p>\n This technique has a wonderful advantage. When I give my feedback using COIN, I force myself to adhere to certain rules of effective feedback. COIN stands for:<\/p>\n – CONTEXT The CONTEXT ensures that I\u2019m not just rambling in general terms but speaking about a specific example: \u201cI want to talk to you about our team meeting yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n I explain the CONTEXT and immediately follow with my OBSERVATION, which is my personal observation. This is practical because I can only observe behavior: \u201cWhen I was presenting the new project, you rolled your eyes several times and sighed loudly.\u201d<\/p>\n The OBSERVATION and CONTEXT are clearly defined. Now it's about creating an understanding of the potential effects of the observed behavior, meaning the IMPACT: \u201cAs a result, I found it hard to concentrate because I felt it was not only distracting but also somewhat disrespectful.\u201d<\/p>\n CONTEXT, OBSERVATION, and IMPACT are on the table. Now we need to ensure that we can improve the observed behavior with NEXT STEPS: \u201cIn the future, if something bothers you, I ask that you simply tell me at the end of the presentation.\u201d<\/p>\n The complete COIN would therefore be: Try it out; it can also be a bit less formal than in my example.<\/p>\n Ok, COIN feedback... Check. Now on to my favorite method.<\/p>\n START – STOP – CONTINUE<\/span><\/p>\n This method is like a feedback sandwich, but with double cheese and without the top slice of bread. It involves discussing with the other person what they should start doing (START), what they should stop doing (STOP), and which behaviors they should continue displaying as they have been (CONTINUE). In other words, we have two constructive pieces of feedback and still end on a positive note.<\/p>\n S-Tier buffers take it a step further: instead of telling the other person which behaviors they should change or keep, you simply ask them what they think they should start doing that they aren\u2019t currently doing (START), which behavior they should stop displaying in the future (STOP), and what they should continue doing as they have been (CONTINUE).<\/p>\n Often, people know very well what they should actually be doing. And when they say it themselves, it carries much stronger acceptance. If I don't agree, I still have the opportunity to share my opinion. However, I also gain insight into the other person's self-perception and perhaps even information I hadn't considered before. Since it's about \"doing,\" it also ensures that the feedback focuses on behavior. In addition to the rules of effective feedback and feedback techniques, there are these two fundamentally important points:<\/p>\n Good feedback must be prepared. If you take the time to prepare for a feedback conversation\u2014perhaps even writing down why you want to give this feedback, what your goal is, which behavior you are trying to change in the other person, with which technique and examples you will provide this feedback\u2014you automatically avoid many of the mistakes mentioned in this guide. Take the time if you want to give someone feedback. Prepare properly for this important conversation.<\/p>\n As a final point, I want to emphasize that feedback should always aim to improve the situation and never be about you. It\u2019s about the other person. The feedback should have significant value for them and always meet the basic requirement that you genuinely want to help. If you can't fulfill this point without a doubt, it's usually better not to give feedback at all.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clich\u00e9, but feedback is truly a gift when you stick to these rules. Feedback opens the \u201cOpen Area,\u201d it avoids many conflicts because it can resolve misunderstandings. Feedback is an opportunity to learn from each other.<\/p>\n If you liked this buff, give me a like and share it with your friends, and if you haven\u2019t already, sign up for the newsletter. Thank you!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" „The will to succeed is important, but what\u2019s more important is the will to prepare.“ Warum wir Feedback geben, haben wir bereits vor dem Zwischenspiel beleuchtet. Jetzt geht es darum, wie du das am besten hinbekommst. Ein Beispiel: Du arbeitest in meinem Team und ich bin mit deiner Leistung nicht zufrieden. Du wei\u00dft es noch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":240130606,"featured_media":1184,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":4,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federate","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2408],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deutsch"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/buffsinchucks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Screenshot_20240909_231419_ChatGPT.jpg?fit=1457%2C1456&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pfdiwb-fC","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/240130606"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=968"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1196,"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/968\/revisions\/1196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buffsinchucks.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThis is how we put the personal trait \"lazy\" into the right context:
\n\u201cYesterday, I noticed that out of the seven tasks I assigned to you, you completed only one, even though you spent a lot of time on your personal phone. I expect you to complete the tasks assigned to you on time from now on and spend less time on your phone.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/buffsinchucks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DALL%C2%B7E-2024-09-06-15.14.30-A-Japanese-manga-inspired-comic-style-illustration-featuring-a-Caucasian-man-in-a-smart-casual-outfit-with-Converse-Chuck-Taylor-shoes-sitting-on-a-c.webp?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\nFeedback techniques<\/h5>\n
\nAs is well known, you start with positive feedback, then wrap the constructive part in the middle, and close with positive feedback again. So far, so good. The problem in practice, however, is that the sandwich usually looks like this:<\/p>\n
\nPendulum Method, I-Messages, 360-Degree Feedback, Feedforward, SBI Method, DEAR-Man Method, LIFO Technique, Peer Feedback\u2026 you name it.<\/p>\n
\n* START – STOP – CONTINUE<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/buffsinchucks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DALL%C2%B7E-2024-09-06-15.37.44-An-illustration-with-a-large-number-1-styled-as-an-engraving-like-on-a-coin-placed-centrally-in-the-image.-Next-to-it-there-is-an-element-represe.webp?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
\n– OBSERVATION
\n– IMPACT
\n– NEXT STEPS<\/p>\n
\n\"I want to talk to you about our team meeting yesterday. When I was presenting the new project, you rolled your eyes several times and sighed loudly. As a result, I found it hard to concentrate because I felt it was not only distracting but also somewhat disrespectful. In the future, if something bothers you, I ask that you simply let me know at the end of the presentation.\"<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/buffsinchucks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/DALL%C2%B7E-2024-09-06-14.52.20-An-illustration-of-the-Start-Stop-Continue-framework-using-three-simple-symbols-with-labels.-The-first-symbol-is-a-green-Start-button-like-a-pl.webp?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n
\nIt's best to try it out; it works well even in your own home.<\/p>\nThe conclusion<\/h5>\n