The coaches/mentors we work with continue to stress that the best feedback is given directly and in short order, not saved for later. This is what makes it possible for us to improve and make changes in real-time. Giving direct, real-time feedback is something we are going to make a conscious effort to do more of and something we can all get better at, myself included.

On three different occasions this week, I have had AP employees give me unsolicited feedback about something I could have done better – and they were right in all three cases. In one case in particular, I had a feeling something I said in a meeting had come off not as intended, and the feedback I was given validated this for me.

A great tip for giving feedback is to use the Situation-Behavior-Impact model to depersonalize your feedback.  As an example, the feedback “You need to sound more confident in your client calls” can feel like a personal judgment.  Using the SBO framework, your feedback might be:

Situation: In the client call yesterday
Behavior: You did not sound confident in your answers and used a crutch word repetitively
Impact: This will cause the client to lose trust in your ability and hurt your credibility with them

The impact is what gets people to internalize and take action. Which of the below do you want to be?

Have a great weekend!