Section 4 EO M403.04 – PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO TEAM MEMBERS

Feedback may be given to the team as a whole or it may be given to individual team members. Giving feedback well is a skill. Feedback is a practical method for giving team members feedback, and when giving feedback, it should be frequent, accurate, specific, and timely.

Frequent. Frequent means occurring often or in close succession. Team leaders should give feedback often. After giving feedback, a team leader should note if the team members are responding. If the feedback is not being used by the team members, it may need to be restated in a different way.

Accurate. Accurate means careful, precise or lacking errors. Accurate feedback means giving feedback that is truthful and fact-based. Accurate feedback should be correct, balanced and appropriate; if not, team members may begin to lose respect for the team leader as every instance of feedback has an effect on the team members' trust.

Specific. Specific means clearly defined, definite or precise. Specific feedback means giving feedback that is detailed and clear-cut. Telling team members what they do right and wrong is not specific enough; the team leader must also tell team members exactly what steps are necessary to improve their performance. This is usually done by asking reflective questions to the team members so they generate suggestions for improvement. When giving specific feedback, team leaders should set concrete goals and deadlines for team members.

Timely. Timely means opportune, occurring, done or made at suitable or appropriate time. Timely feedback means giving feedback at the right time. The closer in time the feedback follows the performance, the more impact it will have on team members because the performance and the feedback are tied closely together.

Feedback must be based on the team member's behaviour and / or performance—not the person or their personality.

Ask cadets to give examples of when feedback has been given to them that was frequent, accurate, specific, and timely.

The following ground rules for providing feedback may enable the team leader to give helpful, constructive feedback, without creating conflict or confrontational behaviour with team members.

Focusing on What is Observed

Team leaders should give feedback based on what they see because it is factual. What team leaders believe is based on supposition and inference; it is an interpretation of what they have seen. When team leaders give feedback based on interpretation rather than fact, the interpretation may be wrong.

For example:

A team member is looking at their boots as the team leader speaks to him. The team leader says "Pay attention." This is incorrect because the team leader is inferring that the team member is not paying attention. The team leader should say "You should be looking here." This statement focuses on what the team leader saw.

Focusing on Behaviour

Team leaders should give feedback based on the behaviour of team members, not on the person or personality of a team member.

For example:

A team leader observes a team member slouching against a wall. The team leader says "Don't be lazy." This is incorrect because the team leader is making judgment on the team member's personality. The team leader should say "Stand up straight." This statement does not make any judgment but focuses directly on the behaviour required by the team member.

Keeping it Neutral

Team leaders should give feedback that is unbiased and does not make judgments. When a team leader is objective when giving feedback, the team members can determine for themselves the effect of their behaviour. This presents a more meaningful learning opportunity for team members.

For example:

The team leader observes a team member arriving late again. The team leader says "You are late a lot." This is incorrect because the team leader has made a judgment on how many times the team member has been late. The team leader should say "You have been late three times in the past two months." This is a statement of fact.

Using it to Inform

Team leaders should give feedback that is enlightening and does not advise. When the team leader gives feedback, it leaves the team members free to draw their own conclusions. This freedom allows the team members to decide what actions are necessary to change their behaviour.

For example:

A team leader does an inspection and observes that a team member's boots are not up to standard. The team leader says "Everyone needs to work on their boots." The team leader should say "Our team's boots are not meeting inspection standard." This statement allows team members to decide what should be done.

If the team members cannot generate an idea, the team leader may have to explain what behaviour is required.

Making it Supportive

Team leaders should give feedback that is reassuring and not threatening. When the team leader gives feedback that is supportive, it does not sound like a put-down. The choice of language and tone must be carefully considered. Even the friendliest and best intentioned feedback can sound intimidating.

For example:

A team leader observes a team member leading a team-building activity. The team leader says "I want to talk to you about that activity." This may be perceived as frightful and ominous. The team leader should say "I thought your activity went well, but let's have a chat about making it even better." This statement starts with something positive and then offers and opportunity to discuss ways of improving.

Keeping it Simple

Team leaders should give feedback that is uncomplicated. Team members can usually only process one or two pieces of information at any one time. If team leaders overload team members with too much feedback, there is a possibility that the information will not be received. Feedback on one or two major points is more useful than feedback on six or seven minor points.

For example:

A team leader supervises as a team member conducts an inspection. The team leader notices that the team member's uniform and boots are not up to inspection standard. The team member starts the inspection at the cadet's back and continues to make errors. The team leader says "Very few things went correctly during that inspection—you look bad, you started with their backs and your comments made no sense." This is incorrect because the team leader is focusing on too many issues at once. The team leader should have said "Very few things went correctly during that inspection and we will start with your uniform." This allows the team member to focus on one behaviour at a time.

The objective of this activity is to have the cadets identify the ground rules for providing feedback.

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1.Have the cadets find a partner.

2.Have the cadet with the earliest birthday recite one ground rule for providing feedback to their partner.

3.Have the cadet with the latest birthday recite another ground rule for providing feedback to their partner.

4.Have the cadets take turns reciting the ground rules for providing feedback until all the ground rules have been recited.

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The purpose for providing feedback is to let team members know how they are doing and when they are not meeting expectations. Team leaders should ensure that feedback is given when team members meet and / or exceed their commitments, as well as when team members do not meet their commitments. There are five steps for providing feedback.

Planning What to Say. Team leaders need to plan what they will say during feedback using the ground rules for providing feedback. Team leaders should think ahead of time about the team member's behaviour to be discussed. Team leaders should also have suggestions for improvement; however, these ideas should only be given if the team member cannot generate suggestions for improvement themselves.

Providing Examples of Behaviours. Team leaders need to give feedback that provides examples of the behaviour that needs to change. Giving unclear or vague examples may lead to anxiety in team members because they are not sure what behaviour needs to be modified.

Allowing Time for Feedback. Once team leaders have provided examples to the team members, they should allow time for discussion. The team members may agree, disagree or provide their perspective of the situation to the team leader. The team members may need to ask for clarification of the behaviours or they may ask for suggestions to assist them in changing their behaviour.

Motivating. Once team leaders have allowed time for discussion of the feedback, team leaders should motivate the team members. The team member may be disappointed by the feedback so the team leader should encourage and stimulate them to reach their goals.

Setting a Timeline for Action and Follow-Up. Team leaders need to set a timeframe for action by the team member to check for progress on the behaviour change. Team leaders need to follow up to ensure the team members are making the corrections required.

In every feedback session, there must be a sender and a receiver. When receiving feedback, there are five considerations.

Seeing Each Feedback Session as a Learning Opportunity. Each time feedback is received, the feedback session should be seen as a learning opportunity because ideas are generated on how to improve performance. Whether the idea comes from the receiver or the sender, acting on suggestions usually leads to developing skills and knowledge.

Actively Listening to the Sender's Ideas. Active listening encourages the sender to present their feedback in a non-threatening environment. Active listening on the part of the receiver shows the sender that their feedback is important.

Asking for More Information if the Ideas are Not Understood. When the sender gives feedback and the ideas are not understood, the receiver should ask for more information. By asking questions for clarification, the receiver should be able to understand the sender's intent.

Being Honest About How the Feedback is Affecting One's Emotions. Receiving feedback can make the receiver feel uncomfortable. The receiver should be honest with the sender about how the feedback is affecting them. As the receiver, try not to get emotional or take the feedback personally.

Remaining Open-Minded About Future Learning Opportunities. It is important to be open-mined about future feedback. Senders may follow up on their feedback and may even provide even more feedback. The receiver should be aware of these future learning opportunities.