Ten Tips To Give Negative Feedback Positively
Negative feedback can be challenging, especially when not given extra care. You risk hurting the receiver and yourself (the giver). Whether or not you are the expert at giving pep talks giving negative feedback positively is a skill anyone can master.
One of the most effective ways to give negative feedback positively is to come from a place of empathy. With empathy, you endeavor to mentally put yourself in the other person's situation and imagine how you will feel. If what you are about to say will cause hurt or cause significant emotional damage to your listener or receiver, you are better off not saying it.
Some people erroneously consider giving negative feedback positively as lying. However, it is possible to be honest yet positive with your negative feedback. So in this blog post, we will go over everything you need to know to help you add more positivity to your negative feedback.
What is negative feedback?
Negative feedback is corrective statements you direct at anyone in hopes of helping them fix errors. It is to guide those involved toward self and professional improvement. In business, it communicates dissatisfaction from employer to employees or from customers to workforce members in an establishment about business process, product, and output.
Why is negative feedback relevant?
Negative feedback is relevant for generating improvement and engendering employee productivity. It is also suitable for maintaining a conducive work environment and stability in the system. In addition, it is relevant for diminishing undesirable outcomes at work. For example, you can use negative feedback to minimize the activities of manipulative people at work to create a more conducive work environment for everyone.
Why should you give negative feedback positively?
Positively giving negative feedback is an act of civility and respect toward the receiver. It also comes from mental stability and maturity toward engendering organizational intelligence and leadership. Here are some advantages of negative feedback, especially when you give it positively:
Benefits of negative feedback
- It improves employee work ethic and increases general productivity in the workplace.
- Advances entrepreneurial procedures, like introducing technology at work.
- Improves customer service and clientele
- Boosts company sales
- Builds a conducive workplace relationship and collaboration.
Now that you know some relevant information about negative feedback and its utility, it is time to learn how to master it. Here is how:
Tips to give negative feedback positively
Consider the timing
Timing is vital when dealing with sensitive issues both for the giver and receiver. Proper timing influences whether or not the receiver accepts your feedback. For example, if you are an employer giving feedback to an employee, you should be mindful not to provide it publicly or before other employees. Similarly, as an employee, making suggestions to your employers like using online paystubs and W-2 forms should be done at the right time when you will secure an audience.
Always approach from a place of genuine care.
Approaching your opportunity to speak and offer advice from a place of genuine care generates more response. People have a remarkable ability to detect insincerity. The goal of your feedback should be the desire to be helpful to the recipient. This way, you will be able to avoid using harsh words that could generate animosity and instead elicit warm reception.
Be direct when you deliver your speech.
It would help to avoid sandwiching—beating about the bush as much as possible. Some people offer negative feedback by lacing it with so many compliments and very little actual feedback. The danger of this approach is that your listener can tell that you are not being honest. Also, even if they cannot discover your dishonesty, you would not have been of any help to them.
Make your comments observational and practical.
It is no use talking about impractical things because they make you appear dishonest, defeating the essence of positively giving negative feedback. As a result, your listener or recipient should be able to see in real-time what you are talking about. This way, they will be better positioned to implement the correction.
Be more attentive
The hallmark of positively giving negative feedback is in your ability to listen after delivering your speech. The reason is that there could be a misunderstanding or scenarios that require an explanation. The point where you listen allows the receiver to give some reasonable explanation. Additionally, they could seek further help and advice because you appear attentive to their plight.
Focus on the situation rather than the individual
Focusing on the situation and excluding the individual makes the case less emotional and personal. Also, this strategy prevents your listener from being defensive and keeps them open to what you have to say.
Explain the relevance of your comment
People are likely to misinterpret comments. As a result, explaining your comment is relevant to avoid awkward situations. In addition, your listener is more likely to implement your suggestion when they understand where you are coming from and why it is essential for them to implement your recommendation.
Make your feedback individualistic.
Positively making negative feedback involves being mindful of your aim and direction. As a result, you will generate more results when you direct your comment to a particular person rather than generalizing. Also, it helps when you understand that every person is different and will relate to your comment according to their difference.
Set goals for your listener
People love to be held accountable and responsible, which is what goal setting does for them. Therefore as you give your negative feedback, an excellent way to spice it up is to challenge the recipient by indirectly or directly setting goals for them. For example, you could have them make a pledge or promise to which you hold them accountable.
Followup
Giving feedback is an act of leadership and responsibility. Therefore, if you deem it necessary to provide negative feedback to a person, you can only add to the positive energy by following up with them. You can frequently call to inquire or set up regular meetings to catch up on their progress with implementing the feedback. Following up is an excellent method for an employer-employee work relationship.
Final Thought
The entire process of giving and receiving feedback is to encourage development and stability in any operational system. However, human beings are emotional, so it becomes imperative to exercise extra care while giving feedback to avoid generating an undesirable outcome.
FAQS: what is the most challenging thing about giving negative feedback to others?
what is the most challenging thing about giving negative feedback to others?
The most challenging thing about giving negative comments to others is considering how the recipient responds or feels about the comment. Usually, the feedback giver thinks that the receiver will develop ill feelings towards the giver.
How is positive and negative feedback different?
Both systems are different from each other because the positive loop seeks to encourage the further development of a desirable outcome. On the other hand, the negative loop aims to discourage the advancement of an undesirable effect, bringing stability to the system.
What is a continuous improvement strategy?
Any workplace policy or process channeling effort toward developing and improving how an establishment operates regularly is an ongoing strategy. It could also involve adjusting or total overhauling the previous process to create a better operational system.
What is negative-positive feedback?
It is a systematic loop geared toward changing the outcome of any situation. When the approach tends toward increasing an outcome, the circle is positive, while a move towards decreasing an effect is a negative loop.
