The secret ingredient for growth

Regular, effective feedback is one of the most important ingredients in building constructive relationships and thriving teams.
In this module, you will learn how to use feedback as a continuous learning tool - where openness creates trust and trust creates more openness.

IN THIS LEARNING KIT: 

  1. How to see Feedback as a Gift
  2. How do People React to Feedback?
  3. How to Give Brain Friendly Feedback
  4. Three brain-friendly feedback techniques

  5. Your Tasks

How to see Feedback as a Gift

Feedback isn’t just a ritual of the modern workplace. It’s the means by which organisms, across a variety of life-forms and time periods, have adapted to survive.

Feedback is often mistaken for criticism. In fact, when done properly, it is a mechanism for change and, supports people, teams and organizations to develop and change for the better. For people to develop and perform at their best, it’s important that they provide feedback to each other.

How do people react to feedback?

The Staircase Model is a great framework to help understand the emotions people experience when receiving feedback. 

The idea is to identify where you might stand at any given moment while receiving feedback and to consciously move further up the staircase. Think of the last time you received feedback. Do you remember how it felt? And how you responded to it? Where do you place yourself on the stairs for that specific situation? And check whether you are moving towards (Understand/Change/Remain) or moving away (Deny/Defend/Explain) from change.

The Feedback Stairs

The Feedback Staircase, however, is just a tool for awareness on our emotions, it does not answer why we go through such emotions.

why we FEAR FEEDBACK?


For millions of years, our ancestors had to deal with the daily threat of the possibility to be attacked by enemies. That sense of fear has become deeply ingrained in our DNA, in the section of the brain called amygdala, to be specific. Research has found that this part of your brain starts to alarm every time someone tries to give you feedback.

So the next time when you ask or receive feedback, be aware that there is no life threat, it is not going to kill you, even though it makes you feel like you are in danger. Our brain views negative feedback in a very similar defensive way as when there’s a life threat.

And of course, there are different ways of giving feedback that are more brain-friendly than others.

How to give brain-friendly feedback

 

   1.     Ask = making it ok for people to be critical of you

Taking initiative and asking for feedback is the most powerful way to make feedback less painful and more safe for both parts. When givers ask permission to give explicit feedback; receivers understand the giver’s intent; and both can enjoy more accurate feedback conversations, with fewer perceived threats, and stronger learning together

   2.      SWAP = Allow the receiver to start 

Even with the best intentions, when giving feedback we sometimes forget that the receiver has a certain level of awareness and experience, and has thought about how to improve oneself already. To make sure that your feedback is valuable to the receiver, it is best to first ask him or her to share first: What did the feedback receiver think went well and what did he or she think could be improved. Only after hearing these insights, you provide the feedback that is not yet noticed by the person. Not only is this brain-friendly, but it also allows you to learn from the feedback receiver on top of that! 

   3.      specify = Give clear boundaries for the feedback

Make sure to be explicit on the occasion or behavior you would like to discuss. For example: Ask “Could you please give feedback on my presentation skills?”, instead of “How am I doing?”

   4.      Repeat = Make asking for feedback a habit

For three reasons:
1. In the short term, frequent feedback allows people to course-correct more quickly than sporadic talks.
2. Frequent feedback requests shorten the time between events and feedback, so a colleague’s memory of recent events is fresher and less tainted by bias.
3. Frequent feedback allows us to feel more comfortable with it.

Three brain-friendly feedback techniques

 

Developmental feedback 

Developmental feedback allows both parts to share their views and perspectives based on previous experiences. The person who's receiving the feedback (in this case, you) is the first to speak and share - creating safety for both giver and receiver.
 

Partner up with someone.
Choose a situation in which you want developmental feedback on - it should be a real situation!

  1. You start by giving feedback to yourself
    → What did I do well?
    → What could I improve/do differently?

  2. Partner gives you feedback on the same situation
    → I noticed you did well in..
    → I noticed that you could improve/do differently…

 

Coaching feedback 

Coaching feedback helps people to improve through self-reflective questions. With this approach, the person who's giving feedback acts more like a coach and a listener, guiding the receiver to draw their own insights and conclusions.
 

Partner up with someone.
Choose something specific to receive feedback on - it should be a real situation!

  1. The partner asks you 4 coaching questions:
    → What did you set out to do?
    → What did you actually do?
    → What did you learn?
    → How will you apply your learnings?

 

 Appreciative feedback 

Appreciative feedback helps to give the motivation to bounce in their step and the energy to redouble its efforts. It can be particularly powerful as a way to unite teams and build motivation.

Partner up with someone.
Choose a situation you want to give appreciative feedback on - it should be a real situation!

  1. Congratulate the person on a situation that went well.

  2. Ask: What steps did you take to make this a success?

  3. Ask: What capabilities and competence did you tap into?

Your tasks

Make sure to plan enough time to be able to complete your team feedback session by the end of this week. 

Team Feedback 🏅🏅🏅50 points 🏅🏅🏅

  • Book a timeslot 🗓 with your team to meet for at least 55 min (online or face to face).
  • If you're meeting online, make sure the everyone is completely present, in a quiet space and the camera is on while giving and receiving feedback.
  • Select a lead - The facilitator basically leads the team through the instructions here.
  • The team must run both: I Appreciate and Developmental Feedback techniques presented in the instructions.

Note: Every individual must submit their reflection to Doris in order to collect points. 

Feel free to adapt the exercise to an online context. Try to explore new digital tools that can help collaboration and co-creation on distributed teams (like Google Slides, MS Teams, MS Office (online), Skype, Miro, etc...)

 

 Submit to Doris  

  • When you have completed the task, go back to Doris in Workchat.
  • Doris will help you to submit your work by answering the questions:

What did you learn about yourself during your team feedback session and how did you feel?
Why do you feel that way and what did you learn?
What are you going to do differently given that insight? 

doris-3

LINKS TO READ & WATCH

Here's a round-up of some of key links from this kit. Read and watch them all, or select what you find most relevant to you.

ARTICLE: Calming Your Brain During Conflict

HYPER ISLAND TOOLS:

Feedback: I appreciate...
This is a good early feedback exercise when group members have developed some comfort and are still getting to know each other.

Principles of Effective Feedback
The purpose of this exercise is for a group to discuss, define, and come to agreement around key principles of effective feedback.

Feedback: Start, Stop, Continue
This is an exercise for groups or teams that have worked together for some time and are familiar with giving and receiving feedback.

Hyper Island designs learning experiences that challenge companies and individuals to grow and stay competitive in an increasingly digitized world. With clients such as Google, adidas and IKEA this “Digital Harvard” has been listed by CNN as one of the most innovative schools in the world.