No Small Parts

Constructive Feedback Activity:

How do you give constructive feedback?

The only thing harder than giving constructive feedback is receiving it. As you’ve read from my stories, I’ve been on both ends of constructive feedback.

So how do you position your criticism in a way that will resonate with the receiver?

Use the BO-FID method:

‘B’ is for Behaviour - Begin by describing the behaviour that led to this feedback: e.g. ‘You are interrupting me constantly’ and avoid using judgmental statements that generalize like ‘you monopolize the conversation’.

 ‘O’ is for 'ownership - Use ‘I’ to own your thoughts or feelings that are being expressed; don’t speak in generalities like “people think you are mean” because this can convolute the validity of the statement

‘F’ is for feelings - In order for this feedback to be impactful, you need to include your real feelings about how the behaviour affected you. Don’t misrepresent or downplay how you feel, or you run the risk of diluting the message you’re communicating.

‘I’ is for immediate - the most effective feedback is often given soon after the behaviour is exhibited, immediately if possible (but later if you need time to cool off before speaking; it’s never a good idea to communicate from a place of anger).

‘D’ is for direct - Don’t involve other people or pass the blame. This is indirect feedback which is far less effective in implementing change.

Focus on how the behaviour made you feel, and communicate those feelings as directly and immediately as you can.

This will help you get the most out of your tough conversations.