Giving Feedback Effectively in an Online Environment

When you give feedback to members of your team, do you often view it as a positive process? Or a process that everyone dreads? Have you thought about how feedback has changed now that most interactions are done online?

Feedback is an essential component of an individual’s learning and growth, and none of us can fully develop without it. With that being said, how you give feedback affects people’s morale and confidence, as well as their ability to improve. Giving feedback is a skill, and like all skills, it takes practice to get it right. This instruction will guide and give you tips on how you can give feedback constructively and effectively, in an online environment.

C h e c k  Y o u r  M o t i v e s

The first thing to do, before giving feedback, is to remind yourself why you are doing it. The purpose of giving feedback is to improve the situation or the person’s confidence and ability. Being harsh, critical, or offensive will get you nowhere. Since giving feedback online has its own challenges, such as lack of tone, try to give feedback through voice/video call, rather than a message or email.

Positive Feedback Constructive Feedback Goals

Starting with positive feedback supports the desired behaviour and increases the odds it will occur again.

You can now follow the positive comment/ compliment with your concern; however, never use the word “BUT”. The word ‘but’ gives people the idea that everything that was said prior to the word ‘but’ was not genuine/ important.

Lets test this theory out by reading this sentence out-loud:

“I liked the points you made in the presentation ….but….. adding more images would have made the PowerPoint more engaging”

How would you feel if your manager commented with this?

Slightly customizing the message and using words such as “and” can severely change the impact of your sentence.

“I really enjoyed reflecting on the points you made in the presentation and would have loved to see some engaging images incorporated within the PowerPoint”

How would you feel now? A lot better huh?

Offer goals, checklists, or milestones the receiver can focus on along the way

“I really enjoyed reflecting on the points you made in the presentation and would have loved to see some engaging images incorporated within the PowerPoint. I usually aim to include at least one image every two slides in my PowerPoints.”

You can also follow this up by reiterating their strengths and positive traits while giving them an extra boost of motivation and inspiration

Be Specific & Timely

Feedback isn’t about surprising someone, the sooner you address the issue, the more the person will be expecting it and the better they relate to it. Moreover, tell the person exactly what they need to improve to avoid ambiguity.

Imagine receiving feedback about the presentation you did a month ago. Quite unusual to receive such feedback so late…. Would you even care at this point?

Now imagine being told the presentation was not engaging. What was not engaging? The topic? The language? The PowerPoint? The presenter’s questions?

When being specific, try not to exaggerate to make a point by avoiding words such as “never”, “always”, and “all, as the receiver may get defensive. Discuss the direct impact of the behavior and do not get personal or seek to blame. When being timely, consider if the situation involved is highly emotional, the receiver will be more open to read and listen to your comments if you wait until the situation has calmed down before engaging in feedback.

Use “I” Statements& Criticize Privately

Give feedback from your perspective; this avoids any questionable judgments about their character or motives that may come across as labeling the person. Also, avoid giving constructive feedback in a group call or on a public forum; although public recognition is appreciated, public scrutiny is not.

For instance, if my team was to have a BBB meeting before class yesterday, and John Doe showed up an hour late, instead of criticizing him in the group call, I waited till the next day and messaged him privately saying“I was upset and hurt you showed up late to yesterday’s group meeting”instead of saying “showing up late, yesterday, was insensitive”

Limit the Discussed Issues

One feedback session should discuss no more than two issues as too many issues can overwhelm the receiver make them feel attacked and demoralized. Moreover, focus your feedback on improving the behaviors that can really change or be influenced.

For instance, you cannot give constructive feedback regarding a person’s poor communication skills relating to their lisp.

Feedback is a two-way street. We need to know how to give it effectively and how to receive it constructively.

We must keep reminding ourselves why we are giving feedback and that if done properly, it does not need to be an agonizing, demoralizing, or daunting process; the more practice we get, the better we will become at it.