{"id":36464,"date":"2020-06-18T20:54:07","date_gmt":"2020-06-18T19:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/?p=36464"},"modified":"2020-06-18T20:54:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-18T19:54:07","slug":"make-feedback-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/blog\/make-feedback-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Be bold: How to get feedback and make it work for you"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Asking for feedback is a valuable way to make your mark and get ahead. You can demonstrate to your team that you\u2019re vested in your work output while showing that you care about input and are dedicated to improvement.<\/p>\n<p>The most important part of asking for feedback is simple: do it. It might be intimidating at first, especially if you\u2019re not sure how it will turn out. But it\u2019s worth the effort (and the potentially bruised ego). We\u2019ve narrowed down specific points to help you get the feedback you need, from the right people \u2013 and then make it work for you.<\/p>\n<h2>Why are you asking for feedback?<\/h2>\n<p>At the core of your ask, be intentional about why you want feedback. Being transparent about your goals makes it easier for others to relate to you and share relevant information. Whether you want to get a project across the finish line, improve a process, or get general feedback on your performance \u2013 always have a clear vision of your intent.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve previously outlined\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/blog\/request-feedback-more-often\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">why you need to ask for feedback more often<\/a>, but you\u2019re bound to have your own specific intentions. Knowing why you are asking will help you frame your questions, find the right people, and get helpful responses.<\/p>\n<h2>Who do you need to ask?<\/h2>\n<p>Consider the best person (or people) for the job. Are you looking for a lot of feedback from different people, or are you looking for a single expert? The best person to ask may not be your boss. It could be a colleague or a direct report who has hands-on experience with the topic you want to learn about.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to know about the efficiency of your onboarding process, a recent hire might have more to say than the long-serving VP. Asking the right people means building relationships and giving credit to those with the most relevant experience.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s the best way to connect?<\/h2>\n<p>Your company may have internal policies \u2013 official or implicit \u2013 for getting feedback. Ask around and there may be a simple process in place. If you\u2019re on your own, think about how\u00a0<span style=\"font-style: italic;\">you<\/span>\u00a0would like to be approached for this type of feedback.<\/p>\n<p>Should you email blast your whole team or is a Zoom meeting with a colleague more appropriate? Can you write a quick Slack message, or do you need to get on the phone for a longer conversation? The format you choose will depend on the amount of detail you need and how long it takes to answer your questions. Be respectful of others\u2019 time and consider the most suitable format to reach out.<\/p>\n<h2>What feedback do you really need?<\/h2>\n<p>There are no limitations here, but you want to make sure that the kind of information you get back is what you actually need, so consider this in advance. Do you need to ask multiple open-ended questions, or will a quick response be enough? Explain exactly why you want this person\u2019s feedback and what you\u2019re looking to achieve.<\/p>\n<p>If you go the route of more involved feedback, here are some examples of open-ended questions to get you thinking:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What were your initial impressions of my presentation?<\/li>\n<li>Can you think of any improvements I could implement next time?<\/li>\n<li>Can you describe anything you\u2019d like me to do differently?<\/li>\n<li>How did you feel I completed this new task?<\/li>\n<li>Do you have any specific ideas on what skills I could improve?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What do you do with the feedback?<\/h2>\n<p>Depending on the feedback you get, you may feel uplifted, deflated, or maybe a bit lost. You might feel a bit of all three. Let\u2019s talk about how to respond to different kinds of feedback.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Positive feedback:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com\/campuspress.yale.edu\/dist\/a\/1215\/files\/2018\/05\/Attention-and-the-Negativity-Bias-in-Memory-Formatted-27e1fu8.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Research shows<\/a>\u00a0that humans have a negativity bias tied to our strong desire for social acceptance. We\u2019re much more likely to hold onto negative feedback. This means we have to work extra hard to remember the positive stuff that comes our way. You could create a document to cut and paste your positive feedback or simply take an extra 20 seconds to let the positive feedback sink in. It\u2019s important to take time to appreciate and hold onto the positive notes.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Negative feedback:\u00a0<\/span>Remind yourself that negative feedback is not a reflection on you as a person, but a commentary on your work. What can you learn from the feedback? How can you use it to make improvements and advance your career? When you get negative feedback, take it seriously, but with a grain of salt. People can have a wide range of perspectives on the right way to go, so you can also consider a second opinion. Be willing to challenge yourself, but at the same time, you don\u2019t need to react to every piece of feedback you get.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Unclear feedback:<\/span>\u00a0You might have gotten feedback that doesn\u2019t do the job. If the respondent wasn\u2019t clear about how you can improve, you can always follow up and ask for specifics. This helps ensure that the time the person has already spent sharing their two cents can actually have an impact on you.<\/p>\n<h2>Taking action and following up<\/h2>\n<p>Whether or not you decide to incorporate feedback into your work, be sure to follow up. Thank your co-worker for taking the time to respond to your feedback request. You can also provide specific information on how you plan to apply the feedback to your work (\u201cHey, check out this new version!\u201d). Bonus points if you show how you implemented their ideas (\u201cI tried to incorporate your tips. Was this pitch more engaging?\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, asking for feedback is about getting information you can put into action. You\u2019ll become better at your job, build relationships and trust with your peers, and get a clearer sense of how to advance your career. Don\u2019t be afraid to take that first step: you never know what you might learn or what doors you\u2019ll open by taking this small risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Asking for feedback might be scary at first but it\u2019s worth the effort. Use these pointers to get the feedback you need and make it work for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":6980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feedback"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.small-improvements.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}