Digging into Feedback
Let's dive straight into the nitty gritty: I'm willing to bet that most of you can't accurately describe what "Feedback" is. Don't be thinking about radios! Or televisions for that matter... To help repair some of that bruised pride, academics seem to have trouble describing what feedback is as well. I wouldn't be surprised if you were thinking about your boss and the horrifying review you received last year detailing how shitty you were at your job (perhaps it was a poorly veiled attempt for everyone to tell you how much they hate your guts). Or possibly, you were reliving that great moment when you were praised upon the clouds of God and Zeus for the amazing job you did just before getting your promotion. You're thinking, these must be moments where you received negative or positive feedback, right? Wrong.
Newflash! These thoughts or memories flying through your mind aren't feedback. Not even close. These memories are actually opinions, advice, or praise. Which, decidedly, is not feedback.
In a series of explorations, we will analyze just what feedback ACTUALLY is, explain both good and bad examples, discuss the different types of feedback and finally, provide you with tools necessary to start receiving and producing meaningful feedback. I will also strive to equip every single one of you with resources and a deep well of knowledge to call upon so you can teach others about proper feedback. This is my way of helping the world be a better place!
What the hell is 'feedback' anyway?
Fact: Everyone on the planet has experienced some sort of feedback, whether positive of negative during this adventure we call life. Additionally, many folks have experience with neutral feedback, criticism, and any other fancy words an organization might come up with to describe what is essentially the same thing.
A question though: Just what the hell is this stuff we're calling feedback? Providing the textbook definition gives us "information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc., used as a basis for improvement." (Dictionary.com).
Unfortunately for many of you, this definition leaves a very significant amount of room for interpreting what kind of 'information' is useful as a basis for improvement. Most of which, just isn't terribly helpful. Let's simplify the definition with terms that are clear and concise.
feed·back | /ˈfēdˌbak/ | Noun --- Goal oriented, neutral information regarding a reaction to a person or products performance.
Much better, no?
Strangely enough, true feedback is neither positive or negative but simply is. Grant Wiggin stats the essentials of feedback are "goal-referenced; tangible and transparent; actionable; user-friendly (specific and personalized); timely; ongoing; and consistent." (ascd.org)
In a nutshell, Grant is describing great, helpful feedback. It keeps the goal in mind (not always implicit). Stellar feedback is also clear in what the specific reaction was while simultaneously providing concrete evidence for what caused said response. Feedback will also provide a distinct (or tangible) roadmap towards immediately actionable improvements simply because the feedback was actually useful! Additionally, meaningful feedback is given in both a timely and steady manner (not always immediate, mind) while being consistent in both tone and critique. Last but not least, feedback is friendly; taking into account who the audience is and tailoring responses appropriately.
Surprise surprise! Not once does he mention the negative bullshit that most of us are accustomed to in a corporate workplace or venomous relationship.
And! Try this out for size! I've provided an example of true feedback: "I was riveted from the very beginning on this post because of the catchy title and engaging first few paragraphs. After that though, I lost interest because I felt the post became too robotic and not human enough."
Let's break it down. Don't forget our (my) definition and the Essentials of Feedback!
--- First, my feedback is neutral because I didn't tell myself what I did 'good' or 'bad'. There was no 'help' or 'advice' and no one told me what to improve on or do differently or remove from my habit list. I simply told myself the reaction I had to my own post and provided feedback based on that reaction.
--- Second, my own response was goal oriented. The information I provided describes what I did well and roughly where I lost my own interest. I can utilize this feedback to either make my second post better or go back and edit the original post. Either way, I am armed with neutral, goal oriented information that helps me determine where my strengths and weaknesses are.
Let's break this feedback down even further and apply the rest of the essentials.
--- Is the feedback actionable? Fuck yea it is! I know immediately where the problem area was for this reader. For an added bonus, I know what his issue was: I wasn't human enough after the first few paragraphs. Check.
--- Am I being user-friendly? Definitely. I understood exactly what this reader was saying to me and didn't feel overwhelmed by flowery words or a tsunami of shit flinging. Check.
--- Only time will tell if this reader will give constant and consistent feedback so we'll skip these for now. Let's revisit in a few posts to see if this reader keeps his end of the bargain.
Hang in there: Almost done!
Can we have examples of atrocious feedback?
Of course you can! The best part is, this won't take long. An important key component to remember: Atrocious feedback is likely not feedback at all!
After all the information puked on you earlier, you might be scratching your head wondering what an example of atrocious feedback might be. Look no further! Below are some ghastly statements passed off as feedback. Hint: they really aren't.
--- "A+"
--- "We noticed that you don't appear to be performing up to par with our standards and therefore, we feel you aren't doing you job properly."
--- "Too vague"
--- "Great job on this report! Keep it up!"
--- "You missed the fucking ball asswipe! Swing to the left next time!"
--- "Filling out report XYZ is something your peers have acknowledge you don't do very well. Management is expecting to see a significant amount of improvement or else you mind find the pink slip on your desk come next week."
--- "This game sucks. This studio sucks. Your mom sucks! I hate life."
So on and so forth. We've all seen it slash heard it. We've all had encounters with criminal faux feedback. Make no mistake, people may think the above statements are feedback... With a simple reality check, you should realize they aren't. They're great piles of decomposed whale shit that's been rotting in the sun for a few days. And just like that whale shit, these statements aren't helping anyone.
Why are the above examples of atrocious, faux feedback? Ask yourself the essentials: Is the feedback goal - oriented? Some might be, but keep going. Is it actionable? Timely? Consistent? Useful & specific? Friendly? Neutral?
If you answered NO to any of these questions, that should be all the proof you need.
The Future and Practice!
Next time, we'll discuss more examples of good and bad feedback as well as some surprising research regarding feedback that you might not have known. Look forward to it!
For practice, try providing some feedback for this post and any others you read. Keep in mind that not all situations need feedback, especially on the internet. Just this once though, I'll let you practice.
Feel free to share what you've learned about feedback in the comments below! Anything to help others learn more about this elusive communication skill can only be a good thing for humanity!
~ Storyteller
Sources for further reading:
>>> http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept12/vol70/num01/Seven-Keys-to-Effective-Feedback.aspx
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