The Art of Giving and Receiving--Feedback

When people work closely together, there's bound to be friction and irritation. Some people find it difficult to discuss these issues directly. So they hint and hope or simply procrastinate and don't do anything. Then, the irritation can grow out of proportion. Team members' ability to give peer-to-peer feedback-both about the work and the working relationship-is critical to developing a highly productive team. Esther Derby discusses the four parts of feedback conversations-opening, description, impact, and request-so you can say your piece without breaking the peace within your team. There's an exception to every rule, so Esther also explains when not to use all four parts and reveals the words that you should never use when offering feedback, the words that will always derail the conversation. As you practice using scenes from everyday work life to give and receive feedback, discover how you can tease out useful information when someone attempts to give you feedback that is vague or judgmental.