How to give feedback - Speaker Deck

How to give feedback

by Charles-Axel Dein

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How to give feedback Charles-Axel Dein July 2017

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Table of contents 1. Why it's important 2. How to do it 3. Bad examples

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Intro The "T3B3" tool

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T3 = "Top 3" things you do well Reinforcing feedback

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B3 = "Bottom 3" things you can work on Redirecting feedback

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This presentation is applicable to both redirecting and reinforcing feedback

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Part 1. Why It's Important

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Great mentors deliver great feedback

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Being great at delivering feedback helps receiving it

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Part 2. Howto Deliver Feedback

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Here's an example situation Your colleague said the software you just shipped on the connected toaster was "a piece of shitty spaghetti code".

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Let's try without a framework!

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"You make disrespectful comments about code." — Inexperienced Feedback Giver

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How does that make you feel?

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Now, let's review some better ways to share feedback.

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First we'll review the model Then we'll have an example feedback

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Framework 1: Non-Violent Communication's ONFR 1. Observations 2. Feelings 3. Needs 4. Request

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Simplified example: Non- Violent Communication 1. Observation: yesterday you said that my code was "a piece of shitty spaghetti code". 2. Feelings: this made me feel disrespected because I had put a lot of energy in this new feature. 3. Needs: for our team to function well, we need feedback to be shared in a respectful manner. 4. Request: moving forward, can you try to find better words and more actionable feedback?

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Framework 2: Crucial Conversations' STATE 1. State your facts 2. Tell your story 3. Ask for others' paths 4. Talk tentatively 5. Encourage testing

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Simplified example: Crucial Conversation 1. State: yesterday you said that my code was "a piece of shitty spaghetti code". 2. Tell: I can't help but think you want to hurt my feelings with such strong words. 3. Ask: what was your intention with sharing those strong words? "Hold to your belief; merely soften your approach"

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Framework 3: behavioral interview's STAR 1. Situation 2. Task 3. Action 4. Result

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Simplified example: behavioral STAR model 1. Situation: yesterday in the chat room you said that my code was "a piece of shitty spaghetti code". 2. Task: N/A here. 3. Action: I felt disrespected as a result. We need everyone to share feedback respectfully. 4. Outcome: when feedback is shared respectfully, people are more keen acting upon it.

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Part 3. Bad Examples

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Feedback antipatterns 1. The Generalization Attack 2. I'm not talking to you 3. The CIA Antipattern 4. The Sloth Sandbagging 5. The Feedback Sandwich

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All of those are inspired by real examples

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1. The Generalization Attack By far the most common, and the worst

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If only you could be less aggressive when giving feedback on code reviews, it would make discussions easier! — Inexperienced Feedback Giver

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What's wrong about this feedback?

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Avoid generalizations! 1. Use examples (facts). 2. Be specific (situation: where & when?). 3. Talk tentatively, avoid attacks. It's your story.

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How would you re-write it? ❓

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2. I'm not talking to you

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"Our team's code quality has lowered recently." — Inexperienced Feedback Giver

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What's wrong about this feedback?

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Talk to the person 1. Use "you" when sharing feedback. 2. Talk about concrete action your interlocutor did or didn't take. 3. Make it concrete and actionable!

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How would you re-write it? ❓

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3. The CIA Antipattern "Can't Impact Anyway"

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You could have led more projects! — Inexperienced Feedback Giver

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What's wrong about this feedback?

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Don't give feedback about things the individual can't impact E.g. leading a project is mostly dependent on staffing and business priorities

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How would you re-write it? ❓

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4. The Sloth Sandbagging

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You could have done more mentoring! — Inexperienced Feedback Giver

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What's wrong about this feedback?

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We can always do more! 1. Everyone's pretty busy. Focus your feedback on prioritization. 2. Clarify what impact was missed.

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How would you re-write it? ❓

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5. The Feedback Sandwich

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You're such a knowledgeable person! You could mentor me more. But I love working with you! — Inexperienced Feedback Giver

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What's wrong about this feedback? ❓

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Go straight to the feedback! The feedback sandwich introduces cognitive dissonance and make it more difficult for your interlocutor to understand it.

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How would you re-write it? ❓

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Conclusion

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How to train? 1. Focus on positive feedback delivery (5:1 ratio). 2. It's fine to generalize if you can find examples. 3. Do not nitpick!