How to Make a Sandwich

...Techniques for Effective Feedback

Feedback is one of the most important skills when collaborating with others. Giving and receiving feedback with honesty, integrity and empathy is hard. Doing so consistently takes practise and requires learning and practising feedback and listening techniques.

In this session, Dan discusses a number of feedback models and techniques and shows you where and how you can apply them. He explains the infamous and much-misunderstood “sandwich model” of feedback, how it works and why it usually doesn’t, and looks at some of the failure modes of feedback. Are you using feedback to help your colleagues and yourself to grow, or are you using it to coerce and control them? How do you know? And what does any of this have to do with Systems Theory?

After this session you will be better equipped to offer feedback, more resilient when receiving feedback, and maybe more aware of your own motivations for doing so.

Transcript

1. How to Make a Sandwich Dan North @tastapod
2. Part 1: What is feedback?
3. @tastapod Formalised in Systems Theory output Simple system input
4. @tastapod Formalised in Systems Theory input output Dynamic system feedback
5. @tastapod Formalised in Systems Theory input output Dynamic system Delay feedback
6. @tastapod Formalised in Systems Theory input output Dynamic system Delay feedback
7. Adaptive systems rely on feedback
8. @tastapod Reinforcing feedback Accelerating loop - feedback amplifies behaviour - e.g. financial aid, addiction

9. @tastapod Reinforcing feedback Accelerating loop - feedback amplifies behaviour - e.g. financial aid, addiction
 “Shifting the Burden”
10. @tastapod Reinforcing feedback Diminishing loop - feedback suppresses behaviour - e.g. deterrent, resource starvation

11. @tastapod Reinforcing feedback Diminishing loop - feedback suppresses behaviour - e.g. deterrent, resource starvation
 “Tragedy of the Commons”
12. @tastapod Stabilising feedback Balancing loop - feedback tends towards stable goal - e.g. cooperation, upstream inlet

13. @tastapod Stabilising feedback Balancing loop - feedback tends towards stable goal - e.g. cooperation, upstream inlet
 “Limits to Growth”
14. @tastapod Oscillating feedback Thrashing “loop” - feedback flips between states - e.g. shower control, The Beer Game*
 * wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_distribution_game
15. @tastapod Oscillating feedback Thrashing “loop” - feedback flips between states - e.g. shower control, The Beer Game*
 “Boom and Bust” * wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_distribution_game
16. @tastapod Timing is everything
17. @tastapod Timing is everything Small and frequent is better than large and infrequent
18. @tastapod Timing is everything Small and frequent is better than large and infrequent 
 Delay in feedback increases “drift”
19. @tastapod Timing is everything Small and frequent is better than large and infrequent 
 Delay in feedback increases “drift” - reduces system’s responsiveness
20. @tastapod Timing is everything Small and frequent is better than large and infrequent 
 Delay in feedback increases “drift” - reduces system’s responsiveness - limits options
21. @tastapod Timing is everything Small and frequent is better than large and infrequent 
 Delay in feedback increases “drift” - reduces system’s responsiveness - limits options - increases processing effort

22. @tastapod Timing is everything Small and frequent is better than large and infrequent 
 Delay in feedback increases “drift” - reduces system’s responsiveness - limits options - increases processing effort
 This is why Lean Operations prefers small batch size
23. @tastapod Why do we ask for feedback?
24. @tastapod Why do we ask for feedback? - to improve or modify our behaviour

25. @tastapod Why do we ask for feedback? - to improve or modify our behaviour
 - for help when we are stuck

26. @tastapod Why do we ask for feedback? - to improve or modify our behaviour
 - for help when we are stuck
 - for recognition when we think we are doing well
27. @tastapod Why do we offer feedback?
28. @tastapod Why do we offer feedback? - to improve the system of work
29. @tastapod Why do we offer feedback? - to improve the system of work - to model a culture of encouraging feedback
30. @tastapod Why do we offer feedback? - to improve the system of work - to model a culture of encouraging feedback - to control others
31. @tastapod Why do we offer feedback? - to improve the system of work - to model a culture of encouraging feedback - to control others - to demonstrate our superior knowledge
32. @tastapod Feedback is a System
33. @tastapod Feedback is a System Offered or Sought
34. @tastapod Feedback is a System Offered or Sought Heard
35. @tastapod Feedback is a System Offered or Sought Heard Actioned
36. @tastapod Feedback is a System Offered or Sought Heard Actioned
37. Part 2: Delivering feedback
38. @tastapod Feedback should be about behaviour
39. @tastapod Feedback should be about behaviour Feedback is usually heard at a personal level
40. @tastapod Feedback should be about behaviour Feedback is usually heard at a personal level - “Your work is sloppy” heard as “You are a sloppy worker”
41. @tastapod Feedback should be about behaviour Feedback is usually heard at a personal level - “Your work is sloppy” heard as “You are a sloppy worker” 
 How about:
42. @tastapod Feedback should be about behaviour Feedback is usually heard at a personal level - “Your work is sloppy” heard as “You are a sloppy worker” 
 How about: - Your work has been sloppy recently
43. @tastapod Feedback should be about behaviour Feedback is usually heard at a personal level - “Your work is sloppy” heard as “You are a sloppy worker” 
 How about: - Your work has been sloppy recently - On this specific occasion your work was substandard
44. @tastapod Feedback should be about behaviour Feedback is usually heard at a personal level - “Your work is sloppy” heard as “You are a sloppy worker” 
 How about: - Your work has been sloppy recently - On this specific occasion your work was substandard - If you did these things your work quality would improve
45. @tastapod Feedback should be about behaviour Feedback is usually heard at a personal level - “Your work is sloppy” heard as “You are a sloppy worker” 
 How about: - Your work has been sloppy recently - On this specific occasion your work was substandard - If you did these things your work quality would improve - If you did these things it would make me happier
46. @tastapod SBI: a model
47. @tastapod SBI: a model Situation
48. @tastapod SBI: a model Situation Behaviour
49. @tastapod SBI: a model Situation Behaviour Impact
50. @tastapod In the team meeting on Friday SBI: a model Behaviour Impact
51. @tastapod you spoke across me several times In the team meeting on Friday SBI: a model Impact
52. @tastapod so I felt like I wasn’t being allowed to share my opinion with the team you spoke across me several times In the team meeting on Friday SBI: a model
53. @tastapod Sidebar: the Ladder of Inference
54. Part 3: Structuring feedback
55. @tastapod Porpoise feedback
56. @tastapod Porpoise feedback Offer specific positive regard
57. @tastapod Porpoise feedback Offer specific positive regard Assume everything else will self- correct
58. @tastapod Porpoise feedback Offer specific positive regard Assume everything else will self- correct Everything else will self-correct
59. @tastapod Sandwich feedback
60. @tastapod Sandwich feedback Offer specific positive regard
61. @tastapod Sandwich feedback Offer specific positive regard Offer a growing edge
62. @tastapod Sandwich feedback Offer specific positive regard End with general positive regard Offer a growing edge
63. @tastapod “ Atkins” feedback Offer specific positive regard End with general positive regard Offer a growing edge
64. @tastapod “ Atkins” feedback Offer a growing edge
65. Part 5: Receiving feedback
66. @tastapod Say “Thank you”
67. @tastapod There is no step 2 Say “Thank you”
68. Concluding thoughts
69. @tastapod Feedback affects the system
70. @tastapod Feedback affects the system 
 Be honest about your own motives
71. @tastapod Feedback affects the system 
 Be honest about your own motives 
 Practise giving and receiving feedback
72. @tastapod Feedback affects the system 
 Be honest about your own motives 
 Practise giving and receiving feedback 
 Always say “Thank you”
73. @tastapod Thank you