The secret to giving great feedback | The Way We Work, a TED series

Humans have been coming up with ways to give constructive criticism for centuries, but somehow we're still pretty terrible at it. Cognitive psychologist LeeAnn Renniger shares a scientifically proven method for giving effective feedback.

The Way We Work is a TED original video series where leaders and thinkers offer practical wisdom and insight into how we can adapt and thrive amid changing workplace conventions.

[abdulrahmanomar]

01:58 Micro yes paces the employee for the feedback you are going to give them.
02:40 Leave out the blur words, the don't give a specific feedback about what you need the employee to actually increase or diminish.
03:36 Show the impact of the actions of the employee positive/negative.
03:58 Ask for suggestions and input from the employee to solve the problem.

[AlexandriaRohn]

00:42 Only 26% of employees strongly agree that feedback they receive actually improves their work.
00:55 Either people give feedback that is too indirect & soft. Or, they're too direct and make the other person feel threatened.
02:00 The Micro-Yes. Great feedback givers ask a question that is short but important. It let's the brain know something is coming. e.g. "Do you have 5 minutes to talk about that last conversation?"
02:40 Give Data Point. Be specific & objective about what you saw or heard. Avoid blur words like "you could be more proactive." e.g. Instead of saying, "You're unreliable." Say, "You said you'd give me that email by 11 and I still don't have it."
03:34 Show Impact. Name exactly how that data point affected you. e.g. "Because I didn't get that email, I was blocked on my work." "I liked how you added those stories because it helped me grasped the concepts faster."
03:57 End On A Question. Wrap your feedback with a question. e.g. "How do you see it?" "This is what I'm thinking. What are your thoughts?"

[useful]

Not just at workplace, it could work in any other types of relationships: friend, family member, and your lover. Wonderful video!

[henryurbina]

Thank you for this series. As an HR professional, I share them via our intranet at work. Employees have given great feedback.

[heatherpahl]

What an excellent video! This would be so helpful for nearly every work environment so that employees can feel free to ask for and deliver feedback about their work, bosses, and other employees. Because the video is only 5 minutes in length, people would not have difficulty keeping attention like in a typical onboarding/training video.

[lorenzomanini]

This new serie is just awesome. Really good consideration in every episode here

[siddharthborah]

1. Micro yes, prepare the amygdala
2. Specific feedback, accompany with data points, avoid blur words.
3. Emphasise impact of the data point
4. Get buy-in with a question
5. Seek feedback, pull instead of push

[SharonC]

really love this new series, TED! thank you for always creating high quality, insightful and thought-provoking content! you guys are the best! ❤️

[liyuhh]

I was supposed to give feedback on the online classes so i ended up here:)

[katiecan]

1. The micro-yes
2. Data point
3. Show impact
4. End on a question

[GarrettEderer]

Do you want to talk about how effective I think this video is?
You communicated quickly and I could understand everything you said. Your words were not only auditory, but also I could see them written out with numbers as you went along. All this being said a couple of examples could have helped me put it into real life situations more.
So overall I liked it, but fear I will not be able to remember it or use it that well because of a lack of specific examples where I see two people talking.
What do you think could help people remember this more?

[michaelbrowder]

NO!! The examples of the opening question, if asked of me, would immediately raise my sensors and provoke the kind of brain response, Ms. Renniger wants to avoid. This is particularly true if the person asking the question has a position of power over me. I have been in exactly that situation in jobs before, and it didn't go well. The question is never benign, just appears so, and the response of "No, " cannot freely be given.

[aisahbudimanchannel]

messages and concepts can be conveyed clearly and contextually

[adrianfernandez]

There’s also something called “Critical Friends” feedback which is great for middle and high school students!! It’s easy to understand and is easily applicable. In fact, some ideas from this video overlap!

[samahaljundi-pfaff]

This video should be included in every toolkit, education training!!!!

[marisacalderon]

Short and accurate explanation that could change your entire life! Thanks for share

[prisonss]

I knew I shouldn’t of told the boss to f o

[balto]

Wow! Love how it was broken down. I will be re-watching.

[susieblue]

I love the formula, very helpful thank you!

[AllisonShapira]

So actionable! Thank you for sharing this.