People:feedback/types of feedback

There are three different types of feedback that we, as humans, give and receive. Understanding the purpose of each will help you more clearly ask for and get what you need. Before you jump to that conversation, it's first helpful to create a foundation for how you want to be around feedback.

Set the stage

Whether you have been working with someone for three months or three years, there’s always an opportunity to better understand each other. Take a moment to share and acknowledge each other's styles and preferences and create a meaningful alliance that works both ways.

Have a quick, preliminary conversation to "set the stage" and go through the following questions:

• What type of feedback (see below) is helpful in increasing my self-awareness and growing me -- and what am I seeking from this specific conversation?
• How do I want to hear feedback whether things are going well or there’s room for improvement?
• What are each of our roles and responsibilities in collecting / giving / receiving feedback?
• How do I share feedback up (i.e.: employee to manager)?

Once this information is clear and the giver has had time to gather their thoughts and prepare to give feedback, schedule the conversation or collect the feedback in the agreed upon format (in person, via Work.com, via email, etc.)

3 types of feedback

Type of Feedback	Purpose	Example
Appreciation	To see, acknowledge, connect, motivate, thank	"Wow, I'm so impressed by your expertise and I'm thankful you are on my team."
Coaching	To help receiver expand knowledge, sharpen skill, improve capability	"Since you've expressed interest in being more assertive, here are a few tips for saying 'no' effectively."
Evaluation	To rate or rank against a set of standards, to align expectations, to inform decision making	"You're meeting the standards for your role overall, but your written communication lacks thoughtfulness and empathy - and isn't meeting my expectations."

WE NEED ALL THREE
Each form of feedback - appreciation, coaching, and evaluation - satisfies a different set of human needs. We need evaluation to know where we stand, to set expectations, to feel secure. We need coaching to accelerate learning, to focus our time and energy where it really matters, and to keep our relationships healthy and functioning. And we need appreciation if all the sweat and tears we put into our jobs and our relationships are going to feel worthwhile.¹

¹Stone, Douglas, and Sheila Heen. Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback (Even When it is Off-base, Unfair, Poorly Delivered, and Frankly, You're Not in the Mood). New York: Viking Penguin, 2014. Print.