Feedback: It Ain’t Just Noise! 36th Annual I&R Training and Education Conference Atlanta, Georgia Tuesday - June 3, 2014 John Plonski – Facilitator Director.

Feedback: It Ain’t Just Noise!

36th Annual I&R Training and Education Conference

Atlanta, Georgia Tuesday - June 3, 2014

John Plonski – FacilitatorDirector of Online SupervisorsIMAlive Virtual Crisis Center

[email protected]

Paper-free Workshop

For a workshop specifically addressing staff evaluation feel free to attend Sandra Ray’s Build a Better Mousetrap: Quality Assurance and Call Specialist Performance Evaluation – Wednesday at 9:00am to 10:30 am.

Some Things To Think About As We Go Through This Workshop

The feedback you have received

• Was it welcomed and implemented?

• Was it listened to then ignored?

• Was it regarded as “Oh no – Here we go again”?

Some Things To Think About As We Go Through This Workshop

The feedback you have provided

• Was it welcomed and implemented?

• Was it listened to then ignored?

• Was it regarded as “Oh no – Here we go again”?

• A collaborative process addressing what can be done to improve or maintain a preferred performance standard.

• A process that is information-specific, issue-focused, and based on concrete observation.

• A way of improving our performance, by examining how our behavior affects our ability to help others.

• A clear, focused, timely interaction that facilitates constructive communication.

• It can also be unclear and frustrating and serve as a block to effective communication – noise!

What Is Feedback?

• Those providing feedback see the process as necessary and helpful. Those receiving feedback generally perceive the process in a less positive manner.

• The process frequently becomes one of praise or criticism.

• All to often feedback is general and vague, focused on the person, and based on opinions or feelings.

It is our goal to understand how we can facilitate a feedback paradigm where both parties see it in a positive light.

Where Is the Dissonance?

Some Faces of Feedback

Basic Feedback Tenets

Feedback should:

• Be an agency-wide mindset - The responsibility of everyone in the agency, top to bottom – bottom to top. People should want and be willing to provide feedback.

• Be concrete and specific

• Focus on the behavior or action not the person

• Feedback should focus on strengths

• Use a consistent structure

Feedback As An Agency-wide Mindset

• Let everyone in the agency know they are part of the feedback process.

• Consistently communicate the importance of feedback for the purpose of helping people – and the agency - move in the direction of their vision, goals and mission.

• Foster the understanding that feedback is intended to be positive, not punitive.

Be Concrete and Specific

• Start by identifying the topic or issue that the feedback will be about.

• Provide the specifics of what occurred or was observed, as feedback without specifics becomes praise or criticism.

• The structure should address the person’s strengths, areas to develop and areas to focus on.

Be Concrete and Specific

What feedback would you provide here?

Be Concrete and Specific

Here?

Focus On the Behavior or Action –Not the Person

• Always focus on a specific behavior or action, not on a person or their intentions.

• Describe actions or behavior that the individual can change or modify.

• Address what or how something was done, not why.

Focus On the Behavior or Action –Not the Person.

What feedback would you provide here?

Feedback Should Focus on Strengths

• We can learn from failures but it is our strengths that make that learning and development possible.

• In providing corrective feedback engage the participant in exploring those things they do well with the goal of applying and adapting those skills to the presenting issue.

• People do not respond well to blaming or scolding.

Strengths May Not Be Obvious

Use a Consistent Structure

• Start by identifying the topic or issue that the feedback will be about.

• Provide the specifics of what occurred or was observed, as feedback without specifics becomes praise or criticism.

• The structure should address the person’s strengths, areas to develop and areas to focus on.

When Should We Provide Feedback?

• Feedback should not be a special event. Regular feedback allows addressing potential problems while still manageable and support appropriate actions while still fresh.

• Feedback should be delivered in real-time so the events are fresh in everyone's minds.

• Exception - It can be helpful to allow some time to elapse before providing corrective feedback to permit emotions to abate and an opportunity to organize thoughts.

When Should We Provide Feedback?

• Feedback should not be a special event. Regular feedback allows addressing potential problems while still manageable and support appropriate actions while still fresh.

• Feedback should be delivered in real-time so the events are fresh in everyone's minds.

• Exception - It can be helpful to allow some time to elapse before providing corrective feedback to permit emotions to abate and an opportunity to organize thoughts.

Psst! John? How about “In the

moment feedback”?

• Just as insufficient feedback is not helpful there is such a thing as feedback over-kill.

• Micromanaging through the use of feedback creates a loop that, at best, undermines skill development and, at worst breeds resentment.

• In plain English “Don’t nit pick.”

Maintain a Balance Between Too Little Versus Too Much

• Just as insufficient feedback is not helpful there is such a thing as feedback over-kill.

• Micromanaging through the use of feedback creates a loop that, at best, undermines skill development and, at worst breeds resentment.

• In plain English “Don’t nit pick.”

Maintain a Balance Between Too Little Versus Too Much

• Feedback should be delivered one-on-one. Multiple people providing feedback simultaneously ensures the message will get lost in the cacophony – auditory feedback.

• Do not exaggerate to make a point. Words like "never", "all," and "always" make the person defensive and the process adversarial.

• Feedback presented in a histrionic, exaggerated, or theatrical manner distorts the message turns the process into criticism.

The Way We Deliver Feedback Affects How It Is Received and

Implemented

• Feedback should be delivered one-on-one. Multiple people providing feedback simultaneously ensures the message will get lost in the cacophony – auditory feedback.

• Do not exaggerate to make a point. Words like "never", "all," and "always" make the person defensive and the process adversarial.

• Feedback presented in a histrionic, exaggerated, or theatrical manner distorts the message turns the process into criticism.

The Way We Deliver Feedback Affects How It Is Received and

Implemented

• Don't blame.

• Dwelling on the past is a waste of time. Attention to past failures gives them new life and lingering power.

• Learn to look for what's going well, and why. Find out from your staff how they feel they are doing. What's been successful. What needs to go better?

• Don't answer for your team member. Wait for their response. This technique facilitates joint problem solving.

The Way We Deliver Feedback Affects How It Is Received and

Implemented

• State what was observed, not your interpretation of what was observed.

• Maintain a balance between tact and pragmatism. Your tone should be tactful, but your words need to be direct.

• The person receiving the feedback should summarize what was heard.

• Concisely document provided feedback, as this can be a useful tool for performance evaluations and ensure that other supervisors are aware of the volunteer’s performance should that volunteer work on their shift.

The Way We Deliver Feedback Affects How It Is Received and

Implemented

Let’s listen in on a call then offer some feedback.

Let’s listen in on another call then offer some feedback.

Yada Yada

Yada

I love it when a plan comes together!

Let’s Listen To Feedback Without Noise