How do you use feedback from emergency management experiences to improve your team?

1 Identify the purpose and timing of feedback

Before giving or requesting feedback, you need to be clear about why you want it and when is the best time to deliver it. Feedback can serve different purposes, such as recognition, correction, guidance, or development. Depending on the purpose, you may choose to give feedback immediately after an event, during a debriefing session, or at a later stage. Consider the context, the urgency, and the readiness of the receiver when deciding the timing of feedback.

2 Use a structured and constructive approach

Feedback should be specific, relevant, and actionable. A useful framework to follow is the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) model, which helps you describe what happened, what the person did, and how it affected the outcome or others. For example, you could say, "During the evacuation, you communicated clearly and calmly with the residents, which helped them feel safe and follow the instructions." Avoid vague, personal, or judgmental comments that can trigger defensiveness or resentment.

3 Seek and offer feedback regularly and reciprocally

Feedback should not be a one-way street or a rare occurrence. It should be a normal and frequent part of your team's communication and collaboration. Seek feedback from your peers, supervisors, and stakeholders to learn from their perspectives and improve your own performance. Offer feedback to others to acknowledge their strengths, support their development, and address any issues or concerns. Make feedback a two-way dialogue that invites questions, clarifications, and suggestions.

4 Create a supportive and respectful feedback culture

Feedback can be an incredibly effective tool to improve performance and resilience in emergency management. To make the most of this, it is important to create a culture of trust and learning by setting expectations for your team. This could include agreeing to give and receive feedback with the intention of helping each other improve, being open-minded about different viewpoints, listening actively and expressing appreciation for the feedback given and received. Additionally, it is important to follow up on the feedback by making changes, seeking support, or sharing progress. By using feedback from your experiences, you can enhance your skills, knowledge, and relationships, and prepare for future challenges and opportunities.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?