What are some best practices for delivering feedback remotely?

Deciding on the right channel is important to get on the same page. I find that using video conferencing or screen-sharing tools facilitates feedback conversations and ensures that nonverbal cues are effectively communicated. I find that if you text or email, people may take your message the wrong way and that could hurt your relationship. Regardless of what channel you chose, being sensitive to where they are coming from is critical to ensuring the feedback is delivered in an empathetic manner.

Deliver feedback in a timely manner, rather than waiting until the end of a project or performance period. No one has any patience to wait a year for a performance review anymore. Also, focus on specific, observable behaviors rather than making generalizations or assumptions, and provide examples to illustrate your points.

Cadence and effective communication are essential if you're going to master the art of feedback. The frequency as well as the format you create when meeting with individuals on your team is extremely important in remote working environments. Employees want to be seen, heard and developed in a balanced way while working from home. This requires continuous feedback that not only equips; but feedback that also encourages and empowers employees to do their best work.

While delivering feedback close to the incident is a good idea, it should not be delivered too quickly. This allows the author of the feedback to take the emotions out and to properly assess all sides. Feedback in whatever form should be done privately and constructively using the tried and true “peanut butter and jelly approach”. Start with the good, smoothly transition to what could be improved, and affirm good behaviors.

Timing is everything when it comes to remote feedback. One of the benefits of in person work is the ability to read full body signals and pick up on someone's energy. This is not nearly as easy remotely. For that reason, it can be hard to tell if someone is open and ready to accept feedback. So, make it simple and ASK! Ask if your team member is in a space to receive feedback and make a 'no' okay. If it's not a good time right now, schedule another time that works for you both.

When giving feedback to younger generations, I find that it's most effective to start with positive recognition first, before you offer constructive criticism. Positive feedback helps motivation, boosts confidence, and shows people you value them. If you just offer criticism, you aren't acknowledging some of the great work that your employee has done and it could come off in the wrong way.

A common myth for managers is to only focus on identifying things that can be done better. Positive feedback is extremely powerful affirmation to help employees learn what is valued hence they will continue reinforce such behavior. There is an anecdote that managers should deliver 7 times more positive feedback than suggested improvement.

When sharing feedback with my team I start by letting them know the positive difference I've seen over the past quarter. I tie these into their five core responsibilities for the role. We start with positive feedback before we address anything that's not working.

My personal experience with the “sandwich method” of giving feedback is that the negative feedback sticks while the positive feedback, particularly the second part of the so-called feedback sandwich, goes unnoticed. So I rather give space and time to process after delivering negative feedback instead of seeing positive feedback not be heard.

The SBI model is a great way to structure your feedback. So why wait to practice it when a negative situation happens? 😉 Start with a positive situation. This will give you the opportunity to practice your delivery method in a low-emotion situation and also has the added benefit of promoting team growth in the process. This will also help when you do have that negative situation. Your team will know that you are willing to deliver good news, and you can use those good examples as a catalyst when delivering your "Impact" piece.

To gather feedback, I ask members of my team quarterly what's working in their position and what's not working. That way I know where things are going well but also where they may need more support from me.

Asking questions and listening are great ways to develop a feedback culture. When an issue arises and needs resolving, I ask my team for their thoughts and how they would handle the situation. Then, I incorporate their feedback into my approach to resolve the problem. By giving them the opportunity to contribute, we're creating a culture of trust and a pattern of providing feedback in all different types of situations.