One of the most valuable components of Toastmasters Clubs is the speech evaluation. People come to Toastmasters to become better speakers, so if all they did after a speech was clap and give high-fives to the speaker, he may feel warm and fuzzy but may not improve. In order to make improvements, you need to know where you fell short or what you could have included to make a better speech. If you just want to think you’re wonderful, call your mother or BFF and save yourself a lot of time and trouble.
Some people think roasting the other over the coals or pointing out all the faults without making positive suggestions is the purpose of giving feedback. Insecure or just plain mean people relish the opportunity to tear someone else down since in their twisted mind they think it somehow makes them look better. Not! Giving constructive feedback is an art that can be learned. It is a combination of listening, understanding the person’s intent or outcomes, describing the situation as it is without attacking the person and then giving helpful, constructive suggestions on how to make improvements.
1. Look and Listen. In order to give feedback on a presentation, speech, work assignment or performance, you first have to listen and observe. Without first-hand knowledge, much of what you say will be subjective and may not address the actual performance. Good evaluators know the purpose of a speech and the objectives and base their comments on how well an individual met the criteria. They can do that by matching their observations to the reality. Managers need to pay attention and be observers. They also need to help clarify expectations, goals and deliverables to use as criteria for performance.
2. Examine your motives. Giving feedback is not an opportunity to “bring her down a notch.” If your intention is not to educate, motivate and improve performance, get someone else to hold the session or wait until your attitude is in line. Helping employees improve performance is a mark of an effective manager and can benefit you as well.
3. Keep it job-related. People come in all sizes, colors, backgrounds, temperaments and lifestyles. Suggesting that an employee lose weight or get a better wardrobe may be on your personal list, but is off the mark. More training, work experience or better time management are all related to the job and can be measured and monitored.
4. Make feedback doable. Suggesting to an employee near retirement that he needs to go back to school for several years to get a Masters Degree can be a useless recommendation. Taking a temporary move to another area for a single mother may not be feasible with children in school. Telling a natural introvert to be more aggressive and outspoken may not be possible. Make suggestions that inspire not make an employee feel helpless or defeated before they start.
5. Focus on results. What feedback will get the results you are looking for? If presentation content is weak, suggesting an employee take a course in PowerPoint slide design will waste time and not help improve the meat of the messages. A course on researching a topic or effective writing would address the problem and get a better result. Hit the target for specific improvement.
Do you have other suggestions for improving feedback techniques? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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