The importance of feedback in communication: How to give and receive constructive feedback
Public Relations
Posted 17 Jul 2024
Communication is at the heart of every interpersonal interaction, whether at work, in the family, or with friends. One of the most important components of effective communication is feedback. But why is feedback so crucial, and how can we ensure that it is constructive and genuinely useful? Feedback is particularly significant in everyday professional life to be able to work effectively in the long term. This blog post sheds light on the importance of feedback in communication and provides practical tips on how to give and receive feedback constructively.
Feedback plays a crucial role in personal and professional development. It helps to recognize strengths and improve weaknesses. Without feedback, there is no opportunity to look at your own behavior or performance from a different perspective. It not only promotes learning and growth, but also strengthens relationships by creating trust and openness.
An essential feature of constructive feedback is clarity. Unclear statements such as: “That wasn’t good” are not very helpful. Instead, feedback should be specific and concrete. An example of such feedback would be as follows: “You did a good job of highlighting the most important points in your presentation, but in the conclusion, you could be clearer about what the next steps are.” This makes it clear what the person did right and where there is still room for improvement. This makes it clear what is expected in the future to achieve an optimal result.
It is important to highlight both positive and negative aspects. It should always start with a positive comment, followed by constructive criticism, and then positive aspects should be highlighted again. If you start positively first, the feedback discussion will begin more openly. This leads to the person feeling better and being more open to the interviewer. It is a well-known fact that what is said last is remembered most, so this should also be rounded off on a positive note. This is often called the “sandwich method”. A good example of this method would be: “Your commitment to the project was impressive. One thing you could improve is communication within the team. Overall, however, I am very satisfied with your work!”.
Constructive feedback should focus on specific behaviors or results, not on the person. Criticism of the person can trigger defensive behavior. Instead of saying, “You are always disorganized,” you could say, “I noticed that the last reports were not handed in on time.”.
Accepting feedback requires openness and a willingness to self-reflect. It should be seen as an opportunity for improvement and not as an attack. Clarifying questions can be asked to better understand the feedback and avoid misunderstandings.
It is natural to react emotionally to critical feedback, but it is important to control these emotions. Feedback should always be viewed objectively and not taken too personally. After all, criticism is only given to achieve an optimal working relationship and the best possible work.
Feedback should not only be accepted, but also implemented. It should be shown that you are willing to work on yourself by taking concrete measures and, if necessary, following up after an appropriate period to see if improvements have been made.
Feedback is a powerful tool in communication that, when used correctly, can contribute to personal growth and lead to a better relationship. Giving and receiving constructive feedback requires practice, patience, and a willingness to constantly improve. Giving clear, specific, and balanced feedback can help others reach their full personal potential. Similarly, the ability to accept feedback is a sign of strength and maturity that paves the way for continuous learning and development.
Junior Communication Consultant at HBI Communication Helga Bailey GmbH
Annika Müller has been supporting HBI in the areas of PR and marketing since 2022. As a Junior Communication Consultant, her responsibilities include the creation of professional articles & the conceptualization of social media postings.
Furthermore, Annika is involved in directly assisting our client work.
Image Source: Picture from freepik
