How to Give Good Feedback at Work to Colleagues (With Examples)

Many business and career professionals don’t know how to give good feedback at work to their colleagues. But here’s something cool: around 60% of these workers want to help their colleagues with feedback. And they can do it in writing and speaking.

If you’re in that group, this blog post will show you simple ways to give empowering feedback to your colleagues.

To that end, Harvard Business Review wanted to know how workers feel about feedback, so they conducted a study. The results were eye-opening! They found that 72% of workers believe they could perform better if their bosses provided more helpful feedback.

While that statistic is thrilling, it confirms that feedback is super important at work. Of course, it helps workers grow, improve, and succeed in their jobs. Therefore, giving good feedback to your colleagues is a skill that makes your work relationships better. 

Read down till the end to learn this skill. 

Why is Feedback Important in the Workplace?

If you work in an office, you might have had experiences that made you doubt the importance of giving and receiving feedback. But let me tell you, feedback is crucial for your growth and improvement and that of your colleagues.

“If that happens, remember that feedback is helpful for you and your colleagues. It can be constructive or destructive. 

Constructive feedback focuses on behaviors and gives suggestions for improvement. Destructive feedback, on the other hand, hurts morale and doesn’t help. In other words, good feedback is critical for every staff development and performance in the workplace. That’s because it shows them their strengths and areas to improve. 

Thus, when workers get feedback regularly and on time, they learn and get better. And that, in turn, makes them more productive and satisfied with their jobs. For example, a team that gets regular feedback can work together better and achieve their goals.

Give good feedback at Work to your Colleagues in 7 steps (with examples)

Indeed, you have countless examples of constructive feedback you can give a colleague. But how to do that is usually the challenge. That’s because there are many things to consider when you decide to provide feedback to colleagues at work. 

Fortunately, the seven steps below will help you master the art of giving positive feedback. It doesn’t matter whether you want to do that through writing or speech. 

Step 1: Prepare for the Feedback Conversation 

Remember, there are vital things to consider when giving positive feedback to your colleagues. But setting your heart for the actual feedback conversation is the first step. And that involves the following: 

A. Gather necessary information and observations 

Before giving feedback, it’s vital to gather information and observations. Essentially, it involves collecting data and concrete evidence to base your feedback on and be considered valid. 

Let’s say your colleague gave a presentation. When giving your feedback, you should mention if it was engaging or confusing. Also, you want to check other things you’re supposed to consider.

That’s because having evidence makes your feedback accurate and helpful. It also makes the conversation more effective and productive. That way, the person receiving the feedback can better understand and act on it.

B. Identify specific examples and evidence to support your feedback 

Also, you must find specific examples and evidence to support your points when giving feedback. You can look for real situations that show what you want to communicate. 

For example, if you’re giving feedback about teamwork, you should mention a project where collaboration among members helped the team succeed. Or you can talk about times when a lack of cooperation between team members caused problems. 

In other words, showing concrete evidence helps you establish fairness and lets the other person(s) understand their actions and how they affect others. 

Guess what? That confirms the relevance of feedback.

C. Consider the recipient’s perspective and emotions 

As part of your efforts to prepare before giving feedback, thinking about how the person might feel is essential. Simply put, it’s putting yourself in their shoes. For instance, if a member of your team makes a mistake, chances are that he/she might feel frustrated or embarrassed. 

Certainly, that knowledge helps you acknowledge their emotions better. And definitely, that is important. It helps create a safe space for conversation and growth. When you consider the perspective of others, the exchange becomes more respectful and constructive. Consequently, you build a better relationship with them.

D. Plan the structure and flow of the feedback conversation

Preparing for the feedback conversion would be incomplete without planning how the conversation should flow. And you may not achieve what you intended to realize with the conversation. 

That’s why you should plan how you will talk when you want to give feedback to your colleague. 

So, you must organize your thoughts and decide the best way to deliver them. For example, you can start with something positive about the other person’s strengths. Then, talk about what they can improve. 

Finally, you should give them steps to grow. That’s why investing considerable time in planning the feedback conversation upfront can help you give explicit and easy-to-understand feedback. Besides, doing that keeps the person engaged and supported during the conversation.

Step 2: Choose the Right Setting 

When giving feedback to your colleague at work, you must pick the right place to talk. That is because the environment matters.

To that with ease, here’s what to consider:

• Create a safe and private environment

Choose a quiet spot where no one can hear you and keep the conversation private. It makes the person feel safe and helps them speak openly.

• Avoid distractions and interruptions

Also, you can reduce distractions by turning off phones and finding a quiet place away from busy areas. Distractions can make feedback less effective.

• Schedule the conversation appropriately

Pick a time when you and your colleague (s) can focus on the talk without rushing or stressing. It helps the person listen better. 

Now, let’s look at an example of choosing the right setting. You can book a meeting room or find a private spot during lunch for effective feedback.

Step 3. Communicate Effectively 

When giving feedback at work, it’s essential to communicate well. Use techniques to make your message clear, helpful, and well-received. That said, here are some vital things to consider if you want to communicate effectively during a feedback conversation:

• Use clear and concise language

You need to be clear and use simple words that everyone can understand for you to give good feedback.

• Focus on specific behaviors and outcomes 

Also, when you’re giving feedback, you should talk about specific things you observed and explain how they affected the situation.

• Provide both positive and constructive feedback

Here, you should point out the good things they did and celebrate their accomplishments. That’s important when you give feedback to your colleague. But more importantly, talk about where they can get better.

• Use the “sandwich” method

When giving feedback, start with something positive, then share constructive feedback, and end with a positive note. And that is what this method is about–sandwiching the negative observation with positive feedback.

• Use active listening techniques

Practicing active listening shows you care during a feedback conversation. Beyond that, it allows you to ask questions that require more than yes/no answers.

Here’s an example: Imagine that you’re to provide feedback on a colleague’s presentation. You can say, 

“Your presentation skills were excellent. You engaged the audience effectively by maintaining eye contact and using clear and concise language. 

However, I noticed a few areas where you could improve, such as incorporating more visual aids to enhance understanding.”

Step 4: Be Respectful and Empathetic 

When giving good feedback at work to colleagues, being respectful and empathetic is critical. It involves considering the recipient’s feelings, using a respectful tone, and avoiding personal attacks. 

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Show empathy and understanding toward the recipient’s feelings
• Use a respectful and non-judgmental tone: 
• Avoid personal attacks or criticism

Here’s an example: If your colleague at work missed a deadline, you can say, “I know you had a lot to do, and it’s hard to manage everything. But meeting deadlines is essential for the team. Let’s talk about ways to prioritize and meet future deadlines.”

Step 5: Encourage Two-Way Communication

Also, it’s vital to encourage two-way communication when giving good feedback at work to colleagues. Interestingly, that’s what this step is about. And it involves creating a dialogue where both parties can openly express their thoughts and perspectives. 

To do that, here are a couple of things you should consider:

• Ask open-ended questions to promote discussion

You can motivate someone to share their ideas by asking questions that need more than a yes or no.

• Encourage the recipient to share their perspective

Definitely, you want to ensure your colleague feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and explaining why they do certain things.

• Listen actively and show genuine interest 

Show that you’re listening by paying full attention, looking at them, and genuinely caring about their answers.

Let’s say you’re giving feedback on a team project. You can ask open questions like, “What do you think of the project’s result?” or “Why did you choose that method?” These questions can help team members share their ideas and make feedback more helpful and cooperative.

Step 6: Set Clear Goals and Expectations 

When giving feedback at work, you must set clear goals and expectations for your colleagues. Especially when as the leader. Often that would mean making a plan to improve and giving the help members of your team need to do well.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Collaborate on setting actionable goals

You can get your colleague(s) together and talk about your team or organization’s goal(s). Together with your colleague (s), you work in making these specific, easy-to-measure, doable, relevant, and timely. That’s what you may call SMART goals!

• Define clear expectations and benchmarks for improvement

Also, together with your team or colleagues, you must establish what success means for you all. And that involves discussing what you want to achieve and expect from each other. 

• Offer support and resources to help the recipient succeed:

Here, you can help your colleague(s) identify resources, training, or mentorship opportunities that help them get better at their jobs. Even as you’ll achieve a common goal in the end.

For instance, if you want to help a colleague become good at serving customers, you can work together on a goal. Let’s say the goal is to reduce response time by 20% in the next three months. You can explain that it means answering customers faster. Beyond that, you can offer this colleague your tools or training to improve her skills.

Step 7: Follow-Up and Support 

Last but not least. Having clear goals and expectations when trying to give good feedback at work is paramount. This helps your colleagues succeed. 

However, here’s what to do:

• Have regular check-ins to see how they’re doing and help them with any problems.
• Offer help and guidance whenever they need it.
• Recognize and celebrate their progress and achievements to motivate them to improve more.

Let’s say you want to help your colleague become good at managing projects. You can have regular meetings with him to review his plans and give advice on what to focus on. Also, you may need to provide feedback on what he’s doing. However, you must quickly recognize your colleague’s progress and thank them for working so hard.

Final thoughts

By now, you already know that feedback can help employees grow personally and professionally while creating a positive environment. Yes, one that allows everyone to learn and improve together. 

In other words, feedback boosts performance and development and builds a positive work culture. That’s because giving effective feedback empowers people, fosters teamwork, and leads to success. 

Are you prepared to shine at work? Appreciate your co-workers’ strengths and offer helpful suggestions through constructive feedback.