Words that work: delivering constructive feedback
Giving and receiving feedback is a standard part of any job role. The quality of the feedback can make the difference between a team who feel empowered to thrive and individuals whose confidence is shattered based on the words imparted to them through criticism.
As leaders and managers, you have the power to be that difference. By using impactful and constructive feedback and dynamic responses to areas for improvement, you can work with your team towards a consistently positive and sensitively responsive attitude for continuous development.
This article aims to explore some of the ways that constructive feedback can be used for change within your team.
What do we mean by constructive feedback?
We give feedback a lot more than we might think, through daily conversations we have with others and the ways we express our views. For example, talking to your neighbour about a recent experience on a shopping trip, or mentioning to your partner how they might want to think about putting something on the floor before they paint the next fence…
Feedback comes in many shapes and forms, but what makes it valuable within the workplace? In early education and care, our work is constantly changing as the children we care for grow and the practices that govern us evolve daily too. The sector is one where the idea of continuous development is essential to ensuring a sustained quality for children in their early years.
Constructive feedback is defined as being “specific, issue-focused and based on observations” and can range from making corrective comments and affirmations on observed behaviours but also comments about how future performance and be constructed for optimal results. It is important to balance between the positive and negative, past actions and future potentials.
But why is it important?
In early education and care we work towards a unified goal in providing the best quality provision for children in their early years. Just as we observe children to highlight their progress, strengths and areas where they might need extra support, it is also important we ensure colleagues are accessing their own frameworks for growth.
This begins with constructive feedback, realistic targets and a supportive environment in which to feel motivated to excel.
Continuing in our professional development is important for us all, no matter what stage of our career journey we are at, nor how many years’ service we’ve given to the sector. Our backgrounds shape our experiences but what we do moving forwards is in our hands. However, if we don’t know what we are looking at, how are we meant to action change?
Providing genuine feedback that promotes impact
Being supportive
Helpful feedback is feedback that offers a recognition of hard work as well as what has been improved since the time before. Acknowledging efforts and intentions goes a long way when motivating your team. By highlighting improvements and showing a commitment to following up previous conversations, you are saying ‘the feedback I give you matters and I appreciate your hard work in this team.’
This might look like:
“I’ve noticed you’ve really been working on how you implement visual aids in circle time and can already see what an effect it is having on children’s understanding.”
“Those boards look so much better with the neutral tones we discussed last time. The children love to use the self-sign-in station and it’s great to see some of the children who struggle with drop-off transitions getting involved too. You’ve done a brilliant job.”
Being timely in your feedback
When giving feedback, make sure that your insights are based on the actual practice you have seen rather than vague comments. Enrich your feedback with specific examples that support the improvement of smaller details, rather than giving big areas that might produce responses of overwhelm and anxiety. Because of this, feedback needs to be given within a reasonable time of the observation. Whilst notes can be used to jog your memory in the moment, meaningful feedback requires you both to remember what happened! Aim to give your feedback as soon as possible after the observation.
Being timely also means finding an appropriate time in which feedback can be given and received well. Find a time that is not only convenient for both parties but is also a time where stress levels are low and everyone is in the right mindset for a productive conversation to take place.
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Instead of directing the time for feedback, ask your team if the time would be appropriate for them, or if they can offer a time that would be best for them during the day.
- Encourage individuals to contribute without putting them in a position of full responsibility
- Giving feedback aims to support others in learning from their actions for continuous development. For some feedback, it is valuable to highlight the individual’s responsibility in their actions and ask for their own opinions when discussing feedback.
This might look like:
“How did you feel that went?”
“I have some ideas for how we could move forwards, but I’d like to know what your thoughts are too”
Feedback is equally about providing meaningful guidance for improvement and, as a leader or manager, this is a big part of your role in championing your team. Gaining others’ insights is valuable in understanding their current knowledge and strengths but should be balanced with effective and practical solutions too, to ensure that the areas identified for improvement do not fall into being framed as blameworthy and that the responsibility for change is not entirely pushed onto the team.
Conclusion
Giving feedback can really work for the greater good of a whole team when done sensitively, productively and with a unified understanding of the goals ahead. Constructive feedback pulls threads of past observations and actions to highlight strengths in practice whilst suggesting continuous ways to improve practice and negotiate change within early education and care.
It's a privilege to support others to thrive in a passionate workplace. Constructive feedback offers a way to enlighten others in their ongoing practice whilst creating a trustworthy culture in the workplace for everyone to thrive.
