KO#15: Get Better Feedback
Welcome to the 15th issue of the Knockout Your Sunday Scaries Newsletter, an every-other-week newsletter by me, Kristy Olinger, with a focus on workplace communication and self-development. I’m glad you’re here. Was this forwarded to you? Get yours: Subscribe here
Sunday, September 22nd, 2024
Hi there,
Humans are wired for risk avoidance. This means even the most constructive and helpful feedback from a boss or co-workers can be perceived in our brains as a threat and trigger a defensive, emotional response.
This is why people don’t proactively offer feedback. They fear the other person’s reaction. Even when prompted, colleagues are more likely to focus on the positive aspects of your work than how to improve it.
As someone who thrives on continuous improvement and seeks critical feedback regularly, this has always bothered me. Over time I’ve found a few tricks to get better feedback.
Ask for advice, not feedback. The word feedback is so charged for people. If you instead ask a question like: “What advice do you have about how to improve this deck?” it changes the framing in the other person’s mind.
Seek feedback with great frequency. Anyone who has worked closely with me knows that after a big presentation I’m going to call them to ask how they think it went and we’re going to talk about what would have made it better. Knowing this has made them better prepared to give feedback because they’re looking for the opportunities. It creates a culture of continuous feedback
Be responsive to all feedback. How you respond to feedback is the single biggest factor influencing your ability to get more meaningful feedback in the future. If you’re defensive or reactive, that person will be less likely to give feedback in the future. If you are inquisitive to be sure you understand it and follow up to share how you’ve addressed it, you’re signaling to that person that you’re receptive to feedback and you take it seriously. It’s tricky when you disagree with the feedback… you don’t have to agree with it, but you do need to be responsive it it. watch this video for how to handle feedback you disagree with.
With the above in mind…. can I ask you for some advice about how to improve this newsletter? Complete a quick survey <<<HERE>>> so that this newsletter can deliver what YOU need to banish your Sunday Scaries.
🗒️ SURVEY: What would make this newsletter better? Last issue I shared the below survey, but the link was set up incorrectly. 🤦🏻♀️
Complete the quick survey <<<HERE>>> - I would love to hear your ideas. What do YOU want from a newsletter like this?
Content Round Up - In Case You Missed It
Even if you’re following me on social media, the algorithm may or may not put my post in your feed. Here is what has launched over the last 2 weeks, in case you missed it.
Episode 158: Effective Negotiation, with Fotini Iconomopoulos - PODCAST
Wether you’re involved in high-stakes negotiation regularly, or are just trying to reduce the number of meetings that you have to go to in a work week, this episode will help you to improve your negotiation skills.
Memes in Teams! - VIDEO
Just stumbled across the ability to create memes within Microsoft Teams. In this video I show you where to find this feature. So fun, if not slightly risky. Keep it clean people!
Small Talk Before Meetings - VIDEO
This video has had the highest engagement of anything I’ve done lately. It encourages you to leverage those first few minutes before a meeting starts to get to know your teammates better. This triggered a lot of people - probably because they encounter disingenuous small talk that leaves them feeling icky, so it’s hard for them to see that small talk can be valuable.
You made it to the end! Congrats & thanks. ❤️ Have a great two weeks.
Stay Curious,
Kristy
P.S. Come see me at this Live podcast event in Boston on Oct 19th!
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