Feedback can be an anxiety-producing experience for both the giver and receiver. But it doesn’t have
to be. Here are some tips!

Don’t wait until the end of the year. Yearly performance reviews are becoming a thing of the past. Today’s workforce desires instant feedback and with current technology, feedback can easily become more continuous and spontaneous.

Get creative with your wording. The term “performance review” can be intimidating and can hinder openness. Consider calling it “a check-in, handshake or catch-up” to reduce some of the angst.

Give feedback in person when possible. Face-to-face is the most effective way to have constructive conversations. Employees usually don’t want to have discussions that may involve career planning and compensation online nor on the phone.

Empower your employees. Employees improve through training, not criticism. A good leader empowers employees by sharing a clear vision of the expectations, giving guidance, and then letting the employee work in their own way to make it happen.

Establish trust. Established trust makes it easier for future, possibly more difficult, conversations to be perceived more positively. Show employees that you appreciate their hard work and their potential!

Avoid making personal attacks. Telling someone they were careless will feel like a personal attack. If someone makes a mistake, point it out, teach them the correct way to do it and encourage them to improve going forward.