In what feedback the receiver communicates that she has clearly received the message and its intentions?

business, 22.06.2019 15:20

Movers company manufactures sneakers. the production of their new sneaker for the coming three months is budgeted as follows: august 30,000 september 50,000 october 35,000 each sneaker requires 2 hours of direct labor time. direct labor wages average $15 per hour. monthly overhead averages $10 per direct labor hour plus fixed overhead of $4,500. what is the direct labor cost budgeted for september? a.$750,000 b.$625,000 c.$1,500,000 d.$1,400,000 e.$820,000

Answers: 3

"Performance review." Does the mere mention of this event make your heart sink?

Employees and managers the world over dread this ritual and therein lays the main problem: we have institutionalized the giving and receiving of feedback. We save up our comments and document all the things we note about a person's performance. And then, like a big cat ready to pounce, the manager brings a hapless employee into the office and springs a year's worth of "constructive criticism" onto him or her.

No wonder why this process is so unnerving and fear provoking. This is exactly the wrong emotional environment in which to discuss performance, introduce suggestions for improvement, and talk about goals for the future. This is a shame, because giving and receiving feedback is key to engaging your people and keeping them on track.

When done in the right way and with the right intentions, feedback can lead to outstanding performance. Employees have to know what they are doing well and not so well. For them to really hear your thoughts and suggestions on ways to improve, though, that feedback has to be delivered carefully and frequently.

Giving feedback is a skill. And like all skills, it takes practice to get it right. So, in this article and in the video, below, we'll give some tips on how you can give feedback constructively and effectively.

Click here to view a transcript of this video.

We talk generally about feedback between a manager/supervisor and team member. However, feedback can, and should, be given up, down, and sideways. The same principles apply.

Giving Feedback Effectively

Check Your Motives

Before giving feedback, remind yourself why you are doing it. The purpose of giving feedback is to improve the situation or the person's performance. You won't accomplish that by being harsh, critical or offensive.

You'll likely get much more from people when your approach is positive and focused on improvement. That's not to say feedback always has to be good, but it should be fair and balanced. Use tools like the Feedback Matrix and the Losada Ratio to help you get the exact balance right. (Note that the statistics behind the Losada Ratio are in doubt but the principle is not.)

Be Timely

The closer to the event you address the issue, the better. Feedback isn't about surprising someone, so the sooner you do it, the more the person will be expecting it. Think of it this way: it's much easier to provide feedback about a single, one-hour job that hasn't been done properly than it is to do so about a whole year of failed, one-hour jobs.

Take a look at our article How to Deliver On-the-Spot Feedback to help you judge the right time.

If the situation involved is highly emotional, wait until everyone has calmed down before you engage in feedback. The recipient will more likely hear what you're saying, and you'll avoid saying something in the heat of the moment that you regret later.

Make It Regular

Feedback is a process that requires constant attention. When something needs to be said, say it. People then know where they stand all the time and there will be few surprises. Also, problems don't get out of hand. It's not a once-a-year or a once-every-three-month event. Though this may be the timing of formal feedback; informal, simple feedback should be given much more often than this – perhaps every week or even every day, depending on the situation.

With frequent, informal feedback like this, nothing said during formal feedback sessions should be unexpected, surprising or particularly difficult.

Prepare Your Comments

You don't want to read a script, but you do need to be clear about you are going to say. This will help you to stay on track and stick to the issues.

Be Specific

Tell the person exactly what he needs to improve. This ensures that you stick to facts and there is less room for ambiguity.

If you tell someone that she acted unprofessionally, what does that mean exactly? Was she too loud, too friendly, too casual, too flippant or too poorly dressed?

Remember to stick to what you know first hand: you'll quickly find yourself on shaky ground if you start giving feedback based on other people's views.

Try not to exaggerate to make a point. Avoid words like "never", "all," and "always" because the person will likely get defensive. Always discuss the direct impact of the behavior and don't get personal or seek to blame.

Criticize in Private

While public recognition is appreciated, public scrutiny is not.

Establish a safe place to talk where you won't be interrupted or overheard.

Use "I" Statements

Give feedback from your perspective . This way you avoid labeling the person.

Say, "I was angry and hurt when you criticized my report in front of my boss" rather than "You were insensitive yesterday."

Limit Your Focus

A feedback session should discuss no more than two issues. Any more than that and you risk the person feeling attacked and demoralized.

You should also stick to behaviors he can actually change or influence.

Talk About Positives Too

A good rule is to start off with something positive. This helps put the person at ease. It will also allow her to "see" what success looks like and what steps she needs to take next time to get it right.

Try to end on a high note, too. Otherwise, she may be left feeling despondent and worthless.

Many people tend to overdo this and end up sandwiching the constructive feedback between too many positives. Then the takeaway message becomes, "Gee, I'm doing really well," instead of "I'm good at communicating with customers, but I need to bring my interpersonal skills with my co-workers up to that same level."

Provide Specific Suggestions

Make sure you both know what needs to be done to improve the situation. The main message should be that you care and want to help the person grow and develop. Set goals and make plans to monitor and evaluate his progress. Use the SMART acronym and define specific steps and milestones, or the GROW model to motivate him to deliver the change that you want.

You may not agree on everything, so it is a good idea to ask the person to give her perspective. Use phrases like, "What is your reaction to this?" or "Is this a fair representation of what happened?"

Listen actively to what she has to say and try to get her to offer some suggestions for improvement. This way she has an opportunity to own the solution and will be more likely to follow through with it. To avoid sounding like you're preaching, stay away from words like "good," "bad," "must," "need to," etc.

Follow Up

The whole purpose of feedback is to improve performance. You need to measure whether or not that is happening and then make adjustments as you go. Be sure to document your conversations and discuss what is working and what needs to be modified.

It's also important that you actively seek feedback from your boss, colleagues, and customers. See our article on Getting Feedback for more on this.

Key Points

Feedback is a two-way street. You need to know how to give it effectively and how to receive it constructively.

When you make a conscious choice to give and receive feedback on a regular basis you demonstrate that it is a powerful means of personal development and positive change.

Done properly, feedback need not be agonizing, demoralizing or daunting, and the more practice you get the better you will become at it. It may never be your favorite means of communicating with your team members, co-workers or your boss, but it does have the potential to make your workplace a much more productive and harmonious place to be.

Infographic

To see our infographic of a popular feedback tool, the CEDAR™ Feedback Model, click on the image below.

Conveying a message to other people clearly might sound simple, but it's a process that is often fraught with error.

Many people struggle to communicate effectively – verbally and in writing. They impart thoughts and ideas that don't reflect their intended meaning, and that their recipients misinterpret or misunderstand.

This can result in confusion, frustration, wasted effort, and missed opportunities. Communication breaks down, causing collaboration and progress to become impossible.

Research shows that good communication is one of the top "soft" skills that managers look for in employees. But communication will only ever be successful when both the person sending the message and the person receiving it understand the key messages being put across.

In this article and in the video below, we look at how to make your communications foolproof using a seven-step framework known as the Communications Process.

Are you struggling to get your meaning across?

How Do We Communicate?

Did you know that any time that you communicate with another person, you are using the Communications Process (see figure 1, below)?

It stands to reason then that understanding this process will help you to become more aware of what is happening as you communicate, and the things you can do to ensure that your message gets received "loud and clear."

To be an effective communicator, you need to make sure that your messages are clear, concise, accurate, and well planned. This will avoid misunderstanding and ensure that they get through each stage of the Communications Process without a hitch.

Let's take a look at the seven stages of the process in more detail:

1. Source

The "source" is the sender of the message – in other words, you! And the "message" refers to the information and ideas that you want to deliver.

You need to be clear about what message you want to communicate, and why it's important – what's its main purpose? And, moreover, why should anyone care? You also need to be confident that the information that you impart is useful and accurate.

2. Encoding

This stage involves putting your message into a format that you can send, and that the receiver will be able to easily understand or "decode." Your success will depend on your ability to convey information clearly and simply, and to eliminate areas of confusion.

For example, be aware of any cultural mismatch between you and your recipient. Also, avoid making assumptions about the receiver's existing knowledge of the subject. You might know the "ins and outs" of what you're talking about, but he or she probably won't. Lastly, steer clear of gaps in the information that require a "mental leap."

A key part of being a successful encoder is knowing your audience. Failure to understand and respect who it includes will likely result in your message "falling flat," and being misunderstood, dismissed or even ignored.

3. Channel

There are countless different channels that you can use to send your message.

Verbal communications channels include face-to-face meetings, telephone and videoconferencing. While written communications include letters, reports, emails, instant messaging (IM), and social media posts. You might also want to include videos, photos, illustrations, or charts and graphs in your message to emphasize your main points.

Different channels have different strengths and weaknesses. For example, it's not particularly effective to give a long list of directions verbally, and you'll be better off delivering sensitive feedback in person, rather than via email.

So, choose the channel that you use carefully. Our article, Tune Your Communication, can help you to do this.

4. Decoding

Successfully decoding a message is as much a skill as encoding it is. To accurately decode a message, you need to take the time to read through it carefully, or to listen actively to it.

Confusion will most likely occur at this stage of the Communications Process, though that doesn't mean it will always be the decoders fault. He might lack sufficient background knowledge to understand the message, or he might not understand the specific jargon or technical language that you are using. It's therefore essential that you tackle issues like these at the encoding stage.

5. Receiver

No doubt, you'll want your audience members to react in a certain way or take a specific action in response to your message. Remember, though, that each person is different, and will interpret it subjectively.

Every receiver who enters into the Communication Process brings with them their own ideas and feelings that influence their understanding of your message, and their response to it.

That means it's your job, as the sender, to take these ideas and feelings into consideration when drawing up your message. To do this effectively, brush up on your emotional intelligence and empathy skills.

6. Feedback

Your audience will likely give you feedback as soon as it's seen or heard your message. This might include verbal or nonverbal reactions. Pay close attention to these, as they will reveal whether your audience truly understood your message.

If you find that there has been a misunderstanding, try to adapt the message. For instance, if you're talking about a complex subject, find a simpler way to communicate it. Could you break it down into steps, or remove technical jargon? This will make it easier for everyone in your audience to grasp the subject matter, no matter their background knowledge.

7. Context

The "context" is the situation in which you deliver your message. This may include the current political and social environment, or the broader culture (for instance, the corporate culture or the national culture.)

For further tips on how to organize and present your messages clearly and accurately, see our article, The Communication Cycle.

How to Remove Barriers From the Communication Process

Barriers to communication can pop up at any stage of the process. So, to deliver your messages effectively, you must break these down.

Let's begin with the message itself. If your message is too lengthy, disorganized, or is full of jargon or errors, it'll likely be misunderstood and misinterpreted – it might even make your recipient confused or angry! Using poor verbal or body language can also muddle the message that you're trying to send.

Contextual barriers tend to stem from offering too much information, too fast. So, remember that often "less is more." Be mindful of the demands on other people's time, especially given today's ultra-busy society.

Finally, put your message into context. Make sure that you know your audience's culture. This will help you to converse with and to deliver your message to people that have different backgrounds and cultures than you.

The ability to communicate clearly and effectively has become an increasingly sought-after skill in the workplace. Despite this, it's one that many people struggle with.

You can become a more capable communicator by gaining a better understanding of the Communications Process – that is the process we go through each time that we communicate with someone. It includes seven stages:

1. Source.
2. Encoding.
3. Channel.
4. Decoding.
5. Receiver.
6. Feedback.
7. Context.