Action

Emphasis is on their actions, not on your interpretation of it. So you are feeding back what you observed or heard, not on their intentions, their personality or their character. Limit the number of actions you comment on a level they can handle – far better to give feedback on one key action that they can digest and build on to make a difference, than ten things which leaves the message diluted (and invariably leaves them demotivated). Because this is based on fact it is less likely to be challenged.

Action questions to consider:

• – What are you there to discuss?

• – What did you see?

• – What evidence/facts are there for this performance level?

Impact

This can include positive or negative impact on the end result, or on the process itself e.g. the amount of effort needed on their part to achieve the result, or the impact on others, etc. When giving praise it is so easy to say to someone ‘that was really good, well done’ without saying why it was good or what made the difference this time compared with previous occasions.

Impact questions to consider:

• What impact is this performance having on the team?

• – How does this performance effect other departments?

• – How is the customer (internal or external) impacted?

• – What evidence do you have for this?

Do

Remember, the purpose of feedback is to enhance performance and motivate. So this last stage is important to determine what happens next e.g. develop to make it even better next time around, to correct a mistake or to perfect a process. Put the emphasis on what is missing rather than what is wrong – building on strengths or positives is far more likely to engender enthusiasm. Using open questions, ask the individual how they think things can be developed or built upon. This will help to gain buy in and you may be surprised by the options they suggest.

Development questions to consider:

• – What needs to change going forward?

• – What does the goal look like?

• – Are actions SMART?

• – When will you meet again to confirm improvement or review results?

By structuring the conversation this way, feedback is based on observable actions rather than rumour, or opinon and allows the learner to reflect and adjust their practice right away.

For example "I noticed that when you cleared that table, you did not check the window ledge for crumbs so there is still some food debris there. How do you think that will impact the next guest who sits there? ... That's right, they will notice the old food and feel like they are in a dirty restaurant. What do you think you will do differently next time?"

Some Tips For Constructive Feedback

Establish Trust

If you are working with someone regularly and know you will at some point need to give feedback to them, whether as part of your job duties (as a manager or supervisor) or simply due to the nature of your work together (as team members or colleagues), it's important to establish an open, trusting relationship with them. Having a baseline of trust will help set the tone of your future conversations, and will both help you deliver your feedback, and help them accept it and put your suggestions to use. It's very difficult to accept feedback or criticism from someone you do not trust to have your best interests at heart - you want the receiver to truly know that, first and foremost, you recognise their abilities, believe in their potential, and appreciate their work. This means they'll be more likely to view your feedback as constructive, and will further open communication channels to make this kind of exchange even easier and more productive in the future.

Balance the Positive and the Negative

When giving constructive criticism, it's important to make sure you're presenting a balanced perspective, whether your feedback is ultimately positive or negative. This is more obvious when it comes to negative feedback - while you shouldn't have to feel like you must paint a picture that's different from the reality of the situation, especially if you have major concerns about the work or behaviours being discussed, it's helpful to be able to point out some positives in that person's attitude or output. For example, if a specific project doesn't meet your expectations, you could frame the conversation by saying how you've been impressed with the individual's work in the past, which is why you know that this could be improved. Again, you want to be truthful - don't mislead someone into thinking their performance is better than it actually is - but giving someone a few positives to help motivate them can go a long way.

When it comes to positive constructive criticism, you want to make sure that you give the person you're addressing some things to think about or work on, to help them feel like they still have room to grow and surpass expectations. If a piece of work is excellent, simply providing a few suggestions, such as "have you thought about adding in information about X?" or "perhaps this point on Y could be expanded to include some of the details that emerged in last week's meeting," or even giving ideas on ways the project could be built upon in future work, can be very helpful. You should also tell them what it was about the work that was so good - be specific! High-performing individuals tend to like having goals to strive for, so simply telling someone something is great without giving them something new to work towards or what elements they can focus on replicating in the future can be frustrating for them.

Observe, Don't Interpret

Don't assign meaning or intent to someone else's actions until you've had a chance to hear what they have to say. Present issues as things you are observing, and give them the opportunity to explain their perspective.

Be Specific

One of the best ways to give constructive feedback is to focus on specifics. Telling someone that their work needs improvement, but not giving details on what exactly is lacking or how it might be fixed, isn't helpful to anyone - the individual won't know what you're looking for, so they'll be frustrated and you most likely will not get the results you hoped for. Again, bringing in both positives and negatives can be key here. This goes for positive feedback, too: instead of just saying "great job" or "nice work," give a meaningful compliment that shows that you really took the time to observe their work and that you truly appreciate their contribution.

Talk Face-to-Face

Whenever possible, it is almost always better to deliver constructive criticism in face-to-face meetings rather than via email, instant messenger, or phone. All of these technologies, while useful in other situations, are much more open to misinterpretation, because they eliminate important context such as vocal tone, body language, and emotional inflection (such as humor or concern). It's easy to read negativity into a statement that was meant as neutral, or to dismiss the importance of an issue that has serious consequences, when you're not talking in-person. Face-to-face conversations also are more dynamic, as both parties can ask questions and dig deeper into the issues at hand.

Don't Make it Personal

When giving constructive criticism, it's important to remember to distinguish a person from their actions. Focus on the issue at hand, whether it's a pattern or performance on a specific project, without making broader claims about who they are (for example, telling someone that you noticed some errors in a recent report, so they should take the time to proofread their work going forward versus telling them that they lack attention to detail or are a careless writer). If it feels like a personal attack, the individual will be more likely to shut down and lose trust in you than to listen to what you have to say.

Provide Feedback Consistently

Obviously, frequency will vary depending on how much interaction you have with the individual you are giving constructive criticism to, but making feedback a regular part of your conversations and meetings will go a long way. That means that you will both be on the same page in terms of expectations and performance, and that when something more significant comes up performance-wise, you'll be better prepared to deliver the necessary feedback, and they'll be better prepared to receive it.

Be Timely

Don't let days or weeks pass by before you give someone feedback on their work You want the work to be fresh in both their minds and yours, so that the conversation will be relevant and actionable, and any context (such as challenges that came up during the work, what the process looked like, and ideas that emerged for future work) will still be top of mind. Coaching in the moment is always best!

Affinity/similarity bias

People resonate with people that look or behave like them. This bias can be damaging when assessing performance in a coaching scenario because you might be less likely to empathize with colleagues who look or think differently than you do.

Expedience bias

Some aspects of a person’s work are easier to measure than others. For example, you might judge a receptionist by how quickly they can check in a queue of people on a busy night without considering the quality of check ins (Were the members recognised? Was payment information correct? Did they give the guests relevant hotel information). Therefore, it’s important to dig deep to uncover the true quality of a person's work before making judgement.

Recency bias

When monitoring performance over a longer period of time, being bias-free can be a challenge. For example, a new starter might have had a particularly excellent day, which might prompt you to think they are ready to fly solo, but if they have had a rocky week, they may not be as ready as you think they are. Likewise another new starter may have had a difficult day for whatever reasons, but crushed it the rest of the month. That’s why, while coaching must be continuous and in the moment, overall performance assessment must encompass a larger time frame.

Contrast effect

As your team grows and you coach more colleagues, the contrast effect becomes more present. The contrast effect posits that if you coach a superstar and an average employee in rapid succession, that average employee might seem worse than they actually are, in comparison. This form of unconscious bias can hurt team members who may have a hard time discussing their work or opening up to their colleagues.

Halo/horns effect

Humans are complex. All humans have traits seen as negative and positive. And depending on which attributes you notice first, you might be making an unfair judgment on the whole person, even if that assumption isn’t valid. So you might see that a person is coming to work looking disheveled and assume that that person doesn’t care about their job, even if they were just having a bad day — like we all do sometimes.

Employees who are resistant to learn may think one or more of the following:

• “I’m only here because I have to be!”

• “This is stupid!”

• “I already know this.”

• “What can you teach me that I don’t already know?”

• “This doesn’t apply to me.”

• “Can you just print out the PowerPoint and let me read it?”

• “I’ve been burned by bad training before.”

Relevance

Some learners don’t feel like training is directly linked to their job performance. This makes employees feel like training is a box to be ticked or a hurdle to get past, leading to a "let's just get it done" mentality rather than a sense that the training has value.

Punishment

Rather than seeing training as a way to improve performance, some learners see training as a type of punishment. They feel they are being "made" to do training as a punishment for messing up. When training is used as a type of discipline, it’s natural for people to be resistant to it, even if they’re not being disciplined.

Control

High performing employees, particularly those in leadership positions, or with the potential to become a leader, don’t like being forced to do something they view as mandatory, and they like to be in control of the situation. If your learner has these characteristics, it’s going to be difficult to take away the feeling you’re forcing them into training, and there will be a constant struggle for the learner to remain in control of the situation.

Experience

There are a couple of ways a multi-generational team can impact training and lead to resistance among employees. People generally relate to people who are like them so can struggle to be coached by someone who is much older or younger than them. More experienced workers can be resistant to training because there’s the sense their experience is enough. Experienced workers can resist training because they feel insulted if it’s asked of them, particularly if they’re being asked by a younger leader in the company, who they see as inherently less experienced. Employees with very long service can be resistant to change in general and uncomfortable with approaching things differently. Less experienced workers with a lack of wider workplace context can adopt a “know-it-all” attitude or can be unwilling to see themselves as needing training.

Feeling Underappreciated

When people don’t feel like they’re being listened to, or appreciated, they’re not going to want to put in the work required of them for training.

Fear

Fear is a big factor in why people resist change. They may feel they won’t be able to successfully master what’s being asked of them during training, or they may feel uncertain about the possibility of taking on new roles and responsibilities in their job. The fear may also come down to something as simple as being afraid of using the technology required of them during the actual training process.

No Input

Employees want to learn about things they find interesting and relevant. If we fail to ask for feedback or input when it comes to training, that's where resistance and disconnect come into play. If employees don’t feel like they had some say in what they’re learning, it’s difficult to engage and motivate them.

Timing

Timing is everything. We can sometimes make the mistake of asking employees to take part in training on their lunch breaks, or during their free time. This is even worse when we offer little flexibility in how that training is delivered. It’s difficult, no matter how engaged an employee is, to have them complete training in their free time.

Empower Through Input

After you’ve worked to identify the primary reasons your learner is resistant to training, go a step further and ask for their input. Understand what the learner finds valuable, where they feel their skillset is lacking, and what they feel would bring the most value to them in the workplace.

You may feel as if your learner needs more training in one area, but they may totally disagree. Don’t assume you know where training is needed until you’ve opened up the lines of communication and asked for input from your learners. Otherwise, you could end up wasting your time creating training where it’s not needed, and overlooking valuable training opportunities in the meantime

Be Flexible

Learners, particularly those poised for leadership roles or with strong leadership qualities, want to feel as if they’re in control of every aspect of their job, including their training. While they may not be able to dictate every detail of their training, you can provide flexibility in training that will leave learners feeling empowered and in control. When you allow learners to make some of their own decisions, you’re taking away a bit of that mandatory component that makes resistance so common, and you’re instead giving them a sense of independence and autonomy.

Motivate

There are different components of motivation, whether it’s extrinsic or intrinsic, but part of overcoming resistance relies on understanding how to motivate your learners. Some people find the most motivation in competing with others in the workplace, whereas others may feel motivated by a desire to achieve and succeed at their own goals. Regardless of how your learners are motivated, you need to tap into that and speak to their sense of motivation. For example, if you speak with your learners and find they’re motivated most effectively by competition with others, you can include social components in your training. If your learners are motivated by an internal desire to succeed, you can issue certificates of not just completion, but accomplishment after certain levels of training are successfully completed. Additionally, it may become necessary to recalibrate your attempts at motivation. If motivating your learners through competition isn’t working, change your tactics until you find a form of motivation that does work. You can’t always expect that every type of training you utilise is going to work right away.

Respect People's Time

Being respectful of your learners’ time is a simple way to address resistance. This is all about how you structure and create your training materials. When managers or coaches don’t consider their learners from a personal, human perspective when they create training materials, this leads to boring, long, redundant and unnecessary training—so it’s only natural employees become resistant.

• Instead of trying to compile as much information as possible into training sessions, think from a human perspective when you’re creating training.

• Think about how to make the most of the time spent training, keep it as short and concise as possible. If something isn’t absolutely vital, leave it out.

• Keep it conversational and easy to follow.

• Chunk information, which means you’re presenting it in small, manageable segments. No one wants to feel overwhelmed with what seems like a textbook of information, so make your training as streamlined, easy and non-intimidating as possible.

Frequent Feedback

Just like asking for learner feedback is important to overcoming training resistance, so is providing feedback. Don’t be afraid to provide feedback to your learners, both during training and during the day-to-day. Learners need to feel appreciated in order to find value in training, so if they’re doing well, let them know. Give praise whenever possible to encourage training in the future.

Create an Environment of Safe Failure

Often, learners are resistant to training because they’re afraid of failure. Create a training environment where it’s safe to fail, and this will help learners become more empowered and less risk averse. A great way to establish safe failure in training is through the use of scenarios where learners are given the resources to make a decision, and then they choose from the available options. Scenarios are great because they let a learner determine what they would do in a situation, without the potential risks that come from making the “wrong” decision.

Make it Enjoyable

This is such a basic concept, but it’s so overlooked. You want your learners to be more receptive to training? Don’t make it a dreaded chore, but instead make it something they can have fun with. There’s no rule that says effective training has to be dull and miserable, so why make it that way? Try to think outside the box and find creative ways to make your training fun.

Address Individual Differences

One of the common reasons we mentioned above that may make learners resistant can come down simply to individual differences in personality. Keep these differences in mind when you’re designing training. BUT, discrimination or resistance to learn from a particular coach or manager because of a protected characteristic (Think "isms") is an issue that should be dealt with formally, not negotiated around so if you think this is the case, contact the People Team to discuss how to move forward.