Giving & Receiving Feedback
The LAPD recently started blogging (www.lapdblog.org), making it one of the first and biggest police forces in the world to open its doors to any crazy ranter off the street. Well… I guess they always did that… but now you can do your crazy ranting from the comfort of your own living room without the threat of being thrown into a chokehold or tasered.
The site had over 24,000 visitors in its inaugural week, and it is getting good feedback. That’s the whole point, according to Lt. Paul Vernon. “We want to hear feedback,” he says. “We welcome them, however serious or tongue-in-cheek they are.” The force promises that all posts will stay online as long as they aren’t profane and don’t attack specific officers.
This candid give-and-take is refreshing from any organization, particularly a police force, and especially particularly the LAPD.
Sharing feedback is an art and a science, and I have some tips for the LA cops and the LA peeps (and for you, if you ever give and receive feedback).
Giving Feedback
Be clear: Feedback should be specific and simple to understand. Be specific about what the person did or said and why it was effective or ineffective. Do not generalize, exaggerate, or overload people with vague feedback or too much feedback at once.
Focus on behavior: Feedback should be objective and based more on facts than feelings. Base your feedback on observable behaviors and results rather than on hearsay, inferences, or personal traits. You may need to check your perceptions with the person, or with others, to ensure they are accurate. Avoid getting personal, blaming, and using accusatory language like, “You are wrong,” “Why didn’t you think,” or “Your attitude is a problem.”
Focus on the future: Explore and suggest alternative actions, if appropriate. Work together as improvement partners to build on past mistakes and accomplishments, and explore ideas for how to positively impact our goals. Provide an optimistic and energizing view of the future, and provide a challenging yet attainable development plan.
Be sincere: Feedback should be given frequently; still, it should always reflect your honest feelings and be relevant and meaningful. People catch on quickly if your heart and actions do not match your words.
Be professional: Treat people in a fair, honest, and respectful manner. Demonstrate that you are truly interested in helping, not in punishing or embarrassing others. Avoid threatening, biased, or emotional feedback.
Receiving Feedback
Listen openly and actively: Adjust your mind and ego to be receptive to feedback, and to even expect it. View it as a natural tool for your personal growth. Make good eye contact (if you’re blogging, you can make good eye contact with your computer screen, but be careful not to strain your eyes), and ask probing questions to clarify what is being said.
Accept the input: Show respect for the other person’s perspective. Even if you don’t agree with all the feedback, look for valuable insights and ideas you can use.
Put ego aside: Some feedback can trigger a natural, self-preservation mechanism. We feel personally attacked and threatened, and we become defensive. Feedback, in truth, is a mutual effort. We are all in this together, and constant feedback is how we move forward together. Seek to understand the other person’s perspective before justifying your actions or telling your side of the story.
Keep emotions in check: Many feedback discussions can become heated or upsetting. Our reaction often depends on how the other person delivers the feedback. Take deep breaths, relax your body, speak slowly (or type slowly, if blogging), and keep an even tone. Your professionalism will impact the other person, and if necessary, you may give them feedback to improve their skills at giving feedback.
Make improvements: Commit yourself to using feedback for your own benefit rather than resisting or disputing it. Offer ideas and solutions rather than leaving it to the other person.
I hope this bit of communication etiquette helps all you feedbackers, talkbackers, and trackbackers. You don't want to be on the wrong side of the law — or axiom.
