The easiest way to give feedback

So, you know that thing you do to prepare for job interview questions? The ‘STAR’ framework? Well, it’s the perfect tool to give feedback, and the best bit is, you already know it!

The STAR acronym is for ‘Situation/Task’ – i.e. explain the situation (the what or the context), ‘Action’ – explain what was done and Result – the outcome or what changed.

It’s the perfect way to tell someone what you really like (and really don’t like) about their work and how they work with you. 

When we give feedback we often avoid being specific in an attempt to spare someone’s feelings. The irony is, the general or vague words we use to describe things usually invite the other person to guess what we mean. 

And it’s not just when we’re speaking to people directly, it’s when we’re speaking about people too. Telling your boss ‘Jenny’s been hard to deal with’ is more of an indictment on you and Jenny then saying ‘When I asked Jenny for the file she didn’t respond until the next day which meant we missed the deadline’.

The best way to practice giving specific feedback is to make an effort to give specific positive feedback. Swap the ‘thanks’ and ‘great work’ for something that’s more meaningful and clear. It’s like any muscle, the more you practice it the better you’ll get and the more comfortable you’ll be at giving feedback regularly and in a way that is clear, kind and meaningful.