FEEDBACK

Feedback is a mechanism, process or signal that is looped back to control a system within itself. Such a loop is called a feedback loop. In systems containing an input and output, feeding back part of the output so as to increase the input is positive feedback (regeneration), feeding back part of the output in such a way as to partially oppose the input is negative feedback (degeneration) - Wikki

Feedbacks are a very important component of our daily lives. And whether we notice it or not we are giving and receiving feedback all the time. It is because of feedback that we are where we are today, whatever improvement occurs is because of one persons creation and others feedback on it. And its not just others feedback that matters there is self-assessing as well and we are reflecting back to our-self all the time. There are all sorts of feedbacks, happy ones, positive, confused, question based (raising or answering), supportive and as i'd like to call them the mother of all creativity - Negative feedback.      

It is important for all of us to UNDERSTAND what feedbacks really are and what affects do they have on our lives. Ones we have understood that, it would become much more easier and effective to share feedback. 

Feedback can change lives

Not only is there a manner for giving feedback there is also a manner of receiving them. In my experience as a training consultant and a facilitator learning from the experts, practical implementation, reading and observing, I have learnt that: 

"Feedback is a GIFT " ... If this concept is understood than this can be a life-changing experience and everyday each time we receive a feedback a whole window of opportunity will open to us. I will always be grateful to my champion facilitators from Africa and UK who taught me this beautiful concept and the art of sharing feedback whether I am on the receiving end or vice-versa. 

Now let us ponder on the statement that feedback is a gift! and to understand that one needs to know what a gift is? Well a gift is something one person gives to the other as a token of love and appreciation, a gift has a lot of value because it shows that the other person went through the trouble of thinking about what gift to choose, from where, how it should be wrapped and presented and so on. Some gifts are hand-made while others are chosen as per occasion and personality from the market, some are especially designed and others are based on the receivers interest, liking and need. However and whatever the gift is like, it shows one person's thoughtfulness about the other person. Now, how is it like to receive a gift? well, many times we invite people and they find it obligatory to bring gifts with them, other times one just feels the urge of presenting the other with a gift. Whatever the situation or cause may be when we receive a gift it mostly makes us happy and we use the gift whatever it may be. In the same manner "Feedback is a gift of words". 

In our daily lives we get up in the morning and look at our-self in the mirror and here comes the first feedback "Man, my hair looks so frizzy, i got to iron them." or "O wow! the humongous pimple is gone from my face, yea!" so on and so forth. Then for example if we have to go to work or college etc we change into a dress, look into the mirror and say, "ooh, i look pretty, this dress actually makes me look thinner." or, "I am dressed for success today, look out world" or "same ol' me! :( " . Those are personal feedbacks, where we are telling ourselves as a person what we like or not-like about us. Moving on during the day at work or school etc people we meet with, in all different capacities, we are continuously engaged in exchanging feedbacks, whether verbal or written. Feedback about our work assignments, our personality, our performance and the list goes on. 


The key lies in understanding how to react to these feedbacks that we are so rapidly receiving from all directions. As a trainer I have observed that the moment one person (in any given circumstances) start giving their feedback to the other, and if that feedback contains any traces of corrective measures than the receiver instantly get in to the defensive mode and starts explaining reasons for whatever caused him/her to do that. This brings us closer to the understanding of 'Feedback being a gift' where when one person gives a gift to the other and the other person says 'thankyou'. Does it ever happen (under normal circumstances) that a person gifts something to the other and the receiver instantly starts to comment about the gift received, I don't think so! We all need to widen our horizons and inculcate in ourselves a sense of acceptance. 

The Right approach

I love the example of a Juicer machine. We all know what this simple device does, we dump in it all sorts of fruits and stuff from one end and receive nice fresh juice from the other free of all peels and seeds and unnecessary things.... The process of accepting feedbacks is almost the same, your present your performance to everyone (individual, group, society etc) and then people (as per their ability and understanding) give their feedback, now if you act like that Juicer what would happen, you will accept all their comments with a big smile and open arms, without any argument and inside yourself you will run that feedback/suggestion/comment in your system, see their pros and cons, measure it with your own scales and objectives and in result to that what would come out would be an improved version of a quality product, better than the last time. When we are able to absorb all that is thrown our way and imagine ourselves as that juicer the results are far more sweeter than imagined. There is no such thing as a good or a bad feedback, feedback is just someones thoughts about your performance so by making the right use of this feedback we can increase the level of improvement and achieve great results. Infact, we should always be thankful to those who give us their precious feedback because they actually took the time out to observe us, then made the effort to come to us and make us aware of what they feel about that particular performance/act/idea etc. 

Now, If we combine whats been said so far and join the dots from the previous conversation and try to sum, this is what we get:

    Performance = feedback = Reaction

Having said all the above there are some moral, ethical and legal values attached to those who are in the position of "giving" feedbacks. One must be mindful of the situation, of the performers efforts and hard-work, of the circumstances and especially the competency and level of maturity in that respective area of performance. It is easy to just raise fingers or point out errors after someone has presented something but if we remain mindful of the impact and consequences of our feedback than hopefully our focus will be to add value to the performance/presentation rather than mere criticism! The choice of words, appropriate body language, presence and position of self and other in the particular place, mode of delivering, timings, value of advice everything should be kept in notice whether the feedback is written or verbal, big or small. It should give a feeling of connection, of understanding one another, of helping, of appreciation, of meeting the needs of one another in a very pleasant and welcoming way. Feedback will have less or no value for the receiver if the above considerations are not kept in mind. Following should prove helpful in context to what's been said so far:


A feedback loop to control human behaviour involves four distinct stages - Thomas Goetz.

• Firstly - Evidence. A behavior must be measured, captured, and data stored. 
• Secondly - Relevance. The information must be relayed to the individual, not in the raw-data form in which it was captured but in a context that makes it emotionally resonant. 
• Thirdly - Consequence. The information must illuminate one or more paths ahead. 
• Fourthly - Action. There must be a clear moment when the individual can re-calibrate a behavior, make a choice, and act. Then that action is measured, and the feedback loop can run once more, every action stimulating new behaviors that inch the individual closer to their goals.

When you have become an 'artist' of giving feedback, both you and the recipient of that verbal feedback can feel like a fantastic gift has just passed from one to the other. We wield a great power in giving the gift of evaluation. Whether helping a child learn to ride a bike, reviewing an employees or evaluating any  presentation, considered feedback is a treasure to give.


Below are some basic features of giving feedback, I read, liked and agreed, hence sharing them with you, hope you find them of use:

Primary Aspects Of Giving Empowering Feedback

1. Listening
   Real communication begins with listening. And complete listening is much more than just hearing the information that comes in our ears. It means using all of our attention, all of our senses and faculties to gather information about what we will be evaluating.Whether you are giving feedback on a speaking presentation, the learning of a new behavior, or a sporting activity, it is vital to gather as much information as possible. We receive and process information primarily through sight, sound, feeling and thinking, so allow all of these to be turned on and tuned in. Begin listening to the words and watching the actions, and from that draw a sense of the meaning being conveyed by both, and to the emotion being delivered. Sense it all, feel every nuance, and savor the transmission of information coming through. This will supply you with a rich database from which you will draw to give your feedback.
   
2. Commendations
   When we give a commendation, we are basically telling someone how well they have done something... we are complimenting them. So once we have 'listened' to them, we then reflect back the strong points the person has exhibited. We act like a mirror.
   Reviewing research on positive reinforcement drives home the point that commendations are certainly the primary and most important part of giving the gift of effective evaluation.
   Research documentation also indicates that it is best to use the magic ratio of 5 parts praise or commendations to 1 part recommendation or constructive feedback.
   In addition, there is an art to the words we speak in giving supportive feedback, in order to maximize their effect. Just as we gather information through our senses and thought processes, we want to deliver our feedback so that it will 'speak' to the recipients senses and thought processes. There is a very clever way to do this by using sensory language and metaphors. Metaphor examples help us understand how this type of communication can speak directly, and often subconsciously, to the listeners information processing systems.
   
3. Recommendations
   Recommendations are offered in order to help the person learn something and add to the effectiveness of their skill, presentation, or desired outcome.
   Some people might think that corrective feedback is the most important aspect in giving a performance evaluation, but as important as it is... research reveals that it really plays a subordinating role. And to be of maximum benefit in this secondary role, the constructive feedback must:
   
   • provide specific focused information... precise
   • let the person know what the undesired affect was on you
   • describe and/or illustrate the new action to produce the preferred affect
   • offer a practice method for them so they can improve
     
4. Summary
   A succinct summary will tie your observations neatly together with a colorful ribbon so your gift can be easily carried away! In just a couple of sentences, list the compliments and the recommendation for improvement. Then offer your congratulations, and your faith that improvement shall be theirs, with a little further application.

"Feedback is a gift. Ideas are the currency of our next success. Let people see you value both feedback and ideas."

-Jim Trinka and Les Wallace

"All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for 

development accorded the individual."
-Albert Einstein