Receiving feedback whether in work or your personal life can be challenging. But, says Beverly Landais, it is essential for growth and the structured ‘be brief – debrief’ method can make it easier.
The ability to learn new skills, maintain perspective, think creatively and make sound decisions are essential to thrive at work and in your personal life. There are four good reasons for this:
– The daily avalanche of information means it is essential to know how to assess what you read critically, absorb helpful information and be able to act upon it more rapidly.
– The world of work is changing fast, with ever-greater automation. To stay relevant and engaged, you need to learn and adapt quickly.
– Life can be busy, stressful and often complicated. The ability to focus energy on what is controllable and take practical steps to manage your wellbeing can improve your zest for living and promote resilience.
– Society, work and even hobbies are becoming more complex. This increasing complexity means that the ability to analyse situations logically and find creative ways to solve problems is a skill everyone needs.
A helpful way to seek self-improvement is to gain honest critical feedback. If you are open to others’ views and ideas, they are more likely to share them with you. Welcoming feedback also encourages people to want to help and support your desire to learn and improve. However, this can be daunting, as it is easy to get trapped into fearing negative comments and imagining the worst. The result is that we often shy away from asking.
Here is a way to structure frank, constructive and straightforward feedback. It takes practice, yet with effort and an open mind, you will see just what a difference it can make to provide timely, practical and useful feedback. It is called the be brief – debrief. It is speedy and specific to the behaviour observed in one particular situation. It is also collaborative and future focused.
Try it for yourself.
1. Agree on the process in advance
By using the ‘Be brief-debrief’ method, you can provide and receive feedback in a structured and constructive way, leading to personal and professional growth. Springing feedback on someone is rarely well received unless it is outright praise. Ensure you agree with an individual or team that you will all use the ‘be brief – debrief’ structure to provide feedback after a specific event/task completion.
2. Share the framework with all those involved
Doing so will ensure they are thinking in advance about what is going well, what might improve, and what might be done differently. Having these in mind will enhance resourcefulness and increase the power of observation. It will also help eliminate the fear factor that creates a mental barrier to giving or receiving feedback. This approach provides psychological safety, improves confidence about opening up to share what is observed, and encourages constructive ideas.
3. The process: be brief – debrief
First, set time aside to conduct the feedback as soon as possible after the task completion/client meeting/other situation. It is a deceptively quick process yet requires the effort to think deeply about the nature and impact of your observations.
Here are the three areas of feedback to share:
– One thing you did that went well.
– One thing that you did that could have gone better – and why.
– One thing to consider doing differently for your benefit in the future.
4. Collaborate to support each other
Remember, this process is not about criticism, but about growth and support. Write down what is said and take a moment to thank the individual providing you with feedback. Make sure you build in some time for self-reflection. Remember to focus on what went well and what might have gone better. Do this deliberately, as the brain’s negativity bias can kick in, resulting in rumination on what didn’t work.
Take a moment to write down the words used to describe your strengths and any suggestions for change that hold appeal. Then, consider these questions:
– How can I leverage my strengths?
– Which of the suggestions can I take forward?
– Who can support me?
– What resources can I tap to help me?
– What’s the first step?
– When will I do this?
Now, you can build from a strong base with confidence that you can act to expand your skill set and tackle any challenge.
5. Action orientated
The process works well as it ends with providing an idea or suggestion for improvement. The person giving the feedback is encouraged to think deeply about what is helpful and valuable rather than just commenting on what they see. Using the “be brief – debrief” can be an energising experience. It works well in pairs as well as with teams. For example, we can use the format to exchange individual feedback and then for collective learning, e.g., ”One thing that we did well’ – and so on.
Conclusion
Next time you find yourself avoiding feedback, remember to be brief and debrief. This approach is simple to remember and easy to adopt. It facilitates clear communication and understanding through constructive prompts. By incorporating this approach into your daily life, you can foster a growth mindset focused on continuous learning and development.
Beverly Landais is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with a senior business background. She works with people and teams to enable them to be at their resourceful best. You can contact her by email at connect@beverlylandais.co.uk or mobile: +44(0)7792 223756.