Business & Finance Informative Presentation Feedback Assignment

Guidelines for Giving Feedback

You’ll be providing two-three paragraphs per presenter. One paragraph should be about content; the other(s) on delivery aspects.

Criticism for criticism’s sake is not effective feedback. Effective feedback is behavioral, objective, balanced, and constructive. When giving feedback, keep these guidelines in mind:

1. Be behavioral: Describe what the person actually said and did; focus on the specifics of the information presented; pinpoint aspects that enhanced or detracted from the presentation.

Examples:

Ineffective Feedback: “Your delivery was good, but your content was weak.”

Effective Feedback: “You spoke clearly and varied your pitch and rate, which held my interest. You also used gestures to emphasize your points; for example, I liked when you made a fist as you said ‘We must take a strong position . . . .’ in terms of your content, I don’t think that one quote about . . .adequately supported your statement that . . .; I’d suggest you also include . . .”

2. Provide positive reinforcement: Reinforce effective behaviors to ensure they’ll be repeated. If we only hear what we do wrong, we soon believe we do nothing right. As a result, we overcorrect or improve in one area only to downslide in another.

3. Maintain the individual’s self esteem: Adjust your feedback according to the individual’s receptiveness. Adults must keep their egos intact. Begin and end with the positive comments; sandwich the “developmental suggestions” in the middle.

4. Don’t guess at speakers’ motives: Deal with the “ what” not the “ why.” You could probably spend all day providing rationalizations. Such rationalizations, however, don’t change the results. Feedback is future not past oriented: Focus on future improvements, not past inadequacies.

5. Provide alternative positive behaviors: We all want to succeed. Suggestions for how to succeed next time provide us with a plan for future success.

Examples:

Ineffective Feedback: “I couldn’t read your slides.”

Effective Feedback: “I couldn’t read your slides because the font was small and didn’t contrast with the background. Try using 32-point font and a light font on a dark background.”

Guidelines for Receiving Feedback

Feedback means nothing if we don’t both actively and critically listen. When receiving feedback, keep these guidelines in mind:

1. View it as a unique learning experience: Feedback allows us to see ourselves as others see us and to benefit from their perceptions and experiences.

2. Listen with full attention: Focus on what’s being said to you, rather than on what you’re saying to yourself. Not only listen to what’s being said, but also watch for the nonverbal feedback being given. Avoid being defensive.

3. Ask for specific examples: Don’t accept generalities as feedback. Ask questions to ensure you understand the feedback provided.

Example:

Feedback: “I didn’t think you adequately supported your points.”

Response to Feedback: “Can you give me an example of a point I didn’t support and your suggestion for how I could have supported it?”

4. Summarize feedback for clarification: Be sure what you’ve heard is what the speaker said. Practice active listening. Check your understanding of what the speaker has said.

Example: “So you think my strengths are . . . but that I need to work on . . . .”

5. Don’t defend your actions: Easier said than done? DEFINITELY! While we naturally want to defend our actions, doing so usually proves counterproductive. Few of us receive honest feedback because whenever someone tries to give us some, we resist—we defend ourselves or become hostile. Resist the urge to be defensive. Accept the feedback you are given as it’s intended—a critique from a friendly audience to help you improve. You will have the opportunity to evaluate yourself when you watch the recordings of your presentations.

Adapted from: Development Dimensions, Int’l. Training Materials. Pittsburgh, PA

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