When you give someone feedback, your intent should be to help them improve. If your feedback is negative and doesn’t offer any solutions, it’s just criticism. And criticism doesn’t work.
People are more likely to be receptive to feedback if it’s constructive and positive. So, when you’re giving feedback, focus on what the person did well, and then offer suggestions for how they can improve.
For example, instead of saying “Your presentation was boring,” you could say “Your presentation was informative, but it could be more engaging if you added some visuals.”
Or, instead of saying “Your code is full of bugs,” you could say “Your code is well-written, but there are a few errors that you could fix to improve its performance.”
When you give positive feedback, you’re not just telling the person that they’re doing a good job. You’re also showing them that you’re invested in their success. And that’s the best way to motivate them to improve.
Here are a few tips for giving positive feedback:
- Be specific. Tell the person exactly what they did well.
- Be sincere. Make sure your feedback is genuine and heartfelt.
- Be timely. Give feedback as soon as possible after the person has done something well.
- Be constructive. Offer suggestions for how the person can improve.