One of the hardest things about professional life for many is giving or receiving feedback. Some may be inclined to interpret such critiques as personal attacks, while supervisors or managers may lack the necessary tact and empathy when assessing colleagues. Giving feedback in a way that is properly received and also brings about change is not easy, though, especially when you are working from home. One expert recommends using a simple method to structure it.
Anyone who regularly fails with constructive feedback for colleagues could give the "Start, Stop, Continue" method a try next time, as recommended by entrepreneur, author and podcaster Michael Asshauer.
The expert explains how it works: The feedback session should take place in private, with each person bringing at least one topic for the aspects Start, Stop and Continue for the other person.
It's important that both sides bring at least one topic for each point (start, stop, keep on doing) – even if team members may find it difficult to tell their lead what they should stop doing in the future.
During the session, the participants should follow the rule of "not giving feedback on feedback," says Asshauer. The points raised should not be discussed, the recipient should simply listen and thank the other person for the feedback. The most important thing is to acknowledge the other person's point of view and how they feel, the author explains.
Asshauer recommends setting up a regular one-on-one session between the lead and the team member where the feedback method is used. Such a meeting should last a maximum of 15 minutes and could take place every two weeks, for example.
The expert advises leads to create a note for each team member in the notes app on their smartphone. Start, stop and continue points that are important for day-to-day collaboration can be collected in each note.
