If you are using the simple Feedback Fitness Framework, these eight questions are the most powerful to use in the Warm Up phase. The Warm Up conversation happens separately and before you offer any feedback in the Performance Reviews. The Warm Up conversation is the pre-work you do to set the Performance Review up for success. Think of it as the entree before the main meal. For example, if your Performance Reviews are planned for July, you might like to schedule these conversations for June.
As you can see from my 2023 research, 19.1% of men and 9.2% of women rated themselves as reluctant to receive feedback in the workplace.
1. What do you believe about feedback in general?
2. What is important to you about feedback in general?
3. What do you believe about receiving feedback at work?
4. What do you believe about receiving feedback as part of your Performance Reviews?
5. How do you like to receive feedback at work?
6. How do you know when you have received useful feedback at work?
In your Performance Appraisal, we will be discussing three different types of feedback:
7. Which type of feedback do you find most useful to receive? Acknowledgement, Evaluation or Guidance Feedback?
8. Which type of feedback do you find least useful to receive? Acknowledgement, Evaluation or Guidance Feedback?
A few years ago, I coached a Leader with over thirty years of leadership experience – he said:
‘I have never thought of doing a warm up. I have never asked any of my direct reports about their beliefs about feedback. When it comes to offering feedback, I just assumed everyone liked to receive feedback the way I do.’