Buzz
Feedback is essential for helping employees or students improve their performance. It is not only important but also a requirement in most companies and classrooms. This is particularly true if you manage employees or are responsible for guiding others. With the increasing number of remote workers, providing feedback via email has become more critical than ever. If you oversee employees, you might include feedback in performance reviews. As a teacher, you will frequently need to provide comments to your students.
Steps
Writing Feedback for Employees via Email
Clarify the purpose of the email. You can state the reason in the subject line or within the email body. Typically, it’s best to let the recipient know what to expect from the email right from the subject line.
- For example, write a subject like “Feedback on Project Proposal – Great Start!”
Start with a friendly remark. This lets the recipient know that your feedback is coming from a supportive place rather than a critical one. It increases the likelihood that they will interpret your comments positively.
- For example, write something like, “I hope you’ve had a great week so far!”
Acknowledge the work they’ve done. The recipient has likely put a lot of effort into the work you’re evaluating. Mention this first to show that you recognize their hard work.
- You could say, “Thank you for putting so much effort into this project proposal. Your dedication really shows.”
Begin with positive feedback. Highlighting what the recipient is doing right first softens the impact of any criticism that follows. Be honest, but try to find something positive to focus on, whether it’s their current task or past efforts.
- For instance, say, “This is another compelling proposal. You’ve outlined some excellent goals, and I can see significant progress in your approach.”
Frame negative feedback as advice. While it might be effective to list necessary changes, it can be discouraging for the recipient. Instead, phrase your suggestions as changes you would make.
- For example, write, “I would remove sections 1 and 2 and expand section 3 to include a budget draft,” or “I’d trim the second paragraph but add an evaluation of ongoing projects at the end.”
Explain the reason behind negative feedback. Clearly point out where the issue lies and, if necessary, explain why it’s a problem. If the criticism stems from a deviation from expectations or guidelines, clarify this and provide details on why the change is needed.
- For example, say, “We’re shifting company-wide toward more detailed project proposals, so we’ll need to expand on a few sections. I’ve noted where additional information is required.”
- If commenting on behavior, always provide specific examples. For instance, if addressing unprofessional attire during client meetings, you might say, “Last time we met with a client, you wore flip-flops, and earlier, you had on a casual T-shirt. This type of everyday attire doesn’t reflect the professional image we aim to represent.”
Identify solutions to the problem. Your feedback won’t be helpful without actionable solutions. Depending on the topic, this could include a list of specific fixes or broader goals to work toward.
- Provide examples of how they can address the issue. This works well if you have a specific solution in mind. For instance, say, “For your next presentation, use neutral colors and avoid transition effects. Since clients will be attending, also steer clear of internal jargon.”
- Alternatively, ask questions that encourage them to think of improvements. This is useful for issues with multiple possible solutions. For example, “What steps can you take to enhance the document moving forward?” or “What changes do you plan to implement in your next presentation?”
Highlight potential consequences. Some workplace issues can harm the organization, and employees need to be aware of them. In many cases, there are consequences, such as losing clients or providing poor customer service due to employee oversights. Depending on the situation, there may also be personal repercussions if they fail to improve. Be transparent about these risks.
- For example, explain concerns that the company might lose clients due to paperwork errors.
- Alternatively, let them know they could be removed from the project if they don’t improve their work.
End by offering clarification and support. This is a friendly way to conclude the email, showing the recipient that you’re on their side. It also makes them feel comfortable asking for further explanation if needed.
- Write something like, “Please let me know if you have any questions or need clarification on anything.”
Writing Feedback in Performance Reviews
Set clear objectives for the performance review. Knowing the purpose helps you craft better feedback and ensures employees understand what to expect.
- For example, are you focusing on employee improvement? Are you conducting a company-wide review to determine the most beneficial career development programs? Or is this a quarterly evaluation?
- Communicate these goals to employees when providing feedback. You might say, “The company plans to support career development programs based on employee needs, so I’m conducting performance reviews for everyone.”
Review previous feedback about them. This includes feedback from prior evaluations as well as informal comments shared during check-ins. Assess how they’ve acted on that feedback. Have they used it to improve? Have they ignored it?
- If they’ve acted on previous feedback, this can be highlighted as a positive point in the current review.
- If they’ve disregarded past feedback, you can address both the earlier issue and their lack of initiative in addressing it.
Explain positive feedback with specific examples. Always start with positive comments. Highlight what the employee is doing well and point out any achievements they’ve accomplished. Be honest, but aim to balance positive and negative points.
- Provide examples, such as, “You’ve shown initiative by volunteering to lead the project, and you’ve demonstrated strong leadership skills by collaborating effectively with the team, incorporating suggestions from others, and delegating tasks.”
- Praise actions you want them to continue.
Offer constructive criticism with specific examples. Focus your critique on what benefits the company or aligns with the employee’s work goals. Explain where they’re struggling and why it’s an issue.
- Provide concrete examples. For instance, “In the last three presentations, you omitted the budget draft, delaying the project,” or “The average accounts secured last quarter were six, but you only secured two. This is considered underperformance.”
Set work goals for the next evaluation period. This helps employees know what to focus on and communicates the company’s expectations. It also makes feedback more actionable, as employees understand what you want them to take away from the review.
- Goals should be concise and specific. For example, “The average employee should sell four products daily,” “Employees should improve client communication,” or “Employees must complete leadership skills training.”
- Ensure the next review focuses on these goals, as employees will expect this.
Suggest professional development opportunities. Align these suggestions with the constructive feedback you’ve provided. Depending on resources, this could include knowledge-sharing sessions, training courses, in-house workshops, or life experience exchanges. You can even recommend online courses if resources are limited.
- Be open to adjusting these suggestions after discussing the review with the employee. For example, they might request professional development opportunities you hadn’t considered.
- Consider the employee’s career goals. If they aim for a management role, suggest leadership training. If they’re interested in graphic design, allow them to take relevant courses to apply those skills within the company.
End with encouragement. No matter how positive the performance review is, no one enjoys being reminded of their shortcomings or areas needing improvement. Ending on an encouraging note can motivate employees rather than leaving them feeling pressured or discouraged.
- For example, say, “Last quarter had its challenges, but you handled the workload adjustments well. We appreciate your efforts and look forward to seeing even better results this quarter.”
Encourage feedback from the recipient. This could be verbal feedback after discussing the review with them, or you could provide a feedback form for them to complete. You’ll gather more effective feedback if you allow employees to share their thoughts on the evaluation process and provide input without your presence.
- Ask for their perspective on your feedback. For instance, “If you could improve one thing about how I deliver feedback, what would it be?” or “Was the feedback clear and helpful?”
Providing Feedback to Students
Focus on learning. The purpose of feedback is to help students learn, so provide constructive comments that guide them toward improvement rather than simply criticizing mistakes. Treat it as guidance, not just critique.
- You can provide written feedback on various assignments, including essays, presentations, and projects.
Offer feedback on both content and structure. Both are important, and students need to know how to improve in each area. This is especially crucial if a student excels in one area but struggles in another. For example, a student might have excellent content ideas but still make spelling errors, misuse punctuation, include incomplete paragraphs, or fail to indent properly.
- If commenting on an oral presentation or project, ensure you provide feedback on each component of the assignment.
- For instance, an oral presentation might receive feedback on both content and public speaking skills, while a project could be evaluated on content, creativity, and presentation quality.
Provide specific positive and negative feedback. Comments like “good job,” “great improvement,” or “needs work” don’t tell students what they need to improve or what they’re doing right. For feedback to be effective, students need to know what they did well and what needs attention.
- For example, write, “Your thesis is clear, well-written, and follows the required format. However, your topic sentences need more focus as they don’t connect strongly to the thesis.”
- Suggest, “Your ideas are well-developed, but I’d like you to meet with me for guidance on comma usage and sentence fragments.”
- Include a mix of positive comments and constructive criticism.
Suggest ways to improve rather than correcting errors. You can mark a few errors, but avoid editing the entire paper. Identify the issues you’ve noticed, such as overusing commas, and then suggest skills the student can work on.
- For instance, “You’ve used too many commas in your essay. I recommend reviewing comma rules and how to avoid comma misuse. If you meet with me, we can go over the paragraphs together.”
Set priorities for the next draft or assignment. This gives students specific areas to focus on moving forward. You can prioritize learning goals or the student’s needs, depending on the assignment type.
- For example, say, “Right now, I’d like you to focus on using active voice and avoiding sentence fragments.”
Limit feedback to one section or skill if time is an issue. Focus on current learning goals or the student’s specific needs. Ensure the student knows you’re only evaluating a specific part of their work so they don’t assume the rest is perfect.
- Consider highlighting or marking the section being reviewed.
- Before returning the assignment, let the student know you’re only providing feedback on one part.
- You can also allow students to choose the skill or section they want feedback on.
Avoid overwhelming the student. If there are many errors, don’t try to address them all at once. Providing too much feedback at once can make students feel discouraged. Instead, start with basic corrections or the easiest fixes.
- For example, begin by focusing on sentence fragments and looking up words they don’t know how to spell.
- You can also focus solely on the learning goals the assignment aims to achieve.
Encourage students to keep striving. End on a positive note to motivate them to continue improving. You can reference other progress they’ve made in their work, inspiring them to aim higher.
- For example, write, “After seeing how much your writing has improved this year, I’m confident you’ll excel with these suggestions. I look forward to reading your next essay!”
