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Please Kill the Feedback Sandwich! 2 Effective Frameworks for Giving Great Feedback

Happy performance review season! (said almost no one, ever!)


I know that performance review season often brings up feelings of dread. Mainly because…giving feedback is hard! ( I hear this from clients all the time!) 


Yet, if done well, you can really leverage this time to get super clear on expectations and foster employee growth while building innovative, productive teams.


So, with the goal of having you give great feedback in less than 5 minutes, here’s what I’m covering in this publication:

✅ Guiding principles for giving feedback

✅ 2 feedback frameworks I LOVE… and 1 I hate



4 Guiding Principles for Giving Your Team Great Feedback


Wouldn’t it be great if we could give feedback like this? 🤣




For feedback to truly land and make a tangible impact, here are my 4  guiding principles:


  1. Capture the Moment: provide feedback as close in time to the event as possible. Make sure they are in the best mindset to receive the input, and you’re in the right mindset to give it.


  1. Clear is Kind: it may be hard or uncomfortable, but ultimately, it’s the best course of action. People won’t know they missed the mark if you don’t tell them.


  1. Act for the Future: note what the person can change or repeat in the future. Research shows that feedback, including recommendations of how to behave in the future, is motivating, especially with constructive feedback!


  1. Build the Habit: be intentional about noticing behaviors and prioritize giving feedback. If you don’t make the time, it won’t happen. (Pro-tip: Having trouble getting into the feedback-giving habit? Schedule 15-minute feedback sessions on your calendar or leave time in 1:1 meetings for feedback.)


I’ll talk more about this on my LinkedIn page, so drop in and join the conversation! 



2 Feedback Frameworks the Work and 1 to Avoid


Here are two frameworks I use… and one I avoid at all costs!


 CONTINUE - STOP - START FRAMEWORK

I particularly like this for quarterly performance conversations, 90-day onboarding check-ins, etc.


It’s simple - frame your feedback by addressing these questions:


→ What should the person continue doing?

→ What should the person stop doing?

→ What should the person start doing?



SIS MODEL FRAMEWORK


This model is great for giving feedback in the moment (or soon after a particular action or event.) It’s quick, clear and can be used for positive and constructive feedback. It’s also adaptable to being more collaborative or directive based on the recipient’s needs.


→ Specific Action: “When [describe action] happened”

→ Impact: “The impact was [describe effect on others]”

→ Suggestion or Idea 

“I like [positive behavior]”

“Can we discuss ways [to change behavior]” 

“Next time, I recommend [describe new behavior]”


Here’s what it looks like in practice:

→ “When you spoke up in this morning’s strategy meeting (specific action), it helped the group gain clarity on the supply chain issue (impact). I like that you’re speaking up and asking great questions! (suggestion). 

→ “I noticed the last two weeks your weekly update was late. (specific action) It’s delaying the group’s progress because the integration team’s work depends on those updates. (impact). Can we discuss ways to get your updates by the deadline? (suggestion/idea)



THE FEEDBACK SANDWICH FRAMEWORK IS STALE!


You know the framework…

→ positive comment

→ improvement areas/constructive feedback

→ positive close 


Here’s why you should toss it out of your practice:


  1. Muddies the message about the improvement needed. The mixed messages can leave the recipient wondering, “So, did I do a good job or not?” 

  2. Weakens the impact of praising positive performance.  Nothing someone says before the word “but” really counts, so your positive comments are often disregarded. And when you’re giving positive feedback, the recipient is often left waiting for the “but”.

  3. Damages trust in your relationship. Was the positive really sincere? Why weren’t they more clear that the area of improvement was so serious?



Learning how to give feedback effectively fosters a constructive, transparent, and timely culture of feedback that supports employee engagement and drives productivity.

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Image by Bethany Legg

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