Home Health & Hospice Week

Learn how to get employees to really hear you.

Giving feedback isn’t enough. You want your staff to listen to your guidance — and act on it.

To be an effective leader, your feedback must be constructive — and focus on positive reinforcement, says Ekaterina Walter in a Forbes.com article, “How to Foster Employee Trust And Growth Through Constructive Feedback.” When you deliver “thoughtful and honest feedback,” says Walter, your employees understand that you value their work. Here are some tips to deliver effective, improvement-focused feedback:

• Listen first: Before you begin, let your employee speak about his/her performance. Most people appreciate being heard out first, says Geoffrey James in an Inc.com article, “10 Smart Rules for Giving Negative Feedback.” Focus on creating a two-way conversation, rather than a monologue.

• State your vision: You must clearly communicate what an employee needs to do and why, suggests Walter. There should not be any ambiguity about your employee’s specific role—and how he can achieve success in it.

• Be honest: Be straightforward while delivering feedback, continues Walter. Refrain from “sugar-coating” any negative comments.

• Ask relevant questions: Look for ways to help your employee improve her performance. Ask questions such as, “How could you have done better in this situation?” Incorporate your ideas with those of your employee to make a shared development plan, says James.

• Be credible: To ensure your feedback is credible, you must observe what your employee does and how she goes about doing it, insists Walter. This requires you to spend some time building rapport with your employees.

• Coach necessary behaviors: The key purpose of your feedback is to identify employee skills or behaviors that need coaching. Instead of simply telling a struggling employee what to do and how to do it, prepare a model for successful performance, counsels James. Devise a strategy to help your employee meet future expectations.

• Don’t use email for feedback: At times, you may be tempted to use email to communicate negative feedback. Don’t, advises James. You may wish to avoid confrontation, but a face-to-face discussion is your best bet for ensuring your employee hears — and acts on — your feedback.

• Empathize: While you deliver feedback, be sure your employee feels that you have her best interests at heart. Employees will listen well if they believe you care for them and their career achievements, suggests Walter.

The bottom line: Feedback is neither being nice nor being nasty. Instead, it’s about getting people to listen, adapt, and develop their skills, says Mark Murphy, author of Hundred Percenters: Challenge Your Employees to Give It Their All and They’ll Give You Even More.