‘Good job!’ might feel satisfying to say, and even better to hear, but for many people, it’s the most feedback they receive day to day. It offers a moment of recognition, but doesn’t provide the insight needed to grow, improve, or feel truly valued. Giving and receiving specific, meaningful feedback can feel daunting, but is a skill that can be learned, practisedand strengthened. 

When good feedback happens, it can be transformative for people and organisations. Rather than kicking feedback down the road and waiting for the annual review, regular open dialogue gives workers the chance to ‘review and edit’ their behaviours in real time. Effective feedback keeps goals in focus and the cameras rolling, ensuring every creative decision aligns with the story we want to tell. 

It’s easy for feedback to feel punitive, sparking fear and defensiveness. But by delivering it with care and empathy, and focusing on the positives as well as the negatives, feedback becomes a supportive act. For most of us, this means reframing our mindset: feedback isn’t about pointing out flaws or finding blame when something goes wrong, it’s about nurturing potential and unlocking creativity. Embedding a feedback culture doesn’t happen in one take, but by consistently applying a few principles, you will be rolling in the right direction.     

• Feedback is for everyone – it should flow up to bosses, as well as down. Create formal and informal opportunities for workers to give feedback upwards.  

• Own your development – empower team members to proactively ask for feedback and share thoughtful insights with others. 

• Lead by example – managers and leaders should role model the behaviours they expect to see. You set the tone that others will follow.  

• Bake it in – integrate feedback into day-to-day processes, but focus on it becoming a meaningful regular practice, not a periodic tick-box exercise.  

• Get people involved – ask for feedback about any new approaches, don’t develop them in isolation. Understand what is working and what needs editing.  

To give feedback that actually lands, you can fine-tune your skills by following a few simple strategies:   

• Act quickly – feedback can be best while the experience is still fresh, not weeks or months later. Use your regular catch-ups to open the dialogue. But if something important comes up, don’t be afraid to schedule a dedicated meeting, it shows that the feedback matters. 

• Focus on factors that the person can control, think about behaviours, not traits. Feedback shouldn’t feel like an attack on someone’s character.  

For example: rather than calling out a personality trait, describe the behaviours you notice. Turn ‘you need to be more charismatic’, into ‘You were on your laptop in that meeting and didn’t really contribute to the discussion. What would be ideal is…’ 

• Be specific and use examples. Focus on what happened, the impact, and ways to do things differently in the future.  

For example: ‘I noticed you were on your laptop in the meeting and didn’t contribute, which could come across as disengagement. Next time you could put the laptop away and focus on the conversation.’    

• Even better than directly telling someone what to do differently, encourage self-reflection. To do this without overloading people, you can use some simple prompts at the end of a task or meeting: 

• What worked well? Encourages recognition of successes and strengths. 

• What is one thing to change next time? Pinpoints a single improvement area for clear next steps. 

• Do you need any help to achieve that? Creates the environment for someone to thrive. 

• Link feedback to shared goals and create a line of sight to the bigger picture. We are all here to create high-quality work to serve our audience. It can be motivating to reinforce how every person plays an important part in achieving these goals [cross reference to other blog] 

 
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but when feedback is timely, specific, and rooted in shared goals, it becomes a catalyst for creativity, collaboration, and continuous improvement. By embedding thoughtful practices and encouraging open dialogue, we can build teams that feel heard and are ready to deliver their best work.