Giving & Receiving Feedback
Most of us like to receive positive feedback about how we are doing in areas that are important to us.
On the other side of the feedback coin, less positive feedback about how well we are not doing, or negative feedback, is usually harder to receive.
Feedback of all types can be helpful as we work towards our goals, be they work or service related, physical, relational, or emotional.
Regular, frequent feedback can help us grow and learn about ourselves, and others, and provides an opportunity to deepen our relationships. How we give and receive feedback can therefore be an important skill to develop.
A recent Harvard Business Review article highlighted some interesting findings about giving and receiving feedback.
This article reported research that found that some types of feedback have limited impact on performance. The article suggests this may be because feedback is not specific enough and suggests that asking for advice can lead to more (i.e. increased quantity) and more specific (i.e. better quality) information.
The authors suggest that the term feedback may have become associated with negative evaluation perhaps from the grades we got at school! Whereas advice is something you get from a friendly source and is therefore more likely to be focused on development or support.
Whatever the reason, framing feedback in a context of support and development and by providing specific feedback (rather than general) can be helpful.
The Church Worker Support Department has developed a Vocational Development Review framework which could be helpful for employing bodies. It outlines a process that can be used to support the ongoing vocational development of employees in a broad range of contexts. You can find it in the LCA portal in the Church Worker Support resources.
If you are interested in finding out more about giving and receiving feedback here are some websites that may be of interest. As always, these are provided for interest only and please use information that is helpful and discard the rest.
Giving and Receiving Feedback (1-Hour Small Group Bible Study)
3 Steps to Generating Honest Feedback from Church Staff and Attenders
Giving and Receiving Feedback: Craig Groeschel Podcasts (a downloadable Leader guide is available)
https://www.life.church/leadershippodcast/giving-and-receiving-feedback-part-1/
https://www.life.church/leadershippodcast/giving-and-receiving-feedback-part-2/#
If you have, or know of, resources that you have found helpful that you’d like to recommend to others please email us at churchworkersupport@lca.org.au and we can share in a future e-news.
