Follow Up on the Feedback You Give: 4 Checkpoints

#1 Plan for Feedback Success Set the expectation that you two will need to follow up at various points to make sure you can support them properly.

#2 Check in within 1-7 days after your original feedback This is to offer encouragement and clarity, but it may only take 5 minutes. You are making sure the other person understands what you are asking and has a chance to ask more questions that will better align them with your goals. Say, you asked someone to check their work more thoroughly.

Now is the time to thank them for the recent conversation and make sure you both are on the same page about what is needed. It is possible that the other person pondered your feedback after your talked to them and has now come up with a solution that is “overkill.” They could be sending each document to a co-worker who is taking up a lot of their own time proofreading. Now is the time to steer this back toward a practical solution.

Ask them how it’s going and anything new they came up with as a result of your conversation. Ask them what questions occurred to them after the feedback conversation, and take the time to explore new solutions from this vantage point. Be patient because more likely than not, there will be questions you didn’t expect and you may need to provide new information or resources.

#3 Ask for a short meeting a few weeks after the original feedback Make it non-threatening. Although you will probably want to schedule it, this meeting is usually an open-door meeting—no big secrets or drama to be expected. Empower them by asking for their opinions on how it’s going, what results they are seeing, and how they fine-tuned their actions since the earlier conversation. Then offer your observations about their progress, starting with any and all positive feedback you can muster. Only then move on to ideas for further improvement. Finally, ask them to give you feedback re: how you can help further.

#4 Have a transition meeting to close out this feedback, celebrate, and move to a new improvement goal (1-3 months later) If all has gone well, give them detailed positive feedback to help them see the best practices they have created and what to continue focusing on. Make sure to praise their great accomplishment in handling feedback well and developing themselves successfully. Discuss with them some new development areas that are high priority for them personally and beneficial to the company.

These 4 follow-up conversations—plus any more you may need—will be the secret to your success with feedback!

Learn More

Read The Feedback Imperative for more information on how to give great feedback!