This post on feedback is a continuation to yesterday’s post.
On a couple of occasions I took the opportunity after the meetings to have one-on-one meetings with each person that attended the meeting. Prior to each one-on-one meeting, I sent out a list questions that I wanted to discuss with the person. In those one-on-one meetings I would discuss some of the following questions:
- Do you have questions lingering from the meeting? If so, what are they?
- How are the changes effecting you personally?
- What challenges have you seen with the changes?
- How do you think the meeting was run?
- What improvements could be made to run the meetings more efficiently?
- How can I be a better leader for you so that all your questions are answered?
- Is there anything that I am doing as your leader that you feel I could improve upon to better help you and the other team members?
General Overall Feedback
If you are seeking general overall feedback, you should take an approach that would provide a higher level of feedback. When I held the group meetings I received general feedback on processes and products. This feedback was valuable because it helped improve how things were being done on an overall process level. If you are seeking high level feedback, in addition to the group meetings you could also do anonymous emails or surveys, a blind vote, etc.
Specific Feedback
When I wanted feedback on a detailed level, the one-on-one setting was best. Each person felt like they had more of a voice in the one-on-one setting compared with the group setting. Each person was much more willing to be more vocal on how they felt and provide more feedback. Individually they told me more about how they really felt.
As a general note, people were much less likely to open up fully in a group setting because it made them feel more vulnerable whereas in the one-on-one setting, once I gained each person’s trust, they spoke freely about what was on their mind. To gain trust, I helped each person know that what they told me would not make them vulnerable and that it would only be used to improve my leadership for them and the overall processes in place.
Other Types Of Feedback
In addition to the group and one-on-one meetings, I have also seen people send out surveys, hold votes, or do other methods to obtain feedback. Each method can be very effective if used properly. At the same time, each method has its own set of challenges. For example, if you send out a survey you probably won’t get a response from everyone and/or you will get a limited amount of detail in the feedback even when you ask open ended questions. One benefit, however, is that you can reach more people quicker with a survey or email than you can in a meeting.
Summary
The type of setting in which you request the feedback will determine the type of feedback you receive. If you seek detailed feedback, you must ask it in the right setting. One good question to ask before you request the feedback is, “What response would I give if asked for feedback in that setting and what response would the quietest person I know give?”
What methods of feedback have you found especially useful? How have you implemented the feedback method to obtain useful feedback? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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