Feedback is one of the main aspects that can help employees and students to improve themselves. In addition to being considered important, feedback is also a must-have component in most offices and classrooms. This can be seen especially if you have employees or if you are responsible for teaching others. Writing feedback via e-mail is becoming increasingly important as more workers communicate and work remotely. If you are an employee's performance supervisor, write feedback on their performance. If you are a teacher, write feedback for your students.
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Method 1 of 3: Writing Feedback for Employees by Email
Step 1. Tell the reason why you are sending the employee an e-mail (e-mail)
You can tell him in the subject of the email or in the body of the email. However, it's a good idea to put it in the subject of the email so he knows what the email is about to read.
For example, write “Project Proposal Feedback – Great Start!” on the subject of the email
Step 2. Start the email with a friendly sentence
This will show employees that you are providing friendly, not critical, feedback. In addition, this increases the likelihood that email readers will read and receive constructive feedback.
Write something like, “Have a nice day!”
Step 3. Appreciate the work the employee has done
Usually, the person receiving the feedback has done an assignment that you would rate very hard, so compliment him or her at the beginning of the email to let him know that you appreciate his efforts.
You could say, “Thank you for working so hard on this proposal. The proposal is very good.”
Step 4. Give employees positive feedback first
Positive feedback will make harsh criticism sound softer. Be honest but don't forget to compliment him too. You should focus on his current job or on a previously completed task.
Say, “This proposal is very good. You have written a very impressive objective and I can also see that there has been a lot of development in the methodology used.”
Step 5. Write down negative feedback as suggestions
In fact, writing suggestions on what points need to be replaced is more efficient, but the reader won't be able to take this kind of advice very well. In the end, he could have felt discouraged. Therefore, write down feedback from your point of view and how you would change it if you wrote the proposal.
You might write, “I'm going to swap part one for part two, then explain part three again so that the budget part can be written there too. In addition, you can say "I'm going to delete the second paragraph, but I'll add a review of the ongoing project in closing"
Step 6. Explain the negative feedback given
Explain the problem he has and where the problem is if necessary. If his criticism concerns a change in expectations or direction, let him know. Also include detailed reasons why there should be a change in that section.
- Say, “We are making major changes in the company, so we need to write a more detailed proposal by developing it in several parts. I have already given an overview of which parts need to be developed further.
- If you want to write feedback that relates to the person's attitude, don't forget to provide a concrete example of what you mean. For example, if you want to critique about wearing inappropriate clothes while attending a meeting with a client, you should provide an example of a mistake he or she has made. For example, “Last time we saw a client, you were wearing flip-flops and before that, you were wearing a t-shirt. Clothing like this does not reflect the professionalism of the company that we always show.”
Step 7. Give him suggestions on how he can improve
Your feedback will be useless if you don't provide a way out for him. These suggestions can be anything from a specific list of inputs to a general list of achievement suggestions.
- You can give an example so he can solve the problem. This is an excellent option if you have a concrete suggestion in mind. For example, say “For your next presentation, use neutral colors and don't use transitions between slides. Besides, there are clients attending the meeting, so don't use company jargon either.”
- Alternatively, you can ask him what he would like to do to fix the problem. This option is an excellent way to go if you want to talk about a problem that can have several possible solutions. For example, “What are some ways you can improve your next presentation?” or “What changes would you like to make in your next presentation?”.
Step 8. Remind him of the possible consequences
Some problems in the workplace can damage the company's name so employees should be made aware of this. In some situations, there isn't much of a consequence if an employee makes a mistake. However, there are also times when you have lost a client or are unable to provide effective service due to a shortage of employees. Sometimes, there are also consequences for workers if they don't improve the situation. Notify your employees immediately if any problems occur.
- For example, let him know that you are worried the client will leave because of a paperwork error.
- Alternatively, tell the employee that he or she may not be included in the next project if there is no improvement in his or her ability to write documents.
Step 9. End the email with an offer to clarify and explain the feedback
This is a good way to end the email and to show him that you support him. In addition, this will also make him feel comfortable when he wants to ask for clarification on things he does not understand.
For example, write a sentence like, "Please let me know if you have any other questions or need clarification on this matter."
Method 2 of 3: Writing Feedback on Reviews
Step 1. Define performance review objectives
This is the reason why there is evaluation. The employee will know what he is going to read if he knows what objectives you have and helps you design feedback for him.
- For example, do you focus on improving employee performance? Are you conducting a company-wide assessment to determine what professional training is required? Do you do quarterly reviews?
- Inform the employee of this objective when you provide feedback for him or her. You could say, “The company is planning to provide professional training sessions based on the needs of the employees. Therefore, I provide performance reviews for each employee.
Step 2. Review the previous feedback
This can be based on reviews that have been given previously, as well as informal feedback given during the evaluation period. You should also check what the employee has done after the feedback has been given. Did he use it to improve himself? Does feedback only enter the right ear and leave the left ear?
- If he makes changes based on previous feedback, incorporate this point into a positive review about him.
- If he ignores old feedback, discuss previous issues with him and lack of initiative to follow suggestions.
Step 3. Describe positive feedback and include concrete examples
Always start a feedback session by leaving a positive comment. Praise the employee for what he or she has done well and provide specific comments about the accomplishments. Be honest and try to give the same amount of feedback as the number of negative comments you give.
- Give an example such as, “You showed initiative when you volunteered to lead a project. In addition, you also demonstrate good leadership skills when coordinating with team members, listening to suggestions from others, and assigning people to their respective tasks.”
- Praise the good attitude and need to continue it.
Step 4. Give constructive criticism and provide specific examples
Focus on the criticism that can provide the most benefits for the company or the target employee. Inform the employee which areas he finds difficult and why this is a problem for him.
Give specific examples. For example, “In the last three presentations, you forgot to present your estimated budget and project slowdown” or “The average number of projects you completed last quarter was 6, but this time you can only complete 2. I think your performance is below average”
Step 5. Define performance objectives for the next evaluation period
This will help employees to know which areas need improvement. In addition, you will also understand what the company needs from its employees. The worker will also find this feedback more useful because based on the evaluation, he knows what the company wants from him.
- Objectives should be short and specific. For example, “Employees should sell 4 items per day”, “Employees should improve communication with clients”, or “Employees should take leadership training”.
- Make sure that you will carry out these objectives in the next evaluation because this is what employees expect.
Step 6. Provide opportunities for professional development training
Make recommendations based on the constructive criticism you have given. These recommendations can be based on existing sources such as workshops, training courses, internal training, or inter-employee mentoring. In addition, you can also suggest free courses available online if you are short on resources.
- Be open if you have to change a suggestion after talking to an employee. For example, employees may ask for professional training that you've never thought of before.
- Consider the employee's work goals. For example, if your employees want to move into management positions, you could choose leadership training as a professional training option. Alternatively, if he's interested in graphic design, allow him to take a course so he can use his skills for your company.
Step 7. Encourage the employee to conclude the feedback session
No matter how brilliant an employee's performance review is, no one likes to be told what they lack or what needs to be improved, so end the session by encouraging the employee to make him or her feel more comfortable and less discouraged or overwhelmed.
Say something like, “Last quarter, we had some unpredictable difficulties, but you've done an excellent job adjusting the workload. We love your work and we look forward to seeing more of this kind of work in the current quarter.”
Step 8. Encourage a response from the listener
This response can be verbal after you have discussed it with him, or you can provide a feedback form to fill out. You'll get a better response, if employees are given time to think about their performance reviews and write their responses in your absence.
Ask the person for feedback on the review you left for them. For example, “Do you have any suggestions for me, what I need to improve when giving feedback? And “Was my feedback clear and useful enough?”
Method 3 of 3: Giving Feedback to Students
Step 1. Focus on student learning performance
The purpose of providing feedback is to help students learn. So, give positive comments that direct him to improve his efforts rather than criticizing his mistakes. Use this session to give instructions and not to criticize them.
You may provide written feedback on student assignments including written assignments, presentations, and projects
Step 2. Provide feedback on the content and delivery mechanism of the assignment
Both of these are important for the student because he or she must know how to improve these two components. In addition, there are many students who perform better in one area than in another. For example, a student may have a bright idea with good idea development, but he can't spell correctly, can't use punctuation correctly, and has a lot of incomplete and inaccurate sentences.
- If you are providing feedback for an oral project or presentation, be sure to provide feedback on each section of the assignment.
- For example, oral presentations need feedback on content and public speaking skills. Meanwhile, projects require feedback in terms of content, creativity, and delivery methods.
Step 3. Give specific positive and negative feedback
Comments such as “good job”, “improvement”, or “improvement” are not considered specific enough; students do not know which parts to improve and which things are good enough. Tell students which areas need improvement and which are good enough.
- Write something like, “The thesis is clear, well written, and uses the format we studied. However, the opening sentence must be corrected because it is not related to your thesis”.
- Suggest, “Your idea is well developed, but I recommend you take additional sessions to improve your use of commas and practice writing perfect sentences”.
- Give a combination of positive comments and constructive criticism.
Step 4. Suggest how to improve the ability instead of fixing the error
You may flag some mistakes, but don't edit too much of the student work. Write down any problems you see in student work, such as excessive use of commas. After that, suggest what can be improved by it.
For example, “You used too many commas in your essay. Please double check the rules for using commas and how to combine sentences with commas. If you come to an extra session, we can practice on how to write a good paragraph together
Step 5. Prioritize your next draft or assignment
Setting priorities like this will help students to focus on other things that must be achieved. You can prioritize learning objectives or student needs, depending on the results of their work.
Say, "Now, you should focus on using active sentences and don't use incomplete sentences."
Step 6. Limit feedback to one area or one ability if this is the main problem
Focus on the current learning objectives or the needs of the students you are assessing. Make sure that the student knows that you're only grading some parts of his essay so he won't assume that the rest of the essay is perfect.
- Mark the areas that will be the focus of your feedback.
- Before returning student work, inform them that you are only providing feedback on certain parts of the assignment.
- You can let students choose which skills or sections they want to comment on.
Step 7. Don't overwhelm students
If there are too many mistakes, don't fix them all in one feedback session. If you leave too many comments in one session, students can feel overwhelmed and eventually become discouraged. So, leave a comment on the easiest and most basic thing to correct.
- For example, you could start with ways to avoid writing imperfect sentences and looking up words in the dictionary if he doesn't know how to spell them.
- In addition, you may also focus on the learning objectives for the assignment.
Step 8. Motivate students to keep learning
End the feedback session with positive words and encourage him to keep trying. You can also remind him of his accomplishments in other assignments so he will keep trying even harder.
