Author: topcoach team (Veronika Korim & Sona Štefkova)

“Feedback plays a decisive role in learning and development … . We learn faster, and much more effectively, when we have a clear sense of how well we are doing and what we might need in order to improve.” – Dai Hounsell

The importance of feedback in any environment is irrefutable. Regardless of the message’s subject, receiving feedback will elevate the discussion and ensure the message is delivered as originally intended. It should improve a learner’s confidence, motivation to learn and ultimately, a learner’s attainment. It comes in all shapes and sizes and can improve learner confidence, motivation to learn and ultimately, a learner’s attainment. It can be delivered in various forms. 

It doesn’t matter if you get overwhelmed by cold sweat when your name is mentioned during a feedback lesson, or you even enjoy it. We all need it to receive feedback in order to be able to improve and move forward. However, giving valuable feedback is more difficult than it seems. In order to have the desired effect and not cause damage, it is good to know when and how to administer it correctly. It is necessary to communicate expectations at every training course or in a learning situation with adult learners, and at the same time guarantee that learners can also communicate them. It creates a space for discussion.

A couple of key points to keep in mind, when working using feedback:

  • Look at feedback as a tool
  • It’s best given in real-time 
  • Don’t neglect it
  • Give the participants time and space to deal with what you said

It’s also crucial how one delivers the feedback. Setting the expectations and learning objectives before the learning itself is delivered, along with being specific and using evidence ensures the feedback is as effective as possible. The learners should know exactly what aspect of the task are being discussed, what they did wrong, and how it can be improved. For this reason, it’s beneficial to use specific examples. 

There are several methods of implementation regarding feedback. Two of the commonly known and used are:

  • General one – anonymous feedback questionnaire
  • Suited for one-on-one feedback – The  (Improved) Hamburger method (also known as the Sandwich approach)

Read the full version of the learning material at our Toolkit (click here).