Providing Feedback

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From the course by Rice University

Relationship Management

31 ratings

Rice University

Relationship Management

31 ratings

Course 2 of 3 in the Specialization Leadership Development for Engineers

To be a successful engineer, you must work and play well with others. This course focuses on developing the skills you will need to build and sustain professional relationships and networks. Learn to coach and mentor others, manage conflict and build power and influence in the workplace.

From the lesson

Communication

Learn to give and receive feedback, actively listen, provide supportive communication and how to coach and counsel your team members.

Providing Feedback2:39

Consequences of Unskilled Communication3:19

Strategies for Supportive Communication2:47

Active Listening4:55

Meet the Instructors

David Van Kleeck
Professor in the Practice of Engineering Leadership
Rice Center for Engineering Leadership

Because providing feedback is so important for an engineering leader, we're

going to take a moment to reflect on what we mean by providing descriptive feedback.

This is going to be feedback that is as objective as we can make it,

that focuses more on the what happened as opposed to the why.

And in doing so we're going to focus on not being evaluating as we do that.

We're going to try to avoid accusations, and focus on the what happened,

rather than why it happened or the motive behind it.

We're going to focus on the specific behavior and your reaction to it.

And in doing so, again focusing not on personality or

character, but describing as best we can,

how that behavior or event influences you,

others, and the ability to get work done.

We would like for this descriptive feedback to be forward looking.

We want to focus more on solutions than we do on the past.

Don't dwell too much on the past.

And in that way,

we may help the individual arrive at some possible alternatives, or

you may suggest some, depending on the context of the conversation.

In addition to being descriptive in nature in providing feedback,

how you give the feedback is critical.

Attitude is everything.

It's not so much what you say, but how you say it.

And in that regard, when you deliver feedback,

being in a higher mood state can be very effective.

By this we mean, a state where you are optimistic and hopeful,

as opposed to a lower mood state where you are impatient, depressed, or even angry.

That higher mood state will allow you to have more perspective, and it will allow

you to feel in control of the situation instead of being controlled by it.

And that means that you'll be able to keep your bearings despite

the emotional turmoil that can result by approaching

the sensitive line of the people that you're providing feedback to.

It'll mean that you can listen more deeply.

You'll be able to tune in to the emotional content,

the nuances of the words that are used and hear those hidden meanings.

It'll allow you to focus on the bigger picture, and in the long run,

it will help you to influence others much more effectively.

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