2 Tips on Motivational Feedback

If you’re like me, then you probably like to receive some positive feedback on what ever it is you do. I avidly read the feedback forms after a seminar or training workshop looking for those words of praise.

I was speaking with my friend Paddy the other day and he was showing me an email he’d received from his manager. Paddy works in sales and he’s had a really good June, July and August.

In the email his manager was congratulating him on a job well done; heaping praise on the fact that Paddy consistently achieved his target. However, after all this praise and congratulation, the email finished with these lines – “I’m concerned however, about your recent performance and your ability to achieve your target in September. You’re going to have to put in more effort if you want to continue your success next month.

This manager probably thought that this would motivate Paddy to achieve his target in September however; these words left him totally deflated. The congratulation was outweighed by the warning at the end of the email.

So here’s tip number 1 - If you’re giving some positive feedback to a member of your team or another person, I strongly suggest that you DO ONLY THAT!

And tip number 2 - Tell the person how well they’ve done using descriptive language. It’s best to minimise the ‘well done’ and the ‘congratulations’ and describe to the person exactly what it is that they did well. Too much ‘well done’ can come across as patronising.

Say something along the lines of – “Thank you Paddy for the extra work you put in to achieve your target. I’m particularly pleased that you achieved this without giving away too much discount. Your efforts have increased the team’s performance by 12 percent and I appreciate that.”

Never, never, never, finish on a negative. If you have concerns about some aspect of an individual’s performance, leave it for another time.

And just in case you’re wondering, Paddy did achieve his target in September; however he’s looking for another job where he’ll feel more appreciated.