The secret to giving great feedback | The Way We Work, a TED series

Humans have been coming up with ways to give constructive criticism for centuries, but somehow we're still pretty terrible at it. Cognitive psychologist LeeAnn Renniger shares a scientifically proven method for giving effective feedback.
The Way We Work is a TED original video series where leaders and thinkers offer practical wisdom and insight into how we can adapt and thrive amid changing workplace conventions.
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[@abdulrahmanomar6858]

01:58 Micro yes paces the employee for the feedback you are going to give them. 02:40 Leave out the blur words, the don't give a specific feedback about what you need the employee to actually increase or diminish. 03:36 Show the impact of the actions of the employee positive/negative. 03:58 Ask for suggestions and input from the employee to solve the problem.

[@LuciusTrout]

Thanks for summarising!

[@brody_herman]

I just wanted to say thank you, you are a lifesaver I had an assignment over this vid that was due tonight and if it wasn’t for you I’d probably be up until 12 working on it.

[@freddiethomas2481]

god bless you.

[@Aritul]

Thank you. 😃

[@hannacook859]

Thanks!

[@AlexandriaRohn]

00:42 Only 26% of employees strongly agree that feedback they receive actually improves their work. 00:55 Either people give feedback that is too indirect & soft. Or, they're too direct and make the other person feel threatened. 02:00 The Micro-Yes. Great feedback givers ask a question that is short but important. It let's the brain know something is coming. e.g. "Do you have 5 minutes to talk about that last conversation?" 02:40 Give Data Point. Be specific & objective about what you saw or heard. Avoid blur words like "you could be more proactive." e.g. Instead of saying, "You're unreliable." Say, "You said you'd give me that email by 11 and I still don't have it." 03:34 Show Impact. Name exactly how that data point affected you. e.g. "Because I didn't get that email, I was blocked on my work." "I liked how you added those stories because it helped me grasped the concepts faster." 03:57 End On A Question. Wrap your feedback with a question. e.g. "How do you see it?" "This is what I'm thinking. What are your thoughts?"

[@useful6131]

Not just at workplace, it could work in any other types of relationships: friend, family member, and your lover. Wonderful video!

[@heatherpahl2183]

What an excellent video! This would be so helpful for nearly every work environment so that employees can feel free to ask for and deliver feedback about their work, bosses, and other employees. Because the video is only 5 minutes in length, people would not have difficulty keeping attention like in a typical onboarding/training video.

[@henryurbina5285]

Thank you for this series. As an HR professional, I share them via our intranet at work. Employees have given great feedback.

[@SharonC95]

really love this new series, TED! thank you for always creating high quality, insightful and thought-provoking content! you guys are the best! ❤️

[@susieblue86]

I love the formula, very helpful thank you!

[@marisacalderon8420]

Short and accurate explanation that could change your entire life! Thanks for share

[@AllisonShapira]

So actionable! Thank you for sharing this.

[@lorenzomanini1017]

This new serie is just awesome. Really good consideration in every episode here

[@HaiderAliKhan]

To give constructive feedback to others without causing resentment is a superpower.

[@jdjfjdhdhfgfh8568]

🥺💔

[@samahaljundi-pfaff6845]

This video should be included in every toolkit, education training!!!!

[@balto1217]

Wow! Love how it was broken down. I will be re-watching.

[@ellieco9174]

Excellent short video, thanks!

[@heathwells3564]

The message and material was great. Thank you. The presenter was Awesome; great communicator!!!!

[@adrianfernandez2010]

There’s also something called “Critical Friends” feedback which is great for middle and high school students!! It’s easy to understand and is easily applicable. In fact, some ideas from this video overlap!

[@siddharthborah1440]

1. Micro yes, prepare the amygdala 2. Specific feedback, accompany with data points, avoid blur words. 3. Emphasise impact of the data point 4. Get buy-in with a question 5. Seek feedback, pull instead of push

[@leonorstone5039]

This was a great video! Very simply ideas, clearly shared and the presenter had a very enthusiastic way of speaking that kept my attention for the full duration of the video. Well done.

[@anastasiachernova2382]

Great video, thank you for sharing. It's amazing the research done to come up with this formula.

[@GarrettEderer]

Do you want to talk about how effective I think this video is? You communicated quickly and I could understand everything you said. Your words were not only auditory, but also I could see them written out with numbers as you went along. All this being said a couple of examples could have helped me put it into real life situations more. So overall I liked it, but fear I will not be able to remember it or use it that well because of a lack of specific examples where I see two people talking. What do you think could help people remember this more?

[@jeanninedevilliers4823]

Clever

[@AvantGrade]

I don't think you need more examples haha

[@craigwthomson]

Can we talk about the difference between ‘affective’ and ‘effective’?

[@GarrettEderer]

@@craigwthomson Yeah sure! I need to get those down more haha. I don’t know why it’s hasn’t stuck yet. One thing I can say is English is hard. (Not physically hard. You know what I mean.)

[@aisahbudimanchannel]

messages and concepts can be conveyed clearly and contextually

[@dotconnector1746]

Very helpful and actionable! Thank you for sharing this 💚

[@michaelbrowder1759]

NO!! The examples of the opening question, if asked of me, would immediately raise my sensors and provoke the kind of brain response, Ms. Renniger wants to avoid. This is particularly true if the person asking the question has a position of power over me. I have been in exactly that situation in jobs before, and it didn't go well. The question is never benign, just appears so, and the response of "No," cannot freely be given.

[@katiecan123]

1. The micro-yes 2. Data point 3. Show impact 4. End on a question

[@Sea97]

AWESOME! I was looking for this and I found great and short answer. Thank you!

[@edmeeduque3762]

Amazing video, I would like to see the evidence, paper, or research behind it!

[@laklaifatimaezzahrae6041]

Thank you, you have benefited from this and I hope you will give us more

[@stubblyhead]

I enjoyed the video very much, but I hope I might share something with you real quick. You misspelled Dr. Renninger's last name in the blurb. Google was able to figure out who I meant fortunately, but it still might lead to confusion for some people. Is there any way you can update that?

[@bustywench89]

I have found this so useful!!

[@JJ-pt7xb]

Needed in all workplaces!

[@liyuhh7144]

I was supposed to give feedback on the online classes so i ended up here:)

[@aawrnnc]

Me too! 😄

[@AR-yi4qn]

absolutely fantastic, thank you

[@prisonss]

I knew I shouldn’t of told the boss to f o

[@vijayarya9528]

good points . Thank u all very much

[@alishadosani]

wow, thank you for that! Very clearly expplaimed.

[@Kas_Styles]

This is perfect. Thank you.

[@heliumdev]

Amazing video! Wish I would've seen this years ago. So many value bombs 💣

[@dot.4373]

Can you please help me understand this situation? I have worked for a company for about 3 months. I wrote an email and asked all of my teammates and my manager for an early feedback (probation period is 6 months), no one answered. Although during the interview they said they have direct feedback culture. I found it very disappointing. How would you react in this situation?

[@CYSYS8993]

Last time I tried providing feedback it didn't go well. Someone was asking for how to improve on their art in a Discord server so I told him that the whole picture overall feels incomplete. Knowing I'm pretty lousy with this kind of stuff, I wasn't surprised when someone told me I was being too vague with my feedback. But then this person accused me of being "rude". At first, I just calmly told this person I wasn't trying to be rude and they're just misunderstanding but they didn't listen. And then a bunch of other people started accusing me of the same thing and that I was arguing with a mod as if that somehow automatically makes them 100% in the right. I got mad at them for throwing accusations like that and promptly got banned from the server for it. I may be a lousy critic, but that doesn't mean I'm deliberately trying to destroy the self-esteems of others. But did that mod ever once consider that? No they didn't.

[@fivegkills6111]

It's called PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

[@yokeru007]

I use frequently blur words when I talk with someone in my office. Those are very convenience because those doesn't make anybody depressed. Direct words often cause some troubles between people and may make somebody uncomfortable.

[@robsteenbergh4707]

Wonder how effective and helpful your feedback is. Convenient or avoiding and witholding people the opportunity to learn? It is not about direct words. It is all about sensory specific words. There is no meaning in sensory specific. It is just describing what you see or hear with your senses.

[@patriciaobrien4176]

Wow truly inspired Thankyou great descriptive way to get it right ?

[@Ashidshah]

love this formula, very helpful thank you!

[@seffissaababu9960]

It is great. Thank you.

[@kellyjamespro]

Permission, Data, impact, commitment

[@husainsaifee1]

Such a beautiful shirt.

[@karolis123]

Thank you! :)

[@Softskills-hiddenPersonalPower]

A brilliant video in fact it's an oasis in a desert of ignorance about soft skills in the workplace. There is so much bad advice on giving and receiving feedback so be on the alert for people who just don't get how sensitive people are when being assessed, appraised and evaluated. Our free Interview Interview Ninja Golden Path process about a quest for Soft Skills excellence covers feedback in several of the Steps.

[@DrRussell]

This video is INCREDIBLE! Such a clear breakdown. Is it evidence-based?

[@BlockMasterT]

They said at the beginning that they asked businesses who their best feedback giver is, and all the people in the business would say people. Whoever got said the most, they would ask who they did differently

[@DrRussell]

@@BlockMasterT thank you

[@Panwey29]

How would you deal with someone who simply refuses to accept the feedback once given?

[@OurNewestMember]

What options do you think you have? You could give up interacting with them or discussing that topic with them You could try more forcefully You could convince yourself you were wrong You could divert your energies elsewhere (we're looking at you, KZbin comments) You can experiment with any of these. Then you might want more specific techniques.

[@potatoface4698]

my feedback: whatever you're doing on this channel keep doing it :D

[@juanoliveros6139]

loved it!

[@sixtusagbo]

What if the feedback receiver says no to the micro-yes question ❓

[@Okruuuch]

love the video. and the fact that her eyes match the background :D

[@pravinmadheswaran2935]

Awesome!

[@nueloblack]

You should add that asking for too much feedback can result in your boss thinking you are incompetent.

[@shaderx666]

everytime i get that "micro yes" question i'm like "oh boy here we go again" , i don't think that works for all people

[@theitsolutionist]

This process has strong similarities to the Black Swan negotiation approach

[@bg-zq9mz]

Thanks

[@davec8473]

I would have thought that different people are suited to different approaches? The one you describes sounds very direct -- your email was late so I was blocked. I would have though this would cause some individuals to be defensive. So for other people a softer approach would be more suitable? Maybe it's just about the rhetorics.

[@buzilaion4255]

De ce feedback imi face imi face probleme pe messenger,nu pot trimete mesaje.

[@lubnajafar]

Thanks....

[@cosmicrdt]

The problem is people who don't give good feedback don't realise they're doing it and therefore aren't likely to seek out ways to improve; ie this video

[@ChinemeremDivine]

Great

[@alistairreed3514]

if i owned pub i would call it feedback arms.

[@kyraocity]

0:33 sound

[@genevawhite6954]

great idea the people loves feedback

[@mohini656]

Thanks feedback from their website for the rest and England will be able in your career back in India yes.thanks.

[@mohini656]

Yes.

[@sciclepodcast4108]

This is good, next time can you make the video a bit slower, its a bit tough to grasp completely at this presentation speed, also please try balancing the background voice and let the speakers voice be highlighted, expecting this changes would be considered, the rest is as always awesome. Keep going.

[@abyssumabyssus1976]

These changes*

[@manuelpeters446]

Your comment was good, but you need to work on your punctuation. You forgot an apostrophe and you also fused sentences, also known as "run-on sentences", by connecting them with just a comma instead of periods, semicolons or coordinating conjunctions.

[@denisemarie6997]

Technology, Entertainment, Design and the way We (the great, unwashed, and unknown We) work. I love feelings! Technology Entertainment Design, here's a cool series idea: like, hear me out! How about a tech, entertainment, and/or (gulp!) design series! Totes rad! #metoo At :50 there is a box reiterating/endorsing the speaker's assertion with no (0; zero) references...except the little box was Powered by Dropbox, and the speaker's word for it. Drivel.

[@OurNewestMember]

This is almost as amusing as it is incomprehensible. Your argument about 0:50 is factually broken. The narrated claim (few survey respondents receive effective feedback) _is_ cited (research by Gallup), and NO, the overlay at 0:50 (employee engagement is harmed more by ignoring than discussing weaknesses) does not reiterate the same fact. A better complaint would be, "the overlay at 0:50 seems irrelevant to the discussion." Agreed a citation on that overlay would have enhanced the point. While there's ready evidence to support your complaints about TED (which still seemed to escape your comment), you chose the wrong video to launch your complaint. In this video: - The topic has a focused scope and is readily applicable to "business" or "personal" life - The summary is based on research (unsure the quality, but at a minimum provides a narrative framework to explain the basis for synthesizing the information) - The video gives a specific number of actions (this is effective both for promotions and for comprehension) - The summary makes an effort to rationalize its advice in terms of existing research (eg, overly direct feedback may activate the amygdala) These are not the droids you are after. Go find a more appropriate video to complain upon.

[@SanDiegoSalesAcademycom]

Good

[@user-ok2ro9vb3w]

Give facebook every secret you have.

[@sheff6553]

Thank you from Russia)

[@NikoBauer-zh3nb]

,

[@NikoBauer-zh3nb]

Хорошо

[@MistaSmith]

Why are some people triggered by the term “positive feedback”? And what other words would be less triggering?

[@Jayfive276]

Are the same twenty or so people downvoting every video? Bunch of saddos.

[@lancebeste9237]

I am sorry but your point one will often cause people to immediately drop into defensive mode. Feedback requires people to appreciate the person in front of them and finding the best way to offer feedback.

[@norahmutale4391]

If someone is naturally defensive whatever approach you take won’t work

[@ewaldnagels]

True, but it is the challenge what lies underneath. There is a reason why they react this way.

[@Xaeravoq]

i cannot understand what is being said at 2:16

[@Xaeravoq]

it sounds like "do this talk about how this conversation went?"

[@WauMau00]

it's: do you have five minutes to talk about how that last conversation went? :-)

[@denisemarie6997]

"I be speak OK at ur corporation for US $5,000 and US $1,500 expenses."

[@Xaeravoq]

@@WauMau00 wow i see now.

[@zangxiang6747]

*Racist giving feedback can be a problem. Thus, know if this is someone who cares about you*

[@AbhishekVankit]

TED on an uploading spree?

[@OurNewestMember]

@@denisemarie6997 -Yes the sponsorship promotion is noticeable. The other viewers noticed - No, the speaker did not give an anonymous, uncredited assertion at 0:50. The assertion is directly cited to Gallup. What Dropbox sponsored was the "marginally tangential factoid." - Thanks for sponsoring this video

[@OurNewestMember]

@@denisemarie6997 k. I actually lol'd reading that...Thanks for that! But I'm not going to touch that... mostly because reasons.

[@majamaja3682]

Npr. Lino i masta mogu svasta.

[@groznyentertainment]

Let's be honest, when the university teacher asks for feedback- he is lying. And if you believe him, blame yourself. Either positive or no feedback at all. We have seen it so many times when the teacher lashes out on the student who deserves the lashed out for believing that someone wants honest feedback

[@wilcesabraham]

👏🏼

[@Mcx303]

NF?

[@arnaudbenoit778]

👋

[@marcly4070]

Yep

[@starfed64]

You know before I watch the video I have to ask did anybody else think of Ally Sheedy I heard giving great input to number five who was alive. OK I'm gonna watch the video now…

[@annaponomarova3472]

#SaveTEDRussia , please!

[@SandeepKumar-hk1lv]

I love guys 😍😍😍😍

[@kyesickhead7008]

Oww...

[@panyarerksakunchai6497]

tv -60 if need be bad it setting my tv not need me unwant be leader it it use samsung other serie 43,49 Lg 59 do ios tv my apps set cacched auto to it tage its

[@jonathangadzini1435]

mullet

[@bibaboba502]

яндекс хеллоу

[@ET_LWO]

"Blur words"

[@celiavalverde3118]

who is "most of us" lol

[@Seekthetruth3000]

In undemocratic and oppressive cultures such as the ones in the Islamic world, giving a truthful and honest feedback can lead to the loss of your life.😏😏😏😏😏

[@1MinuteFlipDoc]

I think this lady likes to kiss other ladies and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. :)

[@danielp.6460]

Capitalist Lysenkoism.

[@mostawesomedudeever1]

What's this dude saying?

[@OurNewestMember]

He's not a dude.

[@davidbennett1585]

Good info but mostly directed to the Gen Z and late Gen Y generations. The softest of soft generations to ever walk on this planet.

[@XinhLe]

not really helpful, lots of blur terms

[@FuzzFace80]

Lame. Completely incorrect. Sounds good in theory, but fails in real life

[@OurNewestMember]

No, I don't think you're correct. Points #2 and #3 alone tend to create a visible reaction in your partner allowing you to better direct real-world situations as they're unfolding. But at a minimum these four points help smooth communication (eg #1, #4) or affect others' thought (#2, #3). So even if these tips didn't "provide feedback", they'd still help people understand you and enjoy interacting with you... which tends to make them do what you want.... which is kind of the desired outcome of giving feedback.

[@coltennial9513]

Can you provide a better video for feedback or provide your thoughts? Or nah?

[@c.t5136]

Is TEDED just for Americans? Perhaps something more generalised or inclusive??? The American narrators talk too high, in pitch, too fast and like they're drunk. It is stressful to listen to.

[@Wuzzzzup87]

Very good feedback! I see what you did there... Are you racist towards Americans? You could try listening to American narrators after a few drinks yourself. This might help you feel less stressed while listening. Would you be willing to try this as a solution? ;)

[@handlemonium]

You could watch the vid at .75x or .5x speed ;)

[@c.t5136]

@@Wuzzzzup87 My goodness me, mKultra, what an uncivilised and non-adult based response. I'm sorry i don't fit in with your views on the world, that doesn't, however make me racist. Brandishing that (label)about with such wild abandon causes its own problems; dilution and saturation. Teaching programmes should be clear, well-paced and be able to be understood, by all. These new batches of videos are presented in such a way as to wonder if breathing between words is being rationed. Is Teded racist? Huuuuuuuuuh?!? Deep sharp, intake of breath... I would never of thought of such a thing, had you not raised it. I didn't read the ''read more'' of your thoughtless rant...If you'll step up to the adult box and engage in rationale discussion, then maybe i will. If not, Chow!

[@Radicus]

@@c.t5136 You totally said something that we don't like to hear, so you must absolutely be a racist. /s Sigh... People are so fragile these days.

[@c.t5136]

'We' undefinable. Please note that you have been reported. Your responses are excessive and unnecessary.