This exercise, and the four that follow, are meant to be ...



PEER FEEDBACK EXERCISE

Objectives:

• Practice giving and receiving feedback

• Address any performance issues in your group

Background:

This exercise provides an opportunity to practice both giving and receiving feedback and will also provide a structured opportunity to address any performance issues within your group. As you provide feedback, remember that your intent is to be helpful. If a person is performing well, let them know. Often, people are not aware of the positive ways that they affect the group. If a person’s performance needs improvement, provide feedback in a developmental way. Help the person understand the behaviors that need improvement and their effects. Provide specific examples.

Behavior is partly driven by the person and partly by the situation the person is in, thus, to be truly helpful, you must understand the ways in which you and the group have contributed to the behavior. This does not imply that the person is not fully responsible for their behavior, they are. It recognizes the reality that the recipient will often perceive the situation differently than you and that he or she is likely to partially attribute his or her behavior as being a reaction to the group. For example, a person may justify not having work done on time because another group member always criticizes it and does it over. This team member feels, “why do it if my teammate is going to do it over anyway.”

Whether the person’s perception is accurate or not is not as important as the ultimate goal of improving performance. Improving performance is more likely if you treat developmental feedback as a problem-solving session. It is a two-way communication process where you work on the issues together and develop a mutual plan of action. In the above example of a team member not handing in work on time, a problem-solving approach would uncover this person’s frustration at having his or her work changed. The team member would come to realize the team wants its report to have a uniform style. The team member might agree to hand in work on time and the group might agree to show the final version to him or her before turning it in—a win-win situation.

Preparation (must be completed before class):

Step 1: Providing effective feedback requires good data. Each team member should fill out a Performance Observation Sheet for each of their team members. (Note: only one sheet is provided at the end of this exercise. You will need to make a copy for each teammate.) Also fill out one for yourself as a self evaluation.

Ideally you would be keeping notes after each team meeting rather than filling out the form from memory a few days before the peer feedback exercise. This is not a secret log, rather this is data. Good feedback requires good data.

Before writing your notes, read the Guide for Giving Feedback that follows. Your observations should focus on specific behaviors and their effects, e.g., "On 10/4 Billy was late and did not have his assigned work prepared. This hurt the team because we could not finish our task as scheduled." Avoid making judgments and inferences, e.g., "Billy does not care about the group."

Step 2: At least three days before the in-class peer feedback exercise your team should decide who will provide feedback to whom. The only restriction is that you cannot give feedback to the person who gives you feedback.

Step 3: At least three days before the in-class peer feedback exercise, all team members should give you the Performance Observation Sheets for the person to whom you will be providing feedback. This includes the self-assessment from the person to whom you will provide feedback.

Step 4: Before the in-class exercise you need to consolidate the information on all of the Performance Observation Sheets that you just collected, including your own feedback. You can use another Performance Observation Sheet for this purpose or any other method you wish. Whatever method you use, you must come to the peer feedback session with notes that represent the consolidated feedback you will give.

You must prepare and practice the feedback that you will give. A good feedback session takes practice and thorough preparation. This is a serious and important exercise. It is not appropriate nor fair to your teammate to come to the peer feedback unprepared and unpracticed. Your feedback should represent the perspective of all of your teammates, not just your own. As you prepare, review the Guide for Giving Feedback. Practice out loud. Anticipate possible reactions and your response. Remember you are trying to be helpful and your feedback should reflect a supportive and caring attitude.

Step 5: Prepare yourself mentally to receive feedback. Read the Guide for Receiving feedback that follows. Remember feedback is a great opportunity to learn. Practice how you will respond effectively if you hear something that surprises you or that you don't agree with.

In-class peer feedback exercise:

Step 1. Do the following (5 minutes):

• Review the “Guide for Giving and Receiving Effective Feedback.”

• Review what you are going to say.

• Anticipate possible reactions.

• Consider how you can be the most helpful.

Step 2. Conduct a performance review for each member (10 minutes for each review).

The two members conducting the review should sit facing each other, with the rest of the team observing. Do not rush through the process. Use your full 10 minutes as instructed below.

The reviewer should:

• Provide specific examples of behaviors and their effects.

• Include at least one strength and one opportunity for improvement.

• Ask how the team may be contributing to the person’s behavior.

• Discuss how the team can help.

• If appropriate, develop a mutual plan for improving performance.

The observers should:

• Look for behaviors that either help or hinder the feedback process.

• Take careful notes.

• Provide feedback to the giver and recipient of feedback after each session.

After each review:

Remember that you are practicing the skills of giving and receiving feedback, so use the remaining allotted time for each review to process what happened.

• Observers should provide immediate feedback. What did they do well? What could they have improved? The observers can use the “Guide to Giving and Receiving Feedback” as a guide to answering these questions.

• The reviewer and reviewee should talk about what they were feeling as the review was taking place, what worked well for them, what felt uncomfortable, and what might be done differently to make the process more effective.

• Giving and receiving feedback are important skills so try to help each other learn as much as you can about the process and how to do it effectively.

When time is up, go on to the next performance review. Adjust your chairs so the next reviewer and reviewee are facing each other. Repeat Step 2 until everyone has been reviewed.

Step 3. After all reviews are completed, use any remaining time to discuss the team as a whole.

• Examine what is going well and what could be improved to make the team more effective?

• What are the strengths of your group? What are the weaknesses?

• If there are any issues that you feel are important but were not raised in any review session, this is a good time to discuss them.

Step 4. Class Discussion (open)

Guide For Giving And Receiving Effective Feedback[1]

Giving feedback, either positive or negative, can be difficult; but, if you respect the person, sincerely intend to be helpful, and understand a few simple guidelines, it can work out well. Receiving feedback will allow you to see things about yourself that you could not see in any other way. By illuminating your blind spots, you will be able to correct behaviors that are inhibiting your growth. Constructive feedback is an important gift. Every time you are able to use it wisely, you will have taken another step in your own development.

The following are some guidelines for giving and receiving feedback.

Giving Feedback

1. Feedback must be intended to be helpful.

2. Do not evaluate. Instead, describe behaviors and their effects. Use "I” or “we" messages. For example say: "When you do this, I feel …" or "When you do this, we fall behind schedule because…." Do not say things like: "You have a bad attitude" or "You're lazy." Such phrases are evaluative and most likely will produce defensive reactions.

3. Provide specific examples. The more recent the examples, and the more clearly they illustrate the behaviors and their effects, the better.

4. Be tentative. You are presenting your perceptions, not absolute truth.

5. Keep in mind that the receiver must be able to take concrete action based on the feedback.

6. Try to understand how you or the group may be contributing to the behavior of the person to whom you are providing feedback. For example, someone may not be contributing because they feel the group does not value their inputs. Ask the person to help you understand the factors that are contributing to their behavior.

7. Indicate a sincere willingness to help. It is difficult to change behaviors. As a manager, you must be willing to work with a person and make him/her immediately aware of behaviors that require change. In this way, you will help him/her develop. Be tolerant of recurrent behavior, but expect it to decrease in frequency. Also, if you or the group are contributing to the behavior,

Receiving Feedback

1. Try to understand feedback. Listen to the person giving you feedback, and try not to interrupt.

2. Try to avoid becoming defensive. This can be difficult, especially if the person giving the feedback is not highly skilled. You may have different perceptions of yourself, but it is important that you understand the perceptions of others.

3. You will gain more from feedback if you assume the feedback giver is trying to be helpful.

4. If the feedback is not clear, ask for clarification and examples.

5. Summarize by rephrasing the feedback. Ask the feedback giver to confirm that you have heard correctly.

6. Take responsibility for any behaviors that you agree might have been unhelpful and show a sincere willingness to modify these behaviors.

7. Avoid justifying your behavior unless asked to do so.

8. Remember, you are taking in information about how others are affected by your behavior. The information says something about this group at this time. It does not mean what you are doing is good or bad, so don't take it personally. Different people will be affected differently by the same behavior. Although you may not like your group's reaction to your behavior, it is an important skill to be flexible enough to adjust your behavior to the needs of this particular situation.

Performance Observation Sheet (page 1 of 2)

Person you are observing: _________________________ Your name: __________________

Record the positive and negative behaviors you observe and their effect on you and the group. Be specific. While you should use contract as a guide, you may see behaviors that are particularly helpful or detrimental that are not specifically defined in your contract. Record these as well. If you need more space, use additional paper.

Fill out a separate form for each member of your group. The ideal thing to do is to make notes each time your group meets. Include the dates and circumstances under which the behavior occurred.

Helpful Behaviors Effects on You and the Group

Performance Observation Sheet (page 2 of 2)

Unhelpful Behaviors Effects on You and the Group

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[1]Adapted from "Giving and Receiving Feedback" by John Anderson, Procter & Gamble

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