We spend a significant portion of our lives at work, often in the
company of people who we either dislike or have little in common with.
Given this, alternative methods of working and the pressure of project
deadlines, it is all too easy for frustrations to boil over and a blame
culture to emerge.
This is extremely detrimental, however, as such a culture encourages us to apportion blame to our colleagues while judging their performances harshly and subjectively. Only criticism without
judgement can truly be constructive, so it is crucial that you hone
your communications skills if you are to create a more positive working
environment.
1. Tackle the Problem rather than the person
When
workplace projects or processes go awry, it is crucial that you analyse
the failings and learn critical lessons going forward. This is not
possible if you focus your comments on the person rather than the
problem, however, as this manifests itself as a personal attack that
distracts from the issues at hand and does not take into account any
extenuating circumstances that may have led to the failings.
Let’s
say that your colleague has given an uninspiring presentation that has
failed to wow a new client. Even if you critique with good intentions,
using emotive words such as ‘boring’ and applying these to the person
rather than the presentation is counter-productive in the extreme and
likely to prevent further constructive dialogue. Instead, try to use
passive language that is focused objectively on the presentation alone
and avoid any personal references. When you do offer feedback, be sure
to give each individual point context by offering suggestions for
improvement (such as making points in a more concise manner).
2. Understand the goal of offering criticism and share this with your colleague
We
have already touched on how emotive language can prevent constructive
criticism, but the same principle applies to the way in which you
deliver your critique. Directing anger and frustration at the recipient
can cause them to shut down, for example, while seemingly aimless and
unstructured criticism leaves them with no potential to improve or
progress going forward.
If you are tasked with appraising an
under-performing employee, for example, it is crucial that you break
down each point of criticism and determine the precise motivation for
delivering each one. So if you criticise their application because you
want them to fulfil their potential in the workplace and share this with
the recipient, they can consider the feedback in context while
benefiting from an actionable future goal. From your perspective, try
using the mind-mapping technique to create a visual representative of your thoughts so that these can be organised and clearly communicated through feedback.
3. Focus on Tackling actionable issues
Even
though each piece of constructive criticism will have its own unique
motivation, as a general rule such feedback is designed to either help
drive personal and collaborative improvement or recover from a mistake.
With this in mind, it is imperative that you only critique things which
are within the recipient’s control, such as their attitude, application
and level of skill. This is constructive criticism that enables your
colleagues to take actionable steps towards improvements, whereas a
general critique of external factors will leave them disillusioned and
helpless.
In practical terms, let’s imagine that your colleague is
organising a corporate event and has already paid in-full to secure a
venue in a remote and difficult to access location. Instead of
critiquing their choice and repeatedly saying that the venue is
inadequate, it is far better to focus on what can be done to resolve the
problem and make good on the investment. Laying on transportation for
guests offers a viable solution, for example, as does being empathetic
with guests to avoid further backlash.
4. Understand the issues at hand and do not make assumptions
Empathy
is crucial to constructive criticism, as is a keen sense of
objectivity. These two attributes enable you to understand the other
person’s perspective, while also imploring you to understand the issues
in detail before responding. In short, you need to act based on what you know
rather than what you think, as this ensures that any feedback that you
offer is constructive, fair and easy for the recipient to identify with.
Let’s
say that your colleague is tasked with presenting an update on a
specific project, but is only able to deliver an uncertain speech that
confused his managers and stakeholders. While it may be natural to
assume that this performance was a result of nerves and inexperience
(and subsequently suggest that someone else makes the presentation next
time), this is not based on fact and does not take any additional
factors into consideration. The issue may be a lack of preparation time
to the pressure of work, for example, while there may be other
circumstances that affected your colleague’s performance.
Either
way, this more considered approach improves the quality and delivery of
your feedback while also driving informed decision-making.
5. Empower Colleagues with specific and honest feedback
Whenever
you aim to offer constructive criticism in the workplace, there is a
need to be as specific and as honest as you possibly can. In terms of
the former, excellent clarity of thought and an ability to articulate
your critique concisely creates specific points for improvement,
eliminating any ambiguity that may exist in the recipient’s mind. The
value of this can be reinforced with honest and open communication, as
this type of direct interaction drives succinct and easy-to-understand
actions going forward.
If you imagine that a sales colleague is
struggling to engage buyers, you may look to offer them a critique
concerning the effectiveness of their communication. This instantly open
to conjecture, however, as this could apply to internal or external
relationships while it may also relate to written or verbal
communication. Instead, use specific and focused language to describe
the issue in detail, stating that the colleague in question has an issue
when talking to buyers.
It is also sensible to advocate the
consequences of this problem, such as diminishing sales and a decline in
turnover. This helps your colleague to understand the importance of the
problem and the need to act on the criticism.
6. Use the Feedback sandwich method to underpin your constructive criticism
Blame culture and non-constructive criticism thrive in a climate of fear and short-term thinking, as people are more concerned with hiding their mistakes
than taking on greater responsibility in the workplace. It is therefore
important that you use sustainable methods to deliver constructive
criticism, creating a culture of fairness in which workers are empowered
to improve through feedback.
This is where the ‘feedback
sandwich’ method of delivering constructive criticism comes into play,
as this simple technique includes three segments that focus on an
individual’s strengths and areas for improvement. When critiquing a
colleagues performance, you start by discussing strengths and positive
elements before continuing with constructive criticism and actionable
suggestions for improvement. You then complete the process by
reiterating the positive comments made at the start, while reinforcing
the impact that the suggested improvements will have once implemented.
Whether
you are critiquing a negative character trait or a piece of work, this
method drives balanced feedback and incentivizes workers to make
positive changes for the future.
