Tips for giving feedback in the workplace: The 4G method
Forêt Mediators has the mission to improve communication in the workplace. As a mediator, we see how poor communication (unnecessary) leads to conflicts.
One of the causes of employment disputes is that feedback is not shared, is not clearly or is shared too late. People simply like giving compliments better or are afraid that the feedback will demotivate the other person.
However, it is better not to walk around with criticism for too long, so that irritations do not become unnecessarily great and the other person can do something with the feedback in time. But how do you give feedback in a good way without the other person getting in the way?
A well-known way to provide feedback is the 4G method. Do you want to know how this works? Then check out the tips below.
1. Behavior: what behavior do you see in the other person?
Say this:
I've seen that you were always a few minutes late for the last meetings.
Instead of this:
You are always late!
2. Feeling: what feeling does this evoke in you?
This gives me the feeling that you value your time more than my time and that of your colleagues, and I find that annoying.
3. Consequence: what effect does the behavior have?
Because you are late, we lose time unnecessarily and it affects colleagues: they also come to the meeting later and later.
4. Preferred behavior: what behavior would you like to see in the other person?
I would be grateful if you were on time for the meetings.
End with a question to get a conversation started:
Do you recognize this? Is there anything I can do to help you with this?
And further...
Timing
Don't give feedback right away if irritation is still high, but don't wait too long either.
Don't stack
Don't collect feedback until the next round of assessments. Discuss it right away, so the feedback will reach the recipient better.
Setting
Discuss feedback in a quiet moment in a 1:1 setting.
Bel concretely
Give a concrete example to support the feedback so that the recipient understands what you mean.
Bel show positively
Also, give positive feedback if there is reason to do so. The recipient will then receive the negative feedback better.