Contents
Contents
Copyright
How to use this program
What is in this program?
Who is the program for?
What does the program do?
How does this program achieve its objectives?
Individual self-study
In an existing training program
A complete one-day training program
Evaluation of learning
Introduction to the DVD
Using the DVD
Model Training Session
Learning Objectives
Pre-course work
Session plan
Unit 1:The purpose of feedback
Unit 2:The four key principles
Unit 3:Preparing to give feedback
Unit 4:Delivering feedback
Unit 5:Putting it into practice
Unit 6:Summary and close
Guide to Delivering Negative Feedback
The principles of giving effective negative feedback
The process of giving effective negative feedback
The tactics for giving effective negative feedback
Analysis of meetings
James and Kine
James and Judy
Karl and Li (1)
Karl and Li (2)
Observation sheet
The feedback
The delivery
Did the manager seek agreement?
Did the manager establish a review process?
Post-course test
Answers to post-course test
The four key principles
The five stages
Copyright
What you can do
The copyright in both this Leader’s Guide and the accompanying DVD belongs to Telephone Doctor, Inc. Licensing the DVD gives you certain rights to use the material. You may use the DVD in your own organization for training your own employees.
You may photocopy or otherwise reproduce all or part of this User’s Guide without Limit for use in your own organization. Any reproduction of this User’s Guide, or part thereof, must carry the notice: © Telephone Doctor, Inc.
You may edit and reproduce the PowerPoint® presentation for use in your own organization. Any reproduction of the PowerPoint® presentation must acknowledge Telephone Doctor, Inc. as the source.
You may host and deliver the DVD and this Leader’s Guide on your internal Intranet provided that you purchase an additional License from Telephone Doctor, Inc. to do so and provided that you observe the terms of that License.
What you cannot do
You may not copy the DVD, not even as a backup. We understand that DVDs can become unplayable due to scratching or other damage and so we will replace the DVD if it becomes unplayable within five years of purchase, even if this is the result of carelessness or accident. We will not charge for this but you need to return the unplayable DVD in order for us to replace it.
Acceptance of terms
By using the DVD or the material in this Leader’s Guide, you are deemed to have accepted these terms. If you do not accept them you should return the DVD without using it, for a full refund.How to use this program
What is in this program?
- DVD – Feedback: Fixing Performance Problems
- This manual
- PowerPoint® presentation
Who is the program for?
Any person who manages others.
What does the program do?
Develops awareness of the importance of giving negative feedback effectively
Develops understanding of the principles of giving negative feedback effectively
Develops skill in giving negative feedback effectively.
Detailed learning objectives can be found in the model training session.
How does this program achieve its objectives?
By providing a resource that your organization can use in several ways:
- For individual self-study
- As part of an existing training program
- As a one-day training session.
Individual self-study
You can give the DVD and a copy of A Guide to Delivering Negative feedback (on page 13) to an individual to view either on a computer or a DVD player. This will give the individual grounding in the subject or a reminder of the important principles.
In an existing training program
The program has been designed as a resource for you to use as you choose in your existing programs. You can use the DVD as a training video in the conventional sense. Or you can use the different meetings as the basis for exercises and discussions. We have provided you with an analysis of each meeting that you can use to prepare your own exercises. And you are welcome to use the PowerPoint® presentation and the component parts of this manual in any way that suits you.
A complete one-day training program
This manual contains trainer’s notes for a complete training session lasting one day.
Evaluation of learning
We have included a post-course test on page 23 along with an answer key on page 24. This will give you an indication of whether your participants have understood the key ideas. It will not help you assess whether their skill has improved but there is an exercise on page 11 which will help you to do this.
Introduction to the DVD
The story is set in a printing factory. The characters in the story are:
James: / General ManagerKarl: / Production Manager
Kine: / Administrative Assistant
Li: / Printing Press Operator
Judy: / Accountant
The Problem:
“Set-off” is a printing term. It occurs when the ink on a sheet of paper is not fully dry when the next sheet lands on top of it. This results in a faint image of the first sheet appearing on the second. The same thing sometimes happens with an office inkjet printer.
In the story, Li is producing work with set-off. His is actually the only machine in the plant that does not have an infra-red ink drier. This is not a problem so long as the machine does not run too fast. However, for high-speed work a machine with a drier is better as it means the sheets can stack up quickly without risk of set-off.
Karl knows that other press operators do not have this problem and he blames Li. In fact, Li could avoid the problem by operating the machine at a slower rate but he has decided not to because of what he sees as pressure from Karl and so runs the machine too fast, resulting in set-off.
Another problem area in the company is cash flow. The accountant, Judy, has taken a relaxed view of outstanding sums of money owed to the company. She has allowed the average length of time taken for people to pay the company to increase from sixty to sixty three days, straining the company’s cash resources.
In the sales department, Kine is failing to call customers in order to check their satisfaction levels with the service they are getting. This is leading to the company being out of touch with its customers and possibly missing sales opportunities.
James shows Karl how to address his problem with Li by illustrating the way he deals with his problems with Kine and Judy.
Using the DVD
The title screen of the DVD contains a number of Links. It also shows rotating images of the characters in the DVD. You may wish to show your participants these rotating images before beginning the DVD.
The Links on the title screen allow you several options. You can play the whole video; you can select just the meetings between Karl and Li, Kine and James or James and Judy.
The model training session on page 8 uses the individual meetings extensively and you should use the Links on the title page for this purpose.
Model Training Session
Learning Objectives
- Participants will be able to state the four key principles of giving effective negative feedback and will be able to write a short description of 250 words or less of what is meant by each one.
- Participants will be able to state the five stages of giving effective feedback and will be able to explain how to conduct each one in a short written answer of 250 words or less.
- Participants will be able to prepare a feedback session and demonstrate the principles and stages in a short role-play that will be observed by their peers.
Pre-course work
Write to your participants about a week before the course and ask them to prepare by considering the following question:
Think of an individual working for you whose performance is not exactly as you would like.
Describe your concern about this individual. In what way or ways does he or she not meet your expectations?
Ask your participants to jot down their thoughts in writing on this question and to bring their answers to the course.
Session plan
Allow ten minutes for welcoming participants and covering health and safety issues and housekeeping. Allow extra time for introductions if you do now know the participants.
Unit 1: The purpose of feedback
Preparation
Prepare for this unit by reading the analysis of the first interview between Karl and LI on page 20 and by reviewing the relevant section on page 13.
Delivering the unit
Explain that the session is going to start with an exploration of the purpose of negative feedback and that you are going to use a video segment to begin the discussion.
Show the video segment Karl and LI
Divide your group up into teams of three or four and ask the teams to discuss the following questions:
- What was the probable effect on LI of Karl’s feedback?
- Why might Karl have delivered his feedback in the way that he did?
- What do you think should be the purpose of giving negative feedback?
Allow ten minutes for this discussion.
Ask a representative from each group to summarize the group’s findings.
Explain that the main purpose of negative feedback is to bring about an improvement in performance. If the group has worked this out then you only need to reinforce the point. Otherwise check that everyone in the group is happy to accept this.
Unit 2: The four key principles
Preparation
Review the principles of feedback on pages 13 to 14.
Review the analysis of the interview between James and Kine on page 18.
Delivering the unit
Explain that a criticism is defined in Collins Dictionary as:
The act of making an unfavorable or severe judgment or comment.
A personal criticism is an unfavorable judgment or comment about a person.
Explain that you are about to show another example of giving negative feedback. Ask the group to pay particular attention to:
- How James starts the session
- What personal criticisms James makes of Kine
- What James is trying to do in the middle part of the session
- The way that James ends the session.
Show the video segment James and Kine
Q: What personal criticisms did James make of Kine?
A: He didn’t make any. He addressed the issue, which was that the work was not getting done. He stuck to the facts and avoided making any criticisms of Kine herself.
Q: How did James begin the session?
A: He began by saying that he had a concern, that he wanted to explain what it was and that he wanted to hear what Kine had to say about it.
Note: If you are not confident that the group remembers this clearly, show the first few moments of the segment again and then pause the DVD machine.
Q: What do they think the Likely effect on Kine was?
Q: How does this compare with the effect that Karl’s approach had on Li?
A: The start is crucial. If you start badly, the other person may simply not listen to what you say. You need to communicate that you have a concern and that you want to discuss it but you are not prejudging the situation.
Q: How did James continue the session?
A:● He set out the facts as he saw them
- He asked for a response
- He Listened and asked questions to understand Kine’s point of view
- He reached agreement on what the problem was
- He explored the options for dealing with the problem
- He agreed on a solution with Kine.
Q: How did James end the session?
A: He ended it by setting a date to review progress.
Conclusion: There are four key principles involved in giving effective feedback:
- Be clear and precise about the feedback you wish to give
- Focus on the facts, not the person
- Seek agreement
- Review progress.
Explain what you mean by each of these using the notes on pages 13 to 14.
Unit 3: Preparing to give feedback
Preparation
Review Clarify on page 15.
Delivering the unit
Remind the group of the purpose of negative feedback: to bring about an improvement in performance. Preparation should be done with this firmly in mind.
Prepare for feedback by:
- Defining a precise performance problem
- Planning the opening phrases
- Collecting supporting facts.
A precise performance problem is a statement in clear objective terms of what you expect the person to do and what they are actually doing.
Use the PowerPoint® presentation to show examples of precise performance problems and contrast these with the unsubstantiated statements of opinion on the following slide.
Divide your group into teams of three or four. Ask each team to come up with examples of precise performance problems from their own experience.
Ask a spokesperson from each team to present one of the precise performance problems that his or her team has discussed. Invite other members of the group to comment on the problem in terms of:
Is the statement precise?
Is it objective?
Is it clear?
If the statement fails any of these tests, invite the group to suggest ways in which it could be modified to meet them.
Explain that two powerful phrases for beginning a feedback session are:
What I had expected to see was…
What I am actually seeing is….
Explain from your reading of the section on Clarify why these are powerful phrases.
Ask the teams to devise opening statements using these phrases. Invite a spokesperson from each team to present the phrases his or her team has devised. Invite the other members of the group to comment on the effectiveness of the phrases.
Explain that another important aspect of preparing to give negative feedback is to prepare supporting data or evidence. This may take the form of incidents that the manager has observed or it may take the form of data from, for example, timekeeping records or records of production.
Invite the teams to discuss the supporting evidence that they would need to back up their statement of the precise performance problem they have identified and how they would go about collecting it.
Invite a spokesperson from each team to present the conclusions of his or her team and invite other members of the group to comment.
Unit 4: Delivering feedback
Show the video using the Play Whole Video option on the DVD menu.
Summarize the stages of giving negative feedback using the PowerPoint® slides.
Unit 5: Putting it into practice
Preparation
This is where you’ll use the pre-course work your participants have done.
Duplicate the observation sheets from page 22.
If necessary, prepare role-play briefs as described below.
Delivering the unit
Divide your participants into teams of three. (If the group is not divisible by three, create one team of four or one of two in order to ensure that everyone is in a team.)
This unit consists of observed role-plays. Each person in the team will conduct one session as the manager giving negative feedback, one as a person receiving feedback and one as an observer. (In the case of a team of four not every person will be able to experience every role but each person should participate in at least one role-play.)
If time is short that participants may only play one part in a role-play.
Ask one person in each team to be person “A”, one to be person “B” and one to be person “C”.
Explain that for the first role-play, person “A” is to be the manager, person “B” is to be the recipient of the feedback and person “C” is to be the observer.
Ask the person “A” team members to consider the example that they have prepared before the course. Ask them to explain the situation to their person “B”.
Note: (If participants have either not been able to prepare an example to use in advance, or if you would prefer not to use real examples, you will need to prepare short briefs to be used by the manager and the person being given the feedback.)
Once everyone is clear on his or her roles, allow ten minutes for preparation.
Now ask the pairs – the “A”s and “B”s to conduct the role-play while the “C”s observe. The “C”s should use the observation sheets to make notes.
Allow ten minutes for the role-play (longer if you judge it necessary) and then allow a further five to ten minutes for the observers to give their feedback on what they saw.
If there is a team of two, you should act as observer to this team yourself.
When everyone has given their feedback, repeat the process with “B”s giving feedback to “C”s and “C”s giving feedback to “A”s, with the third person observing.