This article has been accepted for publication in the May 2004 issue of Executive Branch, the newsletter for the Maryland Society of Association Executives

10 Do’s And Don’ts For Giving Critical Performance Feedback
By Barbara Brown, PhD

If you cringe when you have to criticize a staff member’s performance, you are not alone. Few executives eagerly anticipate such discussions. Still, they must occur. So the goal is to make sure critical feedback is constructive and moves the person toward rather than away from improved performance. When you use a constructive approach, staff members gain a clearer understanding of performance expectations and how to achieve them. The result is improved job performance as well as enhanced professional and personal development.

Use these Do’s and Don’ts to keep your criticism constructive:

Do: Describe the staff member’s behavior
Don’t: Describe your emotional reaction to the behavior

Do: Use concrete terms for a particular problem-specify what did or did not happen and when it happened
Don’t: Use vague terms or attack the entire character of the person

Do: Describe the behavior, not the “motive”
Don’t: Guess “motives” or “goals”

Do: Request a small change
Don’t: Ask for too large or too many changes

Do: Specify the concrete actions you want stopped, started, or improved
Don’t: Merely “imply” that you’d like a change to happen

Do: Specify (If appropriate) what changes you are willing to make to facilitate the improvement
Don’t: Consider that only the other person must change

Do: Reaffirm the other person’s ability to make the change
Don’t: Say that you doubt their ability to change

Do: Deliver critical feedback in private
Don’t: Deliver critical feedback in public

Do: Deliver critical feedback when you are calm and focused
Don’t: Deliver critical feedback when you are angry or irritated

Do: End on a positive note
Don’t: Send them away concentrating on what you said rather than what they did

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