New Scientist - 29.02.2020

54 | New Scientist | 29 February 2020

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The back pages Almost the last word

MIRCEA MIHAI PU_CA/ALAMY

Room for improvement

When giving negative feedback,

is it better to start with the

admonition and end with a

compliment, or vice versa?

Gillian Peall

Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK

Definitely give the compliment

first. Knowing you have done

something right may make the

negative feedback more

acceptable. Giving the bad news

first can make the compliment

seem patronising or

condescending.

Julia Barrett

Oakhill, Somerset, UK

When I ran my company, I used

a technique called sandwich

criticism. You start by

commenting on something good

about the person, then move

to the negative and finish on

a positive. If you start with a

negative, a person’s defences

go up and they can hardly hear

anything else you say. This is

also true about the use of “but”

or “however” as they are triggers

for defensive behaviours.

There are those who say that

this method is rather stale and

can sound contrived, but it is up

to you to make sure that it isn’t.

Ron Dippold

San Diego, California, US

It depends on the severity of the

issue, and the sensitivity of the

recipient. A repeat bad actor will

grasp any compliment as a straw

to continue their behaviour, so it

may be counterproductive.

For best results, the answer

is to do both, also known as

bookending. Offer a compliment, 

give the admonition, describe

what bad effects it has for them 

and other people, then end with

the positive benefits of fixing

the issue.

Robert Willis

Nanaimo, British Columbia,

Canada

Various studies have found that

employees want more feedback,

not less. A global survey by

OfficeVibe in 2016 found that

82 per cent of employees

appreciate feedback, whether

it is positive or negative.

Standard advice used to be to

“sandwich” negative feedback

between positive comments.

This has been shown to be less

than effective: employees quickly

recognise that the positives are

only window dressing and so all

comments are considered dubious

and disingenuous.

Tactful honesty is the best

approach. Being direct and polite

makes employees feel respected.

Constructive criticism offers both

a critique and a solution. Research

shows that people don’t quit jobs,

they quit managers. Learning

appropriate people skills can go a

long way.

Tim Lewis

Landshipping,

Pembrokeshire, UK

The classical sandwich of praise,

criticism, praise often fails as the

employees cotton on. Asking the

employee if they are open to

feedback and then asking them

for comments on their own

behaviour or performance, good

or bad, is more productive.

Terry Gillen

Tring, Hertfordshire, UK

Neither. The problem with

mixing  praise and criticism

is that the feedback becomes

“contaminated”, causing

confusion. A more effective

approach is to begin with an

objective acknowledgement

with which both parties can agree.

Then state clearly the change you

want, and finally provide a reason

to make the change.

As I said to my son once when

he was very young and angry with

me: “When you speak to me like

that, I have difficulty listening to

you. If you take a few deep breaths

and say it again in your normal

tone of voice, I promise I’ll listen.”

Simon Phillips

London, UK

I’ve spent countless hours in

training sessions on giving

feedback. One thing seems clear:

the order in which you give

feedback doesn’t really matter.

What’s important are your

intentions and soft skills.

Do you genuinely want to

help the other person by kindly

indicating where improvements

could be made?

Are you sensitive to the other

person’s feelings? Can you see

their point of view or sense when

someone is becoming defensive?

If the conversational flow needs

to change, do you have the words

ready to effect that change? Can

you be funny or engaging? Can

you use eye contact and friendly

body language to reassure?

If you can master such skills,

the order in which you deliver

feedback becomes  irrelevant.

Pauline Grant,

Business psychologist

Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, UK

Please consider carefully if

feedback is needed at all. If

someone has behaved in a way

you judge to be substandard or

inappropriate, check first how

they view the situation. Ask

questions – real, open questions –

and listen to the answers.

Mostly we know if we have

made a mistake, and someone

else pointing it out is at best

unnecessary and at worst deeply

patronising. If they don’t know

that they have made a mistake,

it may be that a conversation is

appropriate. The result will tell

you if your feedback is likely to be

helpful. Finally, being open and

humble will always help with

the outcome. ❚

This week’s new questions

Level crossing On a hike, I walked across a narrow plank over

a stream without breaking step. I then instinctively felt that if

there had been a 100-metre drop on either side, I would have

wobbled badly. Why? Tom Allen, Beaconsfield,

Buckinghamshire, UK

Aural enhancement Do people with larger ears have better

hearing? Russell Wells, Bunbury, Western Australia

Would you walk across

this plank if there was a

100-met re drop?