84 unit 2 | Working Within the Organization
for both positive and negative messages. For exam-
ple, if you tell a coworker, “That was a good patient
interview,” you have told that person only that the
interview pleased you. However, when you add,
“because you asked open-ended questions that
encouraged the patient to explore personal feel-
ings,” you have identified and reinforced this spe-
cific behavior that made your evaluation positive.
Finally, use broad and generally accepted stan-
dards for making judgments as much as possible
rather than basing evaluation on your personal
likes and dislikes. Objectivity can be increased by
using standards that reflect the consensus of the
team, the organization, the community, or the
nursing profession. Formal evaluation is based
on commonly accepted, written standards of
behavior. Informal evaluation, however, is based
on unwritten standards. If these unwritten stan-
dards are based on personal preferences, the eval-
uation will be highly subjective. The following
are examples:
■A team leader who describes a female social
worker as having a professional appearance
because she wears muted suits instead of bright
dresses to work is using a personal standard to
evaluate that social worker.
■A supervisor who asks an employee to stop
wearing jewelry that could get caught in the
equipment used at work is applying a standard
for safety in making the evaluative statement.
Base Feedback on Observable Behavior
An evaluative statement should describe observed
performance, not your interpretation of another’s
behavior. For example, saying, “You were impatient
with Mrs. G. today” is an interpretive comment.
Saying, “You interrupted Mrs. G. before she finished
explaining her problem” is based on observable
behavior. The second statement is more specific and
may be more accurate because the caregiver may
have been trying to redirect the conversation to more
immediate concerns rather than being impatient.
The latter statement is also more likely to evoke an
explanation than a defensive response.
Include Suggestions for Change
When you give feedback that indicates that some
kind of change in behavior is needed, it is helpful to
suggest some alternative behaviors. This is easier to
do when the change is a simple one.
When complex change is needed (as with
Mr. S. below), you may find that the person is aware
of the problem but does not know how to solve it.
In such a case, offering to engage in searching for
the solution is appropriate. A willingness to listen
to the other person’s side of the story and assist in
finding a solution indicates that your purpose is to
help rather than to criticize.Accept Feedback in Return
An evaluative statement is a form of confrontation.
Any message that contains a statement about the
behavior of a staff member confronts that staff
member with his or her behavior. The leader who
gives evaluative feedback needs to be prepared to
receive feedback in return and to engage in active
listening. Active listening is especially important
because the person receiving the evaluation may
respond with intense emotion. The following is an
example of what may happen:
You point out to Mr. S. that his clients need to be mon-
itored more frequently. Mr. S. responds, with some
agitation, that he is doing everything possible for the
patients and does not have a free moment all day for
one extra thing. In fact, Mr. S. tells you, he never even
takes a lunch break and goes home exhausted. Active
listening and problem solving aimed at relieving his
overloaded time schedule are a must in this situation.
When you give negative feedback, allow time for the
receiver to express his or her opinions and for problem
solving. This is particularly important if the problem
has been ignored or has become serious (Box 6-6).Seeking Evaluative Feedback
It is equally important to be able to accept con-
structive The reasons for seeking feedback are the
same as those for giving it to others. The criteriabox 6-6
TACTFUL Guidelines for Providing
Negative Feedback
T: Think before you speak.
A: Apologize quickly if you make a mistake.
C: Converse; do not be patronizing or sarcastic.
T: Time your comments carefully.
F: Focus on behavior, not on personality.
U: Uncover hidden feelings.
L: Listen for feedback.