Get Honest FEEDBACK

It is difficult but essential to get honest feedback if you wish to improve your skills, a product, service or your organisation.  

          Your success may depend on seeking honest feedback and acting on it to make continuous improvements.

          Sound feedback can also act as an early warning system alerting you to potential problems and grievances.

          You can improve the business by asking three simple questions. “What did we do right?” What did we do wrong?” “How can we improve next time?”

Five of the best tips to get honest feedback

*Always be honest

          Talk honestly with staff and clients if you want to get honest answers in return.

* Be suspicious of excess feedback

          If you keep getting only positive feedback you should realise it may not be the whole truth.

          Learn to accept helpful criticism and appreciate constructive feedback.  

* Make the most of social events 

          Network at social events to gather information.    Ask basic questions such as ‘What’, ‘Why’, ‘When’, ‘Where’, ‘How’ and ‘How much’ if you want a true evaluation of your products or services. Use lead-ins such as…‘What do you think about….’   ‘Are you happy with …’ 

* Set up formal surveys to collect opinions and facts

          Plan feedback meetings and attitude surveys; carry out sample polls; set up focus groups to collect opinions and new information.

          Invite electronic feedback and comments. People will often tell you things online they would not tell you face to face.

          If you survey specific groups to collect opinions, try to use peer group surveyors.  They usually have a better rapport with the people being surveyed so are more likely to get the information you need.  

* Reward people for valuable feedback

          A sincere ‘Thank you. Your views are greatly appreciated’, is an easy way to acknowledge their effort.  

          Clients, staff, suppliers and potential customers can be rewarded with small gifts. Such gestures often encourage people to supply future feedback.

          Always make provision for feedback to ensure all teams are committed to agreed objectives and strategies.

          Feedback is the key to improvement.

Encourage honest feedback – don’t be defensive if it contains criticism.

–Geoffrey Moss

“Keep asking yourself, ‘How could I have done better.'”         

Source: “Time-Savers”, Moss Associates Ltd, New Zealand (www.mossassociate.co.nz) and “Time Management Secrets”, Cengage Learning Asia, Singapore and as a Times Business Book, Federal Publications, and McGraw-Hill Australia. Also available as an E-book from Amazon.com.