Lesson 5.4
Giving & Receiving Feedback
Estimated time: 7 minutes
Feedback is information intended to help someone understand what is working or what needs to improve.
It should not automatically mean:
“You are a bad employee.”
Better Feedback Focuses on Behavior
Compare:
Poor
“You are careless.”
Better
“Three customer orders this week were sent without the delivery number. Please check that field before marking the order ready.”
The second statement identifies:
- the behavior
- the problem
- the expected correction
Receiving Feedback
When someone gives you feedback, try not to answer before understanding it.
Possible responses include:
“Can you show me which part was incorrect?”
“I understand. What should I do differently next time?”
“I wasn’t aware of that. Thank you for explaining.”
You do not have to agree with every criticism automatically.
If something is inaccurate, you can clarify professionally.
Scenario
A supervisor says:
“You did not update the customer yesterday.”
The employee knows she sent an update at 4 PM.
Instead of:
“That’s a lie!”
she can say:
“I did send an update at 4 PM. Let me show you the message so we can clarify what happened.”
Professional disagreement and evidence can exist together.
More Workplace Examples
Respectful correction
A supervisor notices a missing field on a booking record.
BETTER RESPONSE
Workplace situation
An employee answers feedback with, “You always pick on me,” before checking the example.
BETTER RESPONSE
“Can you show me the record you mean? I want to understand what needs correcting.”
Workplace situation
A manager says, “Your work needs to be better,” but gives no example.
BETTER RESPONSE
“The last two reports omitted the totals. Please include the totals and check them before submission.” The employee can ask for a sample if the expected format is still unclear.
Remember
Feedback should address behavior and expectations—not destroy dignity.
Module 6 will go deeper into humiliation, intimidation and abusive correction.