The art of giving and receiving feedback. Another brilliant book by Gerald Weinberg.
As with all of the Weinberg books I have read so far the book is both fun and interesting. It discusses many myths regarding feedback and opens the eyes of the reader. It talks about both giving and receiving feedback which are closely connected. The main lessons learned for me is
- Timing: Give feedback when a situation arises, not a week or a year after.
- Shutting up: Do I really NEED to give feedback right now is this situation? Do I think the person will appreciate it or even listen? Or do I just believe that I have such important information that it is worth risking a relationsship telling it?
- Walking in their shoes: What if I was in their situation, how would I have acted? Maybe my understanding of a situation is totally wrong? Think about the reciever before opening your mouth!
- There is a big difference between observation and interpretation. Feedback can contain both parts but observation is often more useful and appreciated.
- Be specific and clear: if you wrap it up, it will likely be misunderstood.
- We can all get better by practicing! And that is very important for our personal and professional life
In my current It-project I realise that half of my work is about communicating with other people and feeback is a central part of that.
Read it!
The book can be bought new from Bingham House Books <binghamhousebooks@comcast.net>