Honored to be Quoted in Fast Company – Shari Harley
I’m honored to have been quoted in Fast Company’s article on how to give negative feedback. Check it out.
EVEN WHEN YOUR INTENTIONS ARE GOOD, IT CAN BE TOUGH TO GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.
Constructive criticism also brings out defensiveness. “Human beings are hardwired to defend themselves when receiving negative feedback,” says Shari Harley, founder and president of the management-training firm Candid Culture and author of How to Say Anything to Anyone: A Guide to Building Business Relationships That Really Work. “You can’t eliminate people’s defensive reactions to negative feedback, but you can reduce it, making feedback easier to hear and act upon,” she says.
4. Don’t “save up” your negative feedback
People often hoard feedback until a situation becomes so frustrating that they can’t help but speak up, says Harley. “Because they waited too long to say what they think, many more words come tumbling out than is either necessary or helpful.”
Instead, make it a practice to give small amounts of feedback at a time—one or two strengths and areas for improvement during a conversation. People cannot focus on more than one or two things at a time, says Harley.
5. Be timely but not immediate
Give feedback close to the time of an event, but not when you’re upset, says Harley.
“The time to fix a problem is when no one is upset,” she says. “I call this practice the 24-hour guideline and the one-week rule: Wait 24 hours to give feedback if you’re upset, but not longer than a week after an event occurs.”
6. Finally, be discreet
“Praise in public, criticize in private,” says Harley. Make sure all negative feedback discussions happen behind a closed door.
Click here to read the entire article at FastCompany.com.
About Shari Harley
Shari Harley is the founder and President of Candid Culture, a Denver-based training firm that is bringing candor back to the workplace, making it easier to give feedback at work. Shari is the author of the business communication book How to Say Anything to Anyone: A Guide to Building Business Relationships that Really Work. She is a keynote speaker at conferences and does training throughout the U.S. Learn more about Shari Harley and Candid Culture’s training programs at www.candidculture.com.
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Tags: fast company, giving and receiving criticism, giving negative feedback, giving positive feedback, negative feedback, positive feedback, receiving criticism, shari harley
Congratulations Shari! Well deserved, and a great platform for getting your important message out to a broader audience.
Anne,
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your support!
Shari
I have been fortunate to attend two of Shari Harley’s presentations this year through City of Longmont. After the second presentation ( for supervisor’s) I came back to my office where I was training a new temporary person and tried some of the suggestions!
Mainly, honest recognition of specific actions. Worked very well, a positive experience.
Hi Sue,
Great to hear from you! I’m so glad you’ve found our training useful. That’s excellent. Thanks for letting me know! Shari