How can feedback help you identify and address common interpersonal skills gaps?

1 What is feedback?

Feedback is the process of giving and receiving information about one's actions, behaviors, or outcomes. Feedback can be formal or informal, positive or negative, direct or indirect, verbal or non-verbal, and solicited or unsolicited. Feedback can come from various sources, such as managers, peers, customers, mentors, or yourself. Feedback can help you learn from your experiences, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and adjust your actions accordingly.

2 Why is feedback important for interpersonal skills?

Feedback is important for interpersonal skills as it can help you understand how you are perceived and how you affect others. It can also help you recognize and appreciate your interpersonal skills achievements, identify and address your interpersonal skills gaps, develop and implement action plans to enhance your interpersonal skills, monitor and evaluate your progress, build trust, rapport, and respect with others, and increase your self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-regulation.

3 How to ask for feedback?

Asking for feedback can be intimidating, but it can also demonstrate your eagerness to learn and develop. To make the process easier, be specific and clear about what type of feedback you're looking for and why. Additionally, select a good time and place to ask for feedback. Ask open-ended questions that encourage constructive and honest responses. Listen actively without interrupting or defending yourself, and express gratitude for the feedback received. If needed, ask for clarification or examples to better understand the feedback. Finally, summarize and confirm what you’ve heard to ensure accuracy.

4 How to give feedback?

Giving feedback can be challenging, especially when you want to maintain the relationship without hurting someone's feelings. However, providing feedback can demonstrate your care and respect for the other person. To give effective feedback, it is important to be timely and relevant, as well as specific and factual. Additionally, strive to be balanced and fair with your feedback, and keep it positive and constructive. Utilizing the sandwich method - starting with something positive, then stating the issue or concern, and ending with something positive - or the I-statements - focusing on your observations, feelings, and needs - can help you in this process. Finally, you can use the SBI model to describe the situation, the behavior, and its impact before giving feedback. Make sure to always ask for permission before giving feedback.

5 How to receive feedback?

Receiving feedback can be difficult, but it can also help you grow and improve. To make the most of feedback, try to adopt a growth mindset and have a positive attitude towards it. Be curious and eager to learn, and be respectful and courteous to the feedback giver. Avoid taking it personally or emotionally, and don't argue or dismiss it. Ask questions and seek examples to understand the feedback better. Reflect on it objectively and critically, then decide what to do with it: accept, reject, or modify. Finally, take action and follow up on the feedback.

6 How to use feedback to improve your interpersonal skills?

Feedback can be an effective tool for improving your interpersonal skills, but only if you use it correctly and consistently. To do this, you should first identify your interpersonal skills goals and expectations. Then, seek feedback from multiple and diverse sources and review it regularly. After that, identify your strengths and areas for improvement, then create a SMART action plan to address them. Consider seeking support from mentors, coaches, or peers to help you practice your interpersonal skills in different situations and contexts. Finally, monitor your progress and measure your outcomes to celebrate and reward your successes.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?