LearnaBytes

Giving effective feedback is an integral aspect of a first-line manager’s job. In fact I will say no manager can be effective in their role if they can’t give effective feedback. Having said that, it is necessary for managers to learn how to give effective feedback and reading, Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower by Dr. Therese Huston is one way to learn about how to give good feedback. 

Written in an accessible and easy-to-understand way, this mid-sized book (with 295 pages) will help any manager master the basics of good feedback. It is packed full of great ideas and the easygoing writing style makes it an enjoyable read. I am not going to provide a detailed review here but here’s some information about the book:

It is split into two parts which are:

1. Part 1: Moving from a script to a real conversation. This part of the book has three chapters and which focus on the three kinds of feedback, good listening, the importance of expressing your intentions in conversations and giving feedback which focuses on the person and not the problem.
2. Part 2: The Practices. This part of the book is more practice with illustrations on how to give appreciation, coaching and evaluation feedback. So, it offers up a scenario and then explains how to tackle that scenario by giving good feedback

This is a book I definitely recommend for managers particularly new and first-line managers. It will affect your bank balance by about £9.99 if you buy a Kindle copy like me or £11.59 for a paperback copy.

Below I have summarised one lesson from the book into a 1-page poster (you can get a PDF copy of the poster here)

Yesterday I wrote about a virtual activity that you can use to run a session to introduce managers to the three types of feedback. You can read that post here.