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16 constructive feedback examples — and tips for how to use them

Giving constructive feedback is nerve-wracking for many people. But feedback is also necessary for thriving in the workplace. 

It helps people flex and grow into new skills, capabilities, and roles. It creates more positive and productive relationships between employees. And it helps to reach goals and drive business value.

But feedback is a two-way street. More often than not, it’s likely every employee will have to give constructive feedback in their careers. That’s why it’s helpful to have constructive feedback examples to leverage for the right situation. 

We know employees want feedback. But one study found that people want feedback if they’re on the receiving end . In fact, in every case, participants rated their desire for feedback higher as the receiver. While the fear of feedback is very real, it’s important to not shy away from constructive feedback opportunities. After all, it could be the difference between a flailing and thriving team. 

If you’re trying to overcome your fear of providing feedback, we’ve compiled a list of 16 constructive feedback examples for you to use. We’ll also share some best practices on how to give effective feedback . 

What is constructive feedback? 

When you hear the word feedback, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? What feelings do you have associated with feedback? Oftentimes, feedback conversations are anxiety-ridden because it’s assumed to be negative feedback. Unfortunately, feedback has this binary stigma, it’s either good or bad.

But in reality, there are plenty of types of feedback leveraged in both personal and professional relationships. They don’t all fall into one camp or the other. And each type of feedback is serving a purpose to ultimately better an individual, team, or work environment. 

For example, positive feedback can be used to reinforce desired behaviors or big accomplishments. Real-time feedback is reserved for those “in the moment” situations. Like if I’ve made a mistake or a typo in a blog, I’d want my teammates to give me real-time feedback . 

However, constructive feedback is its own ball game. 

What is constructive feedback?

Constructive feedback is a supportive way to improve areas of opportunity for an individual person, team, relationship, or environment. In many ways, constructive feedback is a combination of constructive criticism paired with coaching skills. 

16 constructive feedback examples to use 

To truly invest in building a feedback culture , your employees need to feel comfortable giving feedback. After all, organizations are people, which means we’re all human. We make mistakes but we’re all capable of growth and development. And most importantly, everyone everywhere should be able to live with more purpose, clarity, and passion. 

But we won’t unlock everyone’s full potential unless your people are comfortable giving feedback. Some employee feedback might be easier to give than others, like ways to improve a presentation. 

But sometimes, constructive feedback can be tricky, like managing conflict between team members or addressing negative behavior. As any leader will tell you, it’s critical to address negative behaviors and redirect them to positive outcomes. Letting toxic behavior go unchecked can lead to issues with employee engagement , company culture, and overall, your business’s bottom line. 

Regardless of where on the feedback spectrum your organization falls, having concrete examples will help set up your people for success. Let’s talk through some examples of constructive feedback. For any of these themes, it’s always good to have specific examples handy to help reinforce the feedback you’re giving. We’ll also give some sample scenarios of when these phrases might be most impactful and appropriate. 

Constructive feedback examples about communication skills  

An employee speaks over others and interrupts in team meetings.

“I’ve noticed you can cut off team members or interrupt others. You share plenty of good ideas and do good work. To share some communication feedback , I’d love to see how you can support others in voicing their own ideas in our team meetings.” 

An employee who doesn’t speak up or share ideas in team meetings.

“I’ve noticed that you don’t often share ideas in big meetings. But in our one-on-one meetings , you come up with plenty of meaningful and creative ideas to help solve problems. What can I do to help make you more comfortable speaking up in front of the team?” 

An employee who is brutally honest and blunt.

“Last week, I noticed you told a teammate that their work wasn’t useful to you. It might be true that their work isn’t contributing to your work, but there’s other work being spread across the team that will help us reach our organizational goals. I’d love to work with you on ways to improve your communication skills to help build your feedback skills, too. Would you be interested in pursuing some professional development opportunities?”  

An employee who has trouble building rapport because of poor communication skills in customer and prospect meetings.

“I’ve noticed you dive right into the presentation with our customer and prospect meetings. To build a relationship and rapport, it’s good to make sure we’re getting to know everyone as people. Why don’t you try learning more about their work, priorities, and life outside of the office in our next meeting?” 

Constructive feedback examples about collaboration 

An employee who doesn’t hold to their commitments on group or team projects.

“I noticed I asked you for a deliverable on this key project by the end of last week. I still haven’t received this deliverable and wanted to follow up. If a deadline doesn’t work well with your bandwidth, would you be able to check in with me? I’d love to get a good idea of what you can commit to without overloading your workload.”  

An employee who likes to gatekeep or protect their work, which hurts productivity and teamwork .

“Our teams have been working together on this cross-functional project for a couple of months. But yesterday, we learned that your team came across a roadblock last month that hasn’t been resolved. I’d love to be a partner to you if you hit any issues in reaching our goals. Would you be willing to share your project plan or help provide some more visibility into your team’s work? I think it would help us with problem-solving and preventing problems down the line.” 

An employee who dominates a cross-functional project and doesn’t often accept new ways of doing things.

“I’ve noticed that two team members have voiced ideas that you have shut down. In the spirit of giving honest feedback, it feels like ideas or new solutions to problems aren’t welcome. Is there a way we could explore some of these ideas? I think it would help to show that we’re team players and want to encourage everyone’s contributions to this project.” 

Constructive feedback examples about time management 

An employee who is always late to morning meetings or one-on-ones.

“I’ve noticed that you’re often late to our morning meetings with the rest of the team. Sometimes, you’re late to our one-on-ones, too. Is there a way I can help you with building better time management skills ? Sometimes, the tardiness can come off like you don’t care about the meeting or the person you’re meeting with, which I know you don’t mean.” 

A direct report who struggles to meet deadlines.

“Thanks for letting me know you’re running behind schedule and need an extension. I’ve noticed this is the third time you’ve asked for an extension in the past two weeks. In our next one-on-one, can you come up with a list of projects and the amount of time that you’re spending on each project? I wonder if we can see how you’re managing your time and identify efficiencies.” 

An employee who continuously misses team meetings.

“I’ve noticed you haven’t been present at the last few team meetings. I wanted to check in to see how things are going. What do you have on your plate right now? I’m concerned you’re missing critical information that can help you in your role and your career.” 

Constructive feedback examples about boundaries 

A manager who expects the entire team to work on weekends.

“I’ve noticed you send us emails and project plans over the weekends. I put in a lot of hard work during the week, and won’t be able to answer your emails until the work week starts again. It’s important that I maintain my work-life balance to be able to perform my best.” 

An employee who delegates work to other team members.

“I’ve noticed you’ve delegated some aspects of this project that fall into your scope of work. I have a full plate with my responsibilities in XYZ right now. But if you need assistance, it might be worth bringing up your workload to our manager.” 

A direct report who is stressed about employee performance but is at risk of burning out.

“I know we have performance reviews coming up and I’ve noticed an increase in working hours for you. I hope you know that I recognize your work ethic but it’s important that you prioritize your work-life balance, too. We don’t want you to burn out.”  

Constructive feedback examples about managing 

A leader who is struggling with team members working together well in group settings.

“I’ve noticed your team’s scores on our employee engagement surveys. It seems like they don’t collaborate well or work well in group settings, given their feedback. Let’s work on building some leadership skills to help build trust within your team.” 

A leader who is struggling to engage their remote team.

“In my last skip-levels with your team, I heard some feedback about the lack of connections . It sounds like some of your team members feel isolated, especially in this remote environment. Let’s work on ways we can put some virtual team-building activities together.” 

A leader who is micromanaging , damaging employee morale.

“In the last employee engagement pulse survey, I took a look at the leadership feedback. It sounds like some of your employees feel that you micromanage them, which can damage trust and employee engagement. In our next one-on-one, let’s talk through some projects that you can step back from and delegate to one of your direct reports. We want to make sure employees on your team feel ownership and autonomy over their work.” 

8 tips for providing constructive feedback 

Asking for and receiving feedback isn’t an easy task. 

But as we know, more people would prefer to receive feedback than give it. If giving constructive feedback feels daunting, we’ve rounded up eight tips to help ease your nerves. These best practices can help make sure you’re nailing your feedback delivery for optimal results, too.

Be clear and direct (without being brutally honest). Make sure you’re clear, concise, and direct. Dancing around the topic isn’t helpful for you or the person you’re giving feedback to. 

Provide specific examples. Get really specific and cite recent examples. If you’re vague and high-level, the employee might not connect feedback with their actions.

Set goals for the behavior you’d like to see changed. If there’s a behavior that’s consistent, try setting a goal with your employee. For example, let’s say a team member dominates the conversation in team meetings. Could you set a goal for how many times they encourage other team members to speak and share their ideas? 

Give time and space for clarifying questions. Constructive feedback can be hard to hear. It can also take some time to process. Make sure you give the person the time and space for questions and follow-up. 

Know when to give feedback in person versus written communication. Some constructive feedback simply shouldn’t be put in an email or a Slack message. Know the right communication forum to deliver your feedback.   

Check-in. Make an intentional effort to check in with the person on how they’re doing in the respective area of feedback. For example, let’s say you’ve given a teammate feedback on their presentation skills . Follow up on how they’ve invested in building their public speaking skills . Ask if you can help them practice before a big meeting or presentation. 

Ask for feedback in return. Feedback can feel hierarchical and top-down sometimes. Make sure that you open the door to gather feedback in return from your employees. 

Start giving effective constructive feedback 

Meaningful feedback can be the difference between a flailing and thriving team. To create a feedback culture in your organization, constructive feedback is a necessary ingredient. 

Think about the role of coaching to help build feedback muscles with your employees. With access to virtual coaching , you can make sure your employees are set up for success. BetterUp can help your workforce reach its full potential.

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Madeline Miles

Madeline is a writer, communicator, and storyteller who is passionate about using words to help drive positive change. She holds a bachelor's in English Creative Writing and Communication Studies and lives in Denver, Colorado. In her spare time, she's usually somewhere outside (preferably in the mountains) — and enjoys poetry and fiction.

5 types of feedback that make a difference (and how to use them)

Are you receptive to feedback follow this step-by-step guide, how to give constructive feedback as a manager, handle feedback like a boss and make it work for you, should you use the feedback sandwich 7 pros and cons, how to give positive comments to your boss, why coworker feedback is so important and 5 ways to give it, how managers get upward feedback from their team, how to give negative feedback to a manager, with examples, 30 customer service review examples to develop your team, how to give feedback using this 4-step framework, how to embrace constructive conflict, 15 ways to fight off the sunday scaries, 25 performance review questions (and how to use them), stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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Speech evaluation: getting good feedback

How to give & get useful feedback, plus a printable public speaking evaluation form

By:  Susan Dugdale   | Last modified: 06-08-2023

Did you know that receiving an informed speech evaluation is an invaluable part of developing public speaking competence and confidence?

Even though it might seem scary to ask for, and then to receive, specific suggestions and comments about what you've done, how else do you learn what worked and what needs further refinement?

If you want to move forward, to improve your presentation skills, receiving, and giving, good feedback is vital.

Use this page to find out more

If you want informative feedback and you're not a member of a public speaking club, this page is for you. 

You'll find out how a speech is formally assessed:

• the aspects/areas focused on  in an evaluation,
• the 5-point sliding scale used to rate performance ,
• how to get a meaningful speech evaluation ,
• how to use an evaluation to improve your performance
• and there's a  printable public speaking evaluation form to download.

What is a good speech evaluation? 

And how do you get one.

Unfortunately there are few situations outside of specialist public speaking programs, like those in schools, or clubs like Toastmasters International , where you can get a thorough and useful speech evaluation.

Despite the ability to present well being recognized as a desirable skill it's seldom encouraged with careful, thoughtful feedback. Often the most you can hope for is a generalized " It was OK ", " Great ", or the dreaded: " Mmm, perhaps we'll give xxx a turn next time " type of comment.

Nice or nasty, it doesn't tell you anything useful.

What is rated in a speech evaluation?

The areas most commonly focused on are:

• Did it capture attention & interest?
• Was the topic introduced clearly?
• Was the topic related to the audience?
• Did the speaker have topic-credibility?
• Was the body of the speech previewed?
• Were the main points clear?
• Were the main points supported?
• Were the main points logically presented?
• Were the transitions between main points clear & effective?
• Was the transition to the end of the speech signaled?
• Was there a summary of principal points?
• Was there an effective close and/or call to action?
• Was the language used appropriate for the topic & the audience
• Was the language varied?
• Were the notes, visual aids etc. organized before the start?
• Was the beginning poised?
• Was there good use of eye contact?
• Was the body language (posture & gesture) controlled & effective?
• Was the speaking rate flexible & effective?
• Was the speaking volume appropriate & varied?
• Was there fluency, an absence of fillers like 'ahs' & 'ums'?
• Was vocal variety used, changes in pitch & tone, & good use of pausing?
• Did the speaker show enthusiasm for the topic?
• Were there visual aids & were they appropriate & integrated into the speech?
• Did the speech finish with poise?

Overall evaluation

• Did the speaker achieve the assignment's purpose?
• Was the topic researched?
• Did the topic adapt well to the audience?
• Were the audience interested?
• Was the speech completed within the time limit?

How are these areas/aspects rated?

In a formal speech evaluation , such as one done by a teacher in a high school public speaking class, variations on a sliding scale are used.

The most common is a  5 point scale :

• P  (poor)
• F  (fair)
• A  (average)
• G  (good)
• E  (excellent)

You can see this scale in use on the downloadable public speaking evaluation form available from the link at the foot of the page.

The person doing the rating will actively listen and watch the speech evaluating each element.

The final assessment will generally show a range (up and down the scale) over most of the aspects. Therefore a speech can be seen to be  'good'  in some areas,  'excellent'  in others and perhaps  'fair'  in one or two.

Getting a thorough speech evaluation

If you're not in a public speaking class or a member of an organization like Toastmasters International and the people you work with don't provide criteria-based feedback you have two options.

• find a class or a  Toastmasters  group in your area.
• organize your own feedback givers using the information outlined above with the suggestions below.

Organizing you own speech evaluators

• Ask a person whose judgement and maturity you respect whether they'll accept the role, and be present at your next speech or presentation. Perhaps you can team up with them and trade evaluations taking turn about. 
• Download and print off several copies of the speech evaluation form.
• Go through the form with your evaluator explaining the process. Highlight any areas you particularly want noticed.
• Establish how you want the rating scale interpreted. A good way to set the benchmark is to listen to an excellent speaker. You could choose one from here:  The Top 100 American Speeches
• Have your evaluator listen to your speech and provide feedback  before  you give it in front of an audience. This will provide a foundation for their comments when they complete your speech evaluation 'proper'.

Working with your speech evaluation

You've got your evaluation. Now what do you with it?

Go through it with your evaluator. Bear in mind  before  you do:

• that an evaluation is an opinion. At best it is an informed one with knowledge and experience behind it.   If you find areas you disagree over, do try and understand them from the evaluator's point of view. Often what we  think  we do and what we  actually do  are two completely different things.
• that a poor or fair rating represents an opportunity to develop rather than a reason to give up public speaking.

Use the ratings as a guide on where to focus your energy.

For example, if you're rated well on the delivery items but have fallen on the content, (introduction, body, conclusion), you know that for your next speech you'll spend the bulk of your preparation time organizing your content.

Keep your completed speech evaluation forms. It's great to be able to refer back to them to see how far you've come and it's interesting to compare how different evaluators pick up on different aspects to comment on.

Toastmasters International

For more information on the importance of evaluations and the role they play in improving public speaking skills visit Toastmasters International - Effective Evaluation .

I got my first really helpful feedback once I joined Toastmasters. It didn't happen as part of my teacher training, which is extraordinary given that teaching IS presentation.

Neither was it part of other work places I got to know. 

Good presentation skills are not innate. Like other skills they need to be learned.  Giving and receiving evaluations will speed your progress. 

Download a printable speech evaluation form

It's simple to use & suitable for:

• students  wanting to know more about the assessment criteria for their prepared speeches
• anybody wanting structured feedback on their public speaking.

The form lists all the important elements that collectively make a successful speech alongside a 5 point rating scale. Download the speech evaluation form

Do you want to know more about planning, writing and rehearsing speeches?

• Here's a sample speech outline page. It has a handy downloadable blank speech outline form ready and waiting for your notes.
• You'll find more about planning your speech here. This page takes you through the sequence of planning decisions and shows you how they are guided by knowledge of your audience.
• When you've done all your planning you can find out about how to write your speech
• And then it's fun time. Find out how to rehearse. Yes, practice does make perfect!
• Return to top of the speech evaluation page

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How to Effectively Give Constructive Feedback [with 70+ Examples]

For professionals who hold supervisory or administrative positions, there will come a time when you need to give your employees feedback on their performance or behavior within the company. In these situations, phrasing and tone play big roles in how your message is received and acted on. 

It is human nature to make mistakes, and the best supervisors and administrators understand this fact. Supervisors understand that while feedback can technically be given in any form and through any medium, constructive feedback is the best way to ensure that your ideas are received in the manner that you intend and provides your employees with the support they need to improve in the future. 

In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about giving the best form of constructive feedback - from delivery techniques to many examples to draw inspiration from!

TABLE OF CONTENT

What is Constructive Feedback?

How to give constructive feedback, 72 constructive feedback examples.

Constructive feedback refers to the thoughtful and specific comments on performance and behavior that supervisors and administrators give to their employees. Constructive feedback should always be explicitly clear, adopt a positive tone, and should provide clear and actionable steps that can be implemented by the recipient. Constructive feedback is critical in fostering a positive work environment and professional growth, as it provides support to employees who are not performing at the expected level and recognizes those who perform above and beyond their station. 

Constructive feedback differs clearly from destructive feedback. As the latter’s name implies, destructive feedback admonishes negatively and does not facilitate implementation on behalf of the recipient. This is because the employee is likely to feel attacked and uncomfortable in the situation and may even be confused about what exactly to do. On the other hand, constructive feedback provides positive reinforcement and corrections and is easily acted on by the recipient.

Constructive feedback can be given in many scenarios within the workplace. Some of the most common times that feedback can be given is in the days following performance reviews, observation assessments, and complaints filed by other employees or clients.

Moving past the general understanding of constructive feedback, we will now investigate how to effectively administer it. In this section, we will take a deep dive into techniques for delivering constructive feedback and things to keep in mind when giving constructive feedback to your managers, supervisors, employees, or colleagues. 

1. Prepare and Choose the Right Time

Depending on the severity of the action in need of feedback, some constructive feedback may need to be given sooner rather than later. 

For instance, if some employees filed complaints that their supervisor was falsely accusing them of slacking off on the job, a more immediate intervention would be necessary. On the other hand, a request for professional development seminars to be held in the office may be something that more time can be allowed before feedback is required.

Choosing the right time to give constructive feedback may mean the difference between having the situation addressed and an offending action occurring again. 

As constructive feedback should almost always be accompanied by an invitation for a future lengthy discussion, ensure that you select a time when the recipient can focus and engage proactively with you. The purpose of meetings like those is to follow up on your constructive feedback, fully understand the other party’s situation, and come to an amenable and agreeable resolution. Ensure that you have prepared all materials and paraphernalia you may need for the follow-up meeting beforehand so that there are as few interruptions as can be. Doing so will make the entire experience run smoother and show the other party the level of thought and attention you are giving to their feedback. 

2. Be Specific and Actionable

Constructive feedback, while featuring non-confrontational and aggressive language, more formal tones, and professional vernacular, must always explicitly relay some idea, point, or suggestion, and should never be a generalized statement that may leave ambiguous thoughts with the recipient. At the end of giving constructive feedback, the recipient should never be uncertain of the actions you have brought to their attention and the steps they must take to address it. 

At its core, the purpose of constructive feedback is to identify a pattern of behavior and to provide comments and suggestions on how to improve it. To do this, ensure that your feedback first pinpoints specific behavioral patterns or incidents so that your point can be made more clearly. The recipient of your feedback, by the end of the exchange, should be aware of the exact behavior that you are speaking about. Taking record of the date, time, and nature of the incident(s) before approaching the person you wish to speak to will help you be more prepared in the event that the recipient is unaware of, or does not remember, the incident(s) you are speaking about. 

Once you have set the stage for your constructive feedback by informing the recipient of their actions, you must now suggest actionable steps that you would like them to take to implement the changes you wish to see. Constructive feedback, as the name implies, provides information that the recipient can “build on” to change or improve themselves. 

💡Pro tips: One of the best ways to ensure that your feedback is followed in a manner you are pleased with is to end the conversation by inviting the recipient for a follow-up or secondary meeting at a later time or date. This will give both parties the necessary time to prepare and will allow you to sit together at length to discuss your feedback in a manner that is not feasible in a one-off conversation. 

3. Maintain a Positive and Constructive Tone

Constructive feedback can be given for positive and negative behavior. In either scenario, always maintain a proactive and positive tone and avoid phrasing your comments in a manner that can be seen as offensive. This may pose quite a challenge, especially if you are unaccustomed to delivering constructive feedback, but it is something that gets easier with time. 

💡Pro tips: If you are struggling to set the tone of your constructive feedback, try to begin your comments with something positive. Mention an achievement or feature of the recipient’s personality that you find beneficial to the company or team, and make it clear that they are a valuable addition to the team. You can then more easily segue into the behavior or actions that you wish to be the subject of your feedback.

One of the difficulties that many people face is figuring out how to deliver criticism of behavior without sounding unmotivating or discouraging. Try to avoid language that may discourage or demotivate. The overarching purpose of constructive feedback is not to aggressively reprimand or criticize, but rather to bring patterns of behavior or past actions to the attention of the recipient and to suggest ways that they can go about correcting it. 

4. Promote Two-Way Communication

We previously mentioned that follow-up meetings to track the progress of the implementation of your constructive feedback is a great way to ensure that the recipient stays accountable. During these meetings, it is always a good idea to open channels of communication between you and the recipient and to invite them to share their perspective on their actions. Nobody is perfect, and it may even be the case that your feedback was given based on an incomplete assessment of the recipient’s actions. Engaging in an active discussion with the recipient of your feedback allows both parties to be on the same level of understanding as you both work together to improve the identified behavior. 

In the discussion of your constructive feedback, always ensure that the recipient is an active part of the conversation and that you are not monologuing the entire time. Demonstrate a genuine interest in the recipient's viewpoint and always ensure the recipient feels involved in the improvement process. Listen more than you speak, and use the recipient’s insights to craft an actionable plan that is clear for them to follow. Doing this will create a situation where the recipient feels heard and understood, and also understands exactly what the issue is and the steps they need to follow in order to improve. 

📚Further reading: Active Listening: Why Is It Important and How to Improve It

In this section, we will present 36 scenarios where constructive feedback is most commonly given. To illustrate the best practices to keep in mind, we will show an appropriate and inappropriate instance of constructive feedback for each scenario!

1. Constructive feedback on a colleague's recent teamwork struggles and communication issues. 

Appropriate.

I appreciate and value your effort on the project. However, I noticed some challenges in your communication techniques that impacted overall collaboration within the team. Moving forward, I believe that it would be helpful if we could have more regular discussions to ensure everyone is on the same page. Let's work together on enhancing your communication for better teamwork!

Inappropriate

Your communication sucked on this project and it’s completely your fault that we didn’t hit our target goal. Do better next time. 

2. Constructive feedback for a colleague's missed deadlines affecting team productivity.

Hello [Colleague], over the past month I have observed that deadlines are frequently missed - this has affected our team's productivity and has led to pushbacks in deadlines several times already. I would like to sit down with you to discuss strategies that can be employed to improve time management. Maybe setting smaller milestones or utilizing project management tools could help ensure the timely delivery of tasks. Please update me on your schedule so that we can arrange a time to sit down for this meeting!

Why are you always so late in submitting your work? We’re all falling behind because of you and it’s making us look bad in front of the administration. Get your act together or quit. 

3. Constructive feedback for a colleague whose presentation lacked clarity and engagement during a meeting.

Good morning [Colleague], I noticed some areas in your presentation yesterday where the message wasn't clear, and engagement seemed low amongst your audience. Perhaps incorporating visuals or practicing the delivery before the presentation could make a significant difference. Let's arrange some time to collaborate on enhancing your presentation skills for future meetings.

I don’t think I’ve heard such a boring presentation in a long time. You’re speaking too quietly and your voice is putting everyone to sleep. You have to do better or your future at this company seems grim. 

4. Constructive feedback for a colleague on poorly handled disagreement affecting team dynamics.

Hi [Colleague A], how are you doing? I have noticed that you and [Colleague B] have run into some disagreements recently. I understand disagreements happen, but the recent conflict has seemed to affect team dynamics. It would be helpful if we could find a constructive way to resolve conflicts in the future. I suggest considering a more open conversation or involving a mediator if needed. I would be more than happy to assume that role if you so choose. 

What is going on with you and [Colleague B]? Can you two keep your disagreements to yourself and stop holding the team back? You’re wasting everyone’s time. 

5. Constructive feedback to a colleague with consistently conservative ideas in brainstorming sessions.

[Colleague], I appreciate your input in our brainstorming sessions. However, I've noticed that your ideas lately have been rather conservative. While these ideas are still always welcome, it would be great if we could explore more innovative approaches in line with our company model. Your unique perspective has always brought valuable insights to the team and I am positive it can continue to do so!

Your ideas lately have really sucked. What is the matter? Our company needs forward-thinking people, not people that are stuck in the past. 

6. Constructive feedback to a manager about unclear communication causing team uncertainty.

Hello [Manager], how are you? Thank you for all the support that you have given and continue to give our team. Your leadership has helped us through many tough times. That said, recently the team and I have felt that your guidance has lacked some transparency which has brought some uncertainty to decisions made for the team. We do hope that you can consider what we’ve told you today and can provide a little more transparency in your decision-making process moving forward. 

Hi [Manager], lately we’ve noticed that you have been hiding many things from us. We’re not stupid - just tell us everything we need to know so we can do our jobs properly.

📚Further reading: How to be a Good Leader: Guide to Mastering Leadership!

7. Constructive feedback to a manager who seldom recognizes or appreciates team efforts.

Hello [Manager], I believe expressing a little more appreciation for the team's efforts would boost morale. While I understand over-praise can lead to some swelled heads, recognition of a job well done can go a long way in motivating everyone. The team and I ask that you consider acknowledging individual and collective achievements to foster a more positive work environment. Thank you for your attention and consideration. 

We work for you all day, every day, and you never thank or congratulate us when we finish a job. Do better or find someone who will. 

8. Constructive feedback on a manager's perceived micromanagement

Hello [Manager], how are you? I have noticed that over the past few months, your leadership, at times, has come across as overly controlling and micromanaging situations unnecessarily. While we appreciate your guidance, this pattern of behavior may impede individual creativity and morale. In the future, we ask that you kindly consider giving us more leeway in individual decision-making processes. 

Hi [Manager], please stop micromanaging us all the time. Your ideas make no sense and it makes the team not want to work for you. 

9. Constructive feedback to a critical manager lacking in constructive solutions.

Hello [Manager], we have noticed that your feedback, while greatly appreciated, at times is too critical and does not provide the needed guidance to implement the changes you wish to see in our performance. We ask that you try to build more constructive feedback around the ideas you have in mind for us to actively improve our workflows. 

Please keep overly critical comments to yourself if you can’t even explain what you want us to change. If you have so many problems with the way we do things, feel free to do it yourself.  

10. Constructive feedback for a manager lacking support in the team's professional growth.

Hello [Manager], the team and I believe there's room for more support in terms of professional development. We believe that regular training sessions or professional development opportunities for skill-building could substantially contribute to the growth and value of the team. Let's discuss how we can integrate more development initiatives into our workflow.

You’re not doing anything to help the team develop. This is not what a leader does; step up or step out. 

11. Constructive feedback for employee underperforming consistently

Hello [Employee], I've noticed that you've been recently regularly falling short of performance expectations. Let's find some time this week to discuss specific areas that need improvement and work together to set achievable goals. It's essential for your success and the success of the team that we address these concerns promptly, and I am willing and able to help you get there.

Lately, I’ve noticed you have been slacking off. You either pick up the pace or you’re fired. 

12. Constructive feedback to an employee seeking skill advancement without clear guidance.

Hi [Employee], I’ve noticed that you have been consistently performing at a high level, and I have taken note of your interest in professional development. I would be glad to arrange professional development training sessions for the team so that you can all benefit from and grow together. 

I know you want to learn more, but I’m not here to send you to school. You’re on your own. 

13. Constructive feedback on employee's communication skills for improvement.

Hello [Employee], how are you doing? I have noticed that your communication style is not very clear at times and has left me and others confused by your meaning. Let’s take some time this week to discuss effective communication techniques and get you up to speed!

None of us here understand what you’re saying half of the time. This is unacceptable. Do better or we’ll find someone who will. 

14. Constructive feedback on employee's task management and deadline struggles

Management and I have noticed that your last four projects that have been submitted were all past the deadline. Let’s meet this week to discuss the guidance we can give and the steps we can take to help you meet your deadlines more consistently

I’ve noticed you’ve been falling behind recently. This is unacceptable. If you cannot finish work when you’re in the office, you should take it home. 

15. Constructive feedback for an employee resistant to project or process changes.

I've observed some resistance to changes in projects or processes implemented to streamline workflows between teams. It's essential for our team's success that we continue to adapt to new approaches. Let's discuss your concerns and find ways to make the transition smoother. Embracing these changes will contribute to our overall efficiency and will reflect well on your future performance reviews.

We’re a forward-thinking company. If you can’t keep up with progress, find a new job. 

16. Constructive feedback to an employee consistently missing goals.

Hello [Employee], It seems you've been struggling to meet the set goals consistently. Let's arrange some time today to review these goals together, identify challenges, and work on a plan to overcome them. I am here for you at every step to ensure that we can all progress for the benefit of the team.

You’re consistently missing the mark on deadlines. If you can't keep up with the rest of the team, we are going to find someone who can. 

17. Constructive feedback to an employee who reacts defensively when receiving feedback.

Hello [Employee], I’ve noticed that you are consistently defensive when receiving feedback from your colleagues and supervisors. Constructive feedback is an integral part of every professional’s career; it is one of the drivers of professional growth. Let’s arrange some time this week for us to discuss how constructive feedback creates a welcoming environment for personal and professional growth. 

There is no need to be so defensive, [Employee]. Learn to take criticism or find a new job. 

18. Constructive feedback for skill gaps in a role.

We have noticed that you are finding it difficult to complete assigned tasks, as it appears that you do not yet have the technical knowledge to complete them. Let’s sit today and figure out how we can provide the support and training that will allow you to learn and perform with the full potential we see in you. 

It is clear you don’t know what you’re doing. If you can’t do your job soon, we’ll find someone who can. 

19. Constructive feedback for inconsistent performance over time.

Hello [Colleague], the team and I have noticed some inconsistencies in your performance over the last two weeks. Let’s sit down with the rest of the team and discuss how we can move forward with a higher level of cohesion between us. We’re here to help you every step of the way. 

You’re dragging everyone down with your slow and inconsistent work. Please pay more attention to the things you do as we do not have time to continuously fix your mistakes. 

20. Constructive feedback for those who rely on instructions instead of taking initiative.

Hello [Employee], I have taken note of a pattern of behavior showing that you tend to wait for instructions for every task rather than taking initiative. Taking on tasks independently would be of great help to everyone in the team. I’d suggest starting by independently choosing tasks you are comfortable with, and progressing from there. Please let me know if you need any further help!

It is exhausting having to always tell you what and when to do things. Please pick up the pace. 

21. Constructive feedback for someone unsure about strengths and weaknesses but seeking career growth. 

Hello [Employee], I have heard the expression of your interest in taking on higher positions within the company, and your doubts on whether you are up for the task. I do believe you have what it takes for vertical progression in our company. Let’s sit down for a meeting this week to discuss your strengths and weaknesses in length and evaluate where you would be best suited to the company. 

You have the potential but lack the confidence. You might be qualified but you won’t get promoted until you have the confidence in yourself to realize your strengths.

22. Constructive feedback on expanding professional networks.

I’ve heard your interest in expanding your professional network to include more people from our company. This is an excellent idea that I believe all our employees should be a part of. Let’s arrange a mixer this month to kick start building the professional rapport between you and all of our employees.

We come to work to do a job and not to make friends. 

23. Constructive feedback on cross-training opportunities for skill diversification

We have received notice of your interest in diversifying your skill set to prepare for a vertical advancement within the company. I am highly pleased with your performance during your time with us and am more than happy to facilitate a period of cross-training with your supervisor so that you can acquire the skills and inside scoop on the day-to-day responsibilities of a position in the administration.

We have received your request for cross-training, but we are unable to afford you if you are promoted. If you would like a higher position, I suggest you find a new job somewhere else. 

24. Constructive feedback for being late to work.

Looking through your attendance records, I have noticed that you are arriving late to work more times than not. While a couple of minutes here and there is acceptable, I’d like to take some time to sit down with you and discuss how we can accommodate your commute to work so that you can begin to consistently comply with our punctuality policy. 

Why are you always late? This is unacceptable behavior. If the commute takes too long, leave earlier!

25. Constructive feedback on confrontational communication tone.

Hello [Employee], I have received comments and have personally been on the receiving end of communication exchanges with you that are easily interpreted as standoffish and confrontational. Clear and professional channels of communication are always encouraged in our company, both for the sake of professionalism and to maintain a positive working environment. Let’s take some time today to discuss how we can improve the tone of your interactions with your coworkers to smooth out any conflicts that may otherwise arise.  

You are being rude and you cannot speak to your colleagues this way. If we do not see immediate improvement, you’ll be out of a job soon. 

26. Constructive feedback for a team consistently missing quarterly targets.

Based on the results of the last two quarterly reviews, a trend is emerging that shows your team is consistently behind on goals that you have set for yourselves. We are here to help you; let’s take some time this week to meet and discuss how we can adjust your workflows to more consistently meet deadlines and quarterly targets.

Underperforming in my company is the fastest way out of it. Figure out what needs fixing and do so before it’s too late. 

27. Constructive feedback between teams on inefficient processes impacting output.

We've noticed some inefficiencies in your team's workflow, which have impacted your overall output. Let's schedule a meeting to discuss potential improvements and ensure a smoother workflow between our teams. Collaboration on refining these processes will benefit all parties and will ensure smoother workflows in the future. 

I’m tired of dealing with your mess. You’re not working cohesively as a team. Fix it, and fix it fast. 

28. Constructive feedback between teams when company products/services don't connect with the target market.

Based on data from our latest market analysis, we have determined that our company’s products are not effectively resonating with our target market. Let’s get together this afternoon and brainstorm ways to change this for the better. Doing so will give us a stronger direction to reorient ourselves in. 

We’re not making sales because our target market doesn’t like it. We need to fix it or we’re going out of business soon!

29. Constructive feedback on low customer satisfaction scores, aiming to address and improve performance with team members."

I've noticed our customer satisfaction scores are coming back below our anticipated expectations. This is a concern for all of us, and I want to work together to address it. Let's meet this week to discuss potential improvements and strategies to enhance our service. Your input and commitment are crucial to turning this around, and we value every opinion that you have. 

We are underperforming and it’s all your fault. Find a way to turn this disaster around ASAP!

30. Constructive feedback on siloed work hindering goal achievement.

I’ve noticed that we have recently been rather isolated from the workflows of other teams. This may result in impeded inter-team projects whose deadlines are coming up. Let’s start by arranging regular check-ins with me to monitor our progress so that I can better coordinate our deadlines with other teams working with us.

If working in silos was a good thing, there wouldn’t be a special name for it. Start talking to each other so we can all do our jobs!

31. Constructive feedback for improved team communication and collaboration.

Hello team, over the last week I have observed a distinct lack of communication between everyone. I’d like to take the necessary steps to change that. Let’s start by sitting down for a team meeting this afternoon to update everyone on the progress that has been made. We can also discuss team-building methods that we can employ to ensure that everyone is on good terms with each other and that our workflows are synchronized. 

Why is no one talking to each other? We’re double-working and no one is producing anything of value! Start talking to each other or everyone’s fired!

32. Constructive feedback on policy or procedure violations.

Hello [Employee], I would like to bring to your attention the incident that occurred on [date] involving [description of the incident]. This behavior goes against our company’s policies on [name of the policy]. As such, please meet with me tomorrow morning, where we will discuss the incident at length and talk about ways that similar situations can be avoided in the future. 

What you did was unacceptable and you have brought shame and disgrace to yourself and the company. Don’t bother coming in tomorrow. 

33. Constructive feedback for a lack of proactive problem-solving in the team.

Good afternoon team, over the past month I have observed that our team has been falling behind in terms of solving problems and challenges that arise throughout the day. Proactive problem-solving is a great way to build team spirit and foster greater levels of collaboration within the team. I suggest that we get together and perform some team-building exercises to boost our morale so we can get back to doing what needs to be done!

Team, I don’t pay you for silence, I pay for results. If you can’t give them to me, then start looking for a new job. 

34. Constructive feedback for violating the company's dress code policy

Hello [Employee], I would like to bring to your attention our company dress code policy. Unfortunately, your attire today appears to go against this. Our dress code exists to maintain a level of professionalism within the office, and I would appreciate it if you would avoid wearing this and clothing similar to this in the future. If you would like further clarification on this matter, I am always available to meet and discuss it with you. 

What are you wearing? You’re not allowed to wear this in my office. Go home and change or leave and don’t come back. 

35. Constructive feedback for employees displaying a negative attitude during customer interactions.

Hi [Employee], I have noticed that your interactions with the last couple of clients do not align with the standards that we hold our sales representatives to in this company. I would like to schedule some time with you today to discuss how we can provide the help or training you need to reach the standard to which we hold all of our employees. Doing so will help you advance in your professional career while maintaining and representing the reputation of our company.

If you’re rude to one more client, your days at this company are over. Fix up or get out. 

36. Constructive feedback on disrespectful behavior toward colleagues. 

[Employee], I have observed that the interactions that you have been having with your colleagues are below the expectations of our company. Swearing at work, and spreading rumors and gossiping about your coworkers violates our company’s code of ethics. Please find the time to meet with me this afternoon so that we can discuss precisely how our company would like professional exchanges at the workplace to proceed. 

Talking about people behind their backs is the fastest way to lose respect here. It’d be best to find another job because your future with us isn’t looking too great. 

The ability to give and receive constructive feedback should be part of every professional’s skillset. Constructive feedback is one of the best ways to relay information that can positively benefit business operations, employee morale, and teamwork results. When delivering constructive feedback, there are many things to keep in mind including the time and place you choose to deliver it, the tone you adopt, the level of formality in your speech, and how actionable your comments are, to name but a few. At its core, constructive feedback should never overtly reprimand or harshly criticize, but rather identify areas of needed improvement and suggest actionable steps that can be clearly followed. Finally, constructive feedback should not end at its deliverance - follow-up interactions and meetings are an essential part of ensuring that your feedback is both fully understood and implemented satisfactorily!

We hope that you found this article and the information within useful and applicable to your daily life. If you’d like to find out more articles, tips, and tricks related to human resources, the job application process, and employee well-being management, consider checking out Cake ! 

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20 Constructive Feedback Examples for Performance Reviews

Table of contents, get constructive with these colleague feedback examples.

What is constructive feedback? Constructive feedback is guidance that helps the recipient achieve a positive outcome. Even the best managers struggle to deliver less than positive feedback effectively—so we’ve developed these 20 employee feedback examples to help.

Constructive feedback examples for speaking over others

An employee who speaks over others in meetings can seem rude or overbearing. However, they may feel this exact trait reflects their passion, expertise, or leadership qualities. So, appeal to this enthusiasm:

1.  “It’s clear you’re excited about the project. But sometimes, when you get excited, you don’t leave room for others to bring their ideas to the table. In particular, I noticed that you spoke over David and Muriel several times throughout the meeting. Did you notice this, too?

2. “In group setting, I’d like you to make space for others in conversations and meetings. It’s a necessary skill for your career development and helps utilize the full talents of the team. What do you think?”

  Constructive feedback examples for poor communication skills

Communication can be challenging if employees are anxious about coming to you with questions or obstacles. Encourage communication by setting clear expectations and responding positively to updates.

3. “I really appreciated how you kept me up to date on X project this week — it helped me coordinate with our stakeholders, and I’m excited to share that we’re on track to launch. It’s also great to see your process. I’m impressed with the efficiencies you’re introducing.”

4.“I’m curious about where we are with Y project. If any issues have come up, it’s best that I know as soon as possible so I can help you get back on target. How about you shoot me daily updates just so I know where we are?”

Constructive feedback examples about time management and deadlines

Time management issues can signal disorganization or unrealistic ambition. In both cases, focus on this as an opportunity for professional growth.

5. “I can’t help but notice that this is the third deadline that’s caught up to you this month. I understand this is a fast-paced environment, and I think you’d be more effective if we rethought your time management strategies.”

6. “Thanks for letting me know you’re running behind schedule on this project. Let’s take a look at your goals and see how you’re spending your time — I bet there are opportunities for efficiencies there.”

Constructive feedback about missing goals

Your most engaged employees will already be disappointed in themselves for missing a goal. Acknowledge their disappointment and their hard work, and reframe the issue as a learning experience about goal-setting.

7. “It’d be great to see you take on fewer projects, or narrow your focus to be more attainable. What do you think?”

8. “Your work on X, Y and Z were solid, valuable accomplishments this quarter. I know you didn’t complete every goal you set, and that’s okay—it’s great to see you reach high. But I recognize it can be discouraging, too. So let’s take this opportunity to rethink your goals moving forward.”

Constructive feedback examples about attention to detail

Mistakes happen. When giving feedback, cite specific examples to help the employee see where you’re coming from. You can help provide a valuable perspective shift, and suggest a solution.

9. “You know I’ve always appreciated your grasp of our larger vision, and it’s great you see big-picture. But you’ve missed out on some smaller details in your last few projects, like X and Y. Unfortunately, that ultimately set the team back because they had to correct those oversights.”

10. “I’d love for you to keep that big-picture vision while working on those little blind spots. For your next project, let’s put together a detailed checklist of all your deliverables to make sure you don’t miss anything. Give it a shot, then let’s follow up and reassess from there.”

Constructive feedback examples for tardiness and absenteeism

In many cases, employees who are perpetually late or absent have difficulty self-organizing and may already feel embarrassed.

Resist focusing on the employee as the problem. Instead, call attention to the issue, and help redirect by focusing on the effect the tardiness or absenteeism has on the person’s ability to excel in their day-to-day tasks.

11. “Hey, I noticed you weren’t in our last few morning meetings. I’m concerned you may have missed some important information, and it’ll be difficult for other team members to sync up with you. I’d like to take the time to go over what you missed now. Then, let’s work out a plan together so this doesn’t continue to happen in the future.”

Constructive feedback examples for failing to problem-solve on one’s own

An effective employee feels empowered to take initiative and solve problems—and when they don’t, they can slow and distract others on the job.

Highlight their competencies to help them feel confident and stretch their wings.

12. “You did a fantastic job collaborating with your team last week, but I worry you may have derailed Jeanette by seeking their help with X. I’ve seen you work, and I’m confident if you’d thought about it a little longer, you could’ve come up with a solution on your own. I know you can do it. Do you believe you can?”

13. “It’d be great to see you tap into your resourcefulness and apply it to problem-solving before reaching out to others. Try sitting with an issue for 5 minutes before you reach out to anybody else.  If this doesn’t work, touch base with me and we can come up with a solution.”

Constructive feedback when engagement seems low

If an employee’s performance has dropped, there could be any number of reasons—from personal life changes to disengagement. The underlying cause will change the conversation, so address the topic generally.

14. “I wanted to touch base and see how things are going. You don’t seem to be quite as engaged at work lately—is there something I can do to help you get back on track? I’d like to keep you happy here. Let’s set a time to review your goals and responsibilities and make sure we’re on the same page.”

Constructive feedback examples for a toxic attitude

Address toxicity in the workplace swiftly before employee negativity demoralizes your team. Emphasize you’re listening to the employee and want to be helpful. But also be clear about the impact of their behavior on the team and company.

15. “I’m glad we’re taking the time to touch base. I feel like you haven’t been as happy at work lately. How do you feel? Is there something I can do to help you have a better experience here?”

16. “I appreciate your input. When you have an issue, it’s helpful for me and the team if you share it with me so I can address it. That’s a positive, productive move. If you talk to your teammates about your issues, I can’t help you solve them, and it creates an atmosphere of negativity.”

Constructive feedback examples for office gossip

A little “harmless gossip” is rarely that. A few whispered words can rapidly snowball into morale-reducing drama. If you learn an employee has been gossiping, address them directly and privately.

17. “I know there are a lot of rumors flying around about X, and I know you’re concerned about it. I value your trust and contributions here, so I’d like to set the record straight and explain what I can.”

18. “I understand your feelings, and I know it’s frustrating when you feel your questions aren’t being answered. In the future, though, please bring your concerns directly to me. When you share them with your teammates, it creates a company culture of fear and negativity without providing answers.”

Constructive feedback examples about emotional intelligence and rudeness

In a dream world, IQ and EQ would go hand in hand. In busy offices, they can clash like titans. Avoid making the individual feel ganged up on—emphasize you’re listening.

19. “Hey, I wanted to touch base and see how you felt about your work this week. Samika mentioned that you used a sarcastic tone with them in a meeting and it made them uncomfortable. We need to be able to function as a team, and I was hoping to hear your side of the story to see if everything’s okay.”

20. “This morning you left our team meeting early. I could tell you were frustrated by the discussion, but walking out on your teammates doesn’t show them the same respect they showed you during the conflict. How can we find a solution moving forward?”

What is constructive feedback?

Constructive feedback is guidance that helps the recipient achieve a positive outcome.

Constructive feedback is corrective, but not critical.

A good litmus test if you’re about to deliver criticism or constructive feedback is to ask yourself: “Do I have the other person’s best interest at heart?  How would I feel in their shoes, receiving this feedback?”

If your answers are, “I’m not sure,” and “probably terrible,” take a step back. Examine what you want to say. Is it necessary, or are you just blowing off steam? If it’s necessary, find a way to reframe it. Use our tips in this next section to deliver constructive feedback like a champion.

How do you give constructive feedback?

1. Clarify what you hope to achieve with the feedback

Ask yourself: “What is my desired outcome? How can I deliver feedback in a way the employee will be open to receiving while also guiding us toward that desired outcome?” Answering these two questions will help you determine both what to say and how to say it.

2. Be timely with feedback

Deliver feedback when it’s still relevant. The fresher, the better. This helps the other person make changes while they still have time to make an impact. “You did improve, but you were late to a lot of meetings early last quarter, and it was disrespectful to the team” doesn’t help anybody. It just makes the employee feel bad knowing their team was upset with them, and has no impact on their current behavior.

3. Give feedback face-to-face Let’s face it — giving constructive feedback can be awkward for both parties. But don’t give into the temptation to send hard feedback over Slack or email. It’s just too easy to misinterpret text. Deliver your feedback in real time, either in person or on video chat, so you can see how the other person is reacting, and answer any questions they might have. Plus, the ability to deliver constructive feedback is a powerful skill to have. Practice. It’s good for you.

4. Be specific in your feedback, and avoid scope-creep

Focus on one target area for constructive feedback at a time. If the person has a heaping pile of things that needs correcting, pick the highest-impact item and start there. Receiving too much constructive feedback at once can be overwhelming. At worst, it may make the employee shut down and resent you. And even in best case scenarios, the person may simply not know what to correct first, and be paralyzed or go off in the wrong direction. Also, as demonstrated in the constructive feedback examples above, use specific examples to support your feedback. Never give feedback based on your feelings alone.

5. Don’t be personal in your feedback

Give constructive feedback for the behavior, not for the person. An easy way to do this is to use the sentence structure, “When you [action],” or “Your performance on [project],” rather than using sentences that start with “You are.” A constructive feedback example about behavior is, “When you talk over Pam in the meetings, you’re making all the women on our team feel less comfortable speaking up.” As opposed to, “You’re really rude to people, and it’s dragging down the team.”

6. Explain the impact of the employee’s action

Help your employee by explaining the full impact of their actions—on you, on the team, on the company , and on their career. Let’s look at one of our employee feedback examples above, #18:“I understand your feelings, and I know it’s frustrating when you feel your questions aren’t being answered. In the future, though, please bring your concerns directly to me. When you share them with your teammates, it creates a company culture of fear and negativity without providing answers.” This manager could have stopped with, “Please bring your concerns directly to me.” But by going the extra step and explaining why the behavior needs correcting, they help the employee understand the issue clearly. It becomes a learning opportunity.

7. Offer action steps, and follow up

As a general rule, if you can’t offer actionable advice to help the person move toward a positive outcome, then your feedback isn’t feedback. It’s a gripe. Help the person figure out next steps. They may not always be the action steps you’d have picked for yourself. But try what works for them. Then, set a meeting in a week to touch base and see their progress.

What about positive feedback?

We often focus on redirecting negative behaviors. But recognizing and reinforcing positive workplace performance is just as important, if not more. Integrally, it helps create a culture in which feedback is welcomed rather than dreaded — a culture open to dynamic, positive growth.

Drive employee engagement by reinforcing positive behaviors with affirmative feedback and public recognition .

Here are some examples of positive employee actions you can acknowledge with meaningful feedback and encouragement:

• Demonstrating leadership skills
• Providing a morale booster
• Being supportive and helpful
• Attending training or pursuing professional development
• Caring for the workspace
• Being a safety leader
• Facilitating a positive customer interaction
• Taking initiative on a project
• Receiving a positive customer review

Explore our Resource Library →

Gigi Rosenberg

How to give feedback on a speech

When someone asks you for feedback on their speech, sometimes it's hard to know what to say. How to critique a speech and give constructive feedback?

Here’s the latest from my one-minute public speaking tips including the two most helpful questions you can answer when someone asks you for feedback on a presentation. You can read the video transcription below.

I’m talking to you from my home office in Italy. Notice the arch! Today’s 45-second lesson is about how to give feedback. Somebody pulls you aside and says: “Hey, would you give me some feedback on my speech?” Sometimes it’s really hard to know what to say. These are the two questions you should answer, for starters.

Number 1: Where is the speech confusing? Where was the content really out of focus? Or the story didn’t make sense? Or you didn’t really get it?

Number 2: Where did you really get it? What were the strongest images? Now that the speech is over, what do you remember?

Just answer those 2 questions. You don’t have to dump all your ideas on the speaker. Or tell them how to fix the speech.

Start here. This 2-question method helps the speaker’s voice and power come through. Try them out. And let me know how they work for you.

Do you have a performance or presentation looming? Learn exactly what you need to do during rehearsal and how to captivate your audience with my free workbook 5 Steps to Nail Your Next Presentation .

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Giving Feedback Plays A Key Role In Improving Public Speaking

Feedback to a speech includes opinions and criticisms others who heard it share with the speaker. It can be positive or negative, but those who offer it should make it constructive. The purpose of giving feedback is to help the speaker improve the content, the delivery, the visuals, or the overall impression.

Giving effective feedback is a vital skill when it comes to helping speakers grow and improve their public speaking abilities . Whether it’s an informal talk or a formal presentation, constructive feedback can offer valuable insights and empower individuals to refine their delivery, body language, and overall impact.

This article explores key strategies and tips for providing impactful feedback that motivates speakers to excel and elevates the quality of their speeches.

Table of Contents

What Is The Definition Of Giving Feedback?

Giving feedback  is essentially giving a performance review and offering observations, assessments, and suggestions to someone about their performance, behavior, or work. You offer specific and objective information that helps an individual or team member understand the strengths of their speech and areas for improvement.

Effective feedback for speeches, or any aspect of work, is constructive, timely, and focuses on actionable insights to facilitate growth and development.

How Do You Give Feedback Effectively?

Begin by setting a positive and supportive tone , emphasizing the strengths and successes of the speaker. Be specific and illustrate your points with specific examples, highlighting both areas of improvement and actionable suggestions for growth.

Finally, ensure your feedback is delivered promptly, preferably soon after the speech, and offer constructive criticism focused on the speaker’s performance rather than personal attacks or judgments.

Some speeches are basically good but need some improvements in content or delivery. Others need to improve in these regards. Some just hit a listener wrong, perhaps for personal reasons.

What Is An Example Of Giving Positive Feedback?

“Great job on your speech! Your introduction was captivating, grabbing the audience’s attention right from the start. I would suggest working on your pacing a bit, as there were moments where you rushed through certain points, which made it difficult for the audience to absorb the information fully.

“Overall, though, your delivery was confident and engaging, and with some minor adjustments, your next speech will be even more impactful.”

What Is An Example Of Feedback That Is Not Effective?

“You were awful. Your speech was uninspiring and tedious.”

This negative feedback example is ineffective because it needs more specificity and constructive suggestions. It uses negative language without providing any actionable insights or guidance for improvement.

It also fails to acknowledge the speech’s strengths or positive aspects, which can demotivate and discourage the recipient.

What Are Some Of The Challenges Of Giving Feedback?

The main challenges when giving feedback include balancing the need for  constructive criticism  with maintaining a positive and supportive environment. Ensure your feedback is specific and actionable and not vague or general.

You should also be prepared to manage potential resistance or defensiveness from the recipient.

It is a delicate balance to provide honest feedback while also considering the individual’s feelings and maintaining their motivation to improve.

How Do You Provide Feedback In The Workplace?

Providing effective feedback in the workplace is crucial for fostering employee engagement and improving employee performance. One-on-one discussions with direct reports offer an ideal opportunity to deliver constructive feedback.

Start by actively seeking employee feedback to understand their perspective and concerns, creating a collaborative and open environment. You must put them at their ease so they are comfortable sharing feedback with you and appreciate that the session is a two-way street.

Be specific, focusing on strengths and areas for improvement, and provide actionable suggestions for growth. Try and organize feedback sessions so they happen regularly.

What Is The Difference Between Feedback And Constructive Criticism?

Feedback encompasses a broader concept of providing information or opinions about someone’s performance, behavior, or work. It can include both positive and negative aspects.

Constructive Criticism

Constructive criticism, on the other hand, specifically refers to offering positive feedback that focuses on identifying areas for improvement while providing suggestions or solutions for growth. It aims to be helpful, specific, and actionable, providing insights encouraging personal development and positive change.

While feedback can encompass various responses, constructive criticism specifically targets improvement and progress.

Who Is The Best Person To Give Feedback?

The  best person to give feedback  depends on the context and the specific area being addressed. Generally, a trusted and knowledgeable individual with expertise or experience in the relevant field is often a suitable choice. This could be a mentor, supervisor, teacher, or subject matter expert who can provide valuable insights and guidance.

Additionally, peers or colleagues with a fresh perspective and constructive input are also useful in offering feedback.

In an online world, people may give feedback through surveys or on social media.

What Are Some Tips For Giving Feedback?

Providing real-time and valuable feedback is instrumental in nurturing high-performing speakers in public speaking. During a session, the feedback giver must offer specific examples to illustrate their points effectively.

Constructive criticism focusing on the speaker’s communication skills can help identify areas for improvement and provide actionable insights.

Good feedback should highlight strengths and weaknesses, emphasizing what the speaker does well while suggesting ways to enhance their delivery.

Adam Howarth

Adam covers the topic of Public Speaking for Digital Authority. From his first experience of oratory with his school debating society to his more recent experiences of promoting the local business scene in Wrexham, Wales, he has always been involved in public speaking.

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27 presentation feedback examples for more engaging speakers.

Learning how to give a good presentation isn’t a talent, it’s a skill. And that means it takes time and repetition to get better at it. The same is true for giving feedback. 

If you’re a manager or leader, your feedback can help dramatically improve a presenter’s future performance and bolster their confidence.

Continuous improvement starts with consistent feedback. We compiled a list of presentation feedback examples to serve as a starting point for delivering feedback, whether it’s glowing or constructive.

While feedback may be part of your daily job, encourage your team to collect feedback proactively with this list of feedback survey templates that take the legwork out of gathering feedback.

Types of feedback

Feedback comes in two main forms: positive (also called reinforcing ) and constructive (or redirecting ). Because you’ll probably give some of each type in a presentation review, let’s look at the main differences and some examples of when to apply each.

Positive feedback  

What it is: Positive feedback focuses on what the presenter did right. It should:  

• Call attention to the speaker’s strengths
• Give specific examples of what worked well

When to give it: Give positive feedback about as many parts of the presentation as you can. While you don’t need to go line by line or slide by slide, call out specific moments that went well beyond what was expected or what is “good enough.”

Constructive feedback

What it is: Constructive feedback focuses on the areas that need improvement. As the name suggests, this type of feedback is about building up, not tearing down, so always include advice on how to avoid those issues in the next project.

This kind of feedback is about calling attention to the weaknesses of a particular presentation and not to the presenters themselves. 

When to give it: Give constructive feedback wherever it’s needed. If you see a problem across an entire presentation, give a few examples instead of calling out every instance. It can also help to ask the presenter questions about their thought process before sizing up their slides or speech so you can see where their knowledge gaps are. 

Positive presentation feedback 

Giving positive feedback on a presentation seems like it should be pretty easy — the presenter did a good job, right? But good feedback is about being specific. Instead of saying, “Great work!” tell the presenter about how well the content fit the audience, how their slides reinforced what they said, and how their body language and delivery helped drive home their points. 

Here are some examples of specific, positive feedback you can give to a presenter when they’ve really nailed it:

• The flow of your presentation made sense and helped the audience understand the depth of the topic.
• You went above and beyond with the research on this presentation. Your stats and figures really showed how prepared you were.
• Including slides about [subject] proved to the audience that you understood their viewpoints and concerns.
• Your icebreaker was great because it was attention-grabbing and helped you show off your authority. 
• Breaking down the complexity of the subject matter into smaller pieces went a long way in helping the audience understand a tricky topic.
• The real-life examples you used showed how relevant the topic is to your audience.
• The visuals you included on your slides were great — they helped illustrate your points and kept people paying attention.
• Good job including spots throughout the presentation where people could ask questions — that cleared up the confusion and helped the audience stay engaged .
• The way you spoke to the audience was professional but passionate and interesting.
• The way you concluded the presentation was excellent — it helped wrap things up while inviting the audience to learn more.
• Your overall attention to detail, from how you laid out your slides to how you spoke to the audience, made your presentation more powerful and memorable. 
• Great work not hiding behind the podium — your body language and posture showed everyone that you’re well informed and confident. 
• Including links to further reading on some of the more complex topics was a great idea, especially for people who aren’t as familiar with the topic.

Constructive presentation feedback

When giving feedback on a presentation that didn’t quite hit the mark, think about it as a way of helping the presenter get better for next time. Remember, the more specific and clear you are with your evaluation, the more the speaker can learn how to give a better presentation .

Here are some examples of constructive feedback you can use:

• Think about what will grab the audience’s attention right away, like a thought-provoking question or an interesting statistic, and lead with that. 
• I think it’s important to try to make eye contact with some of them. It’ll show them you’re talking directly to them and help you seem more confident.
• Work on speaking as clearly as you can and at a slower pace to help your audience keep up with you. Check out some resources online that can help you level up your public speaking skills .
• Try speaking at about half the speed you normally would, record it, and listen back. You’ll probably hear that you sound more confident and natural.
• Try including some time after certain parts of the presentation for the audience to ask questions. Or have a response for surprise questions — it’s okay to say you’ll be happy to take questions at the end.
• You might not have needed parts of the presentation for this audience. If you aren’t sure if you should leave something in, try learning more about who the audience is and where their base level of knowledge is. 
• I feel like the layout of your presentation was a little confusing because it moved back and forth between the general and the specific. Try starting very general and getting more and more specific. 
• While there may not be a perfect transition between all slides, you can include a sentence or two in your notes to help the audience understand that you’re shifting to a new topic.
• I think that using more real-world examples in your presentation will help your audience better understand the subject matter and show them the stakes of what you’re presenting.
• Including all the written information you did on your slides will be great for people looking at it later, but I feel like it might not have been as effective as including some more visuals.
• Using humor and GIFs in your slides can be a great way to connect with an audience, but make sure they aren’t overpowering the information. Maybe try using GIFs to help with transitions instead of placing them on informational slides.
• Explaining these concepts to a more general audience is always tough. It might help to give a little more context to help people with less firsthand knowledge grasp the big ideas.
• Your confidence and knowledge are great, but having a script or outline to keep you on track can shorten your presentation and help with pacing.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help before you present. I can give you feedback on a run-through before you do it in front of others. The extra practice can make the real deal easier.

What to look for when providing feedback

Even a simple, short presentation can give an evaluator a lot to digest, and it can be tough to give feedback if you don’t know where to start. These four categories will help guide you when you’re evaluating a presentation:

• Did the presenter understand who their audience was?
• Could the speaker give more or less context based on the audience?
• Did the speaker give the audience a chance to ask questions?
• Was the tone of the presentation appropriate for the audience?

Body language

• Was the presenter approachable?
• Was the presenter speaking clearly and at a good pace?
• Did the presenter make eye contact with the audience?
• Did the presenter hide from the audience, or did they show confidence?
• Did the presenter use appropriate nonverbal cues?
• Was the material clear and specific?
• Was the information relevant?
• Was the material easy to understand? 
• Did the presenter include real-world examples?
• Did the presenter include relevant visuals?
• Were the visuals easy to see and understand?
• Did the deck have too much text and not enough visuals (or vice versa)?
• Did the slides look professional?

Create a checklist or use these presentation evaluation examples to make tracking strengths and areas for improvement easier. 

Tips for giving effective presentation feedback

Just like presenting, giving feedback is a skill that takes practice to master. Because every presentation is different, the specific feedback you give will vary, but the following tips can give you a framework for organizing your thoughts and communicating constructive and positive responses to a presenter. 

• Give “feedback sandwiches” to presenters: A feedback sandwich begins with something positive, then something constructive, then another positive. This structure shows the presenter that you noticed what went well instead of focusing only on what wasn’t perfect.
• Give concrete and specific examples in your feedback: Use specific examples from the presentation when you’re giving constructive or positive feedback. 
• Use "I" statements when giving feedback: Even if you’re an expert in presenting, any feedback you give is still an opinion. Using phrases like “I think that…” or “I felt like…” shows the speaker that you aren’t making accusations.
• Use the information to make feedback more specific: Collecting comments from others can be a huge help when you’re coaching someone after a presentation. You can use Mentimeter to collect feedback from internal and external audiences to guide your response.
• Balance positive and constructive feedback: For most people, it helps to start with some positive feedback before jumping into constructive criticism. Telling the speaker about what they did well can give them the boost they need to work on improving.
• Focus on behavior, not personality: Don’t talk about how the presenter’s personality impacted their speech. Make your feedback about the actions they took as they presented. 
• Offer solutions or suggestions: Calling out everything someone did poorly without offering advice to get better results next time isn’t helpful. Remember that constructive feedback is about improvement, not punishment.
• Give feedback immediately: Details have a way of getting forgotten  over time. Prompt feedback means that the pros and cons of a presentation are fresh for you and the presenter.
• Think about where you deliver feedback: Most feedback, even positive feedback, is best done in a safe, private place. If the presenter feels comfortable, they’ll be more receptive to what you have to say.
• Ask the presenter for an opinion on their performance: Asking the presenter for their thoughts on the presentation, the audience, and the overall experience can show you what their strengths are and what they identify as areas for improvement. Tailor your feedback to those areas. 
• Call out the impact of the presentation: If something good happened because of a presentation, share it with the presenter. When they understand how their actions impact your team, it can help create lasting, positive change.
• Always follow up: When you give constructive feedback, include specific things the presenter should do to level up. Then, check in with them to see what kind of progress they’re making and if they need extra help. If you collected feedback about a speaker after a conference, share some wins!  

Keep improving with Mentimeter

Now that you have dozens of presentation feedback examples to reference, use Mentimeter to take your feedback a step further. You can find sample meeting agendas and presentation templates to help build better presentations and use the survey features to collect comments and critiques from presentations. 

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Constructive feedback: Why it is important and how to give it

Introduction

Constructive feedback is essential for fostering growth and improvement for individuals and teams. However, many managers and individuals struggle with delivering feedback effectively, often leading to misunderstandings or demotivation.

In this article, we’ll explore the importance of constructive feedback, examples, key elements, and practical strategies for delivering feedback, that inspire positive change and promote professional development.

What is constructive feedback?

Constructive feedback is clear, specific, and balanced communication that provides actionable insights to individuals regarding their performance or behavior.

It aims to help individuals identify areas for improvement, develop their skills, and foster positive growth.

Unlike criticism, constructive feedback focuses on solutions and encouragement rather than solely pointing out shortcomings.

Giving feedback is crucial in a work culture and constructive feedback helps boost employee morale. However, delivering constructive feedback can be challenging, even for experienced managers. Many struggle with how to give feedback effectively, often using language that comes across as critical, which can harm their relationships with employees.

Why is constructive feedback important?

It does not matter if you are a manager in a large or small organization, a beginner, or an experienced one; providing well-structured feedback can help strengthen your team. Here are the benefits it includes:

1. Build up an open dialogue

Giving feedback that is positive and constructive assists in building up an open dialogue between managers as well as employees. If managers provide unbiased feedback, then this can also help build trust between both parties. By embracing positive feedback, you can have the opportunity to understand each other better, therefore also improving communication between you and your employees.

To make communicating and collaborating with your team even easier and simpler, you can use PoofHub, as it is an all-in-one work management and team collaboration tool. Here is how you can use ProofHub to give constructive feedback:

2. Constructive criticism helps clarify expectations

Providing positive feedback includes recognizing any weaknesses or issues your employees are having and offering solutions to those conflicts. As of this procedure, employees can know how project managers anticipate them to perform their jobs. Therefore, this employee feedback works as a direct guide to employees and makes sure that they fulfil those expectations in the future.

3. It helps in continuous learning

Often, employees cannot focus on education and learning new things as they develop the habit of repetitive and boring work routines. So, by providing effective feedback regularly, including mentioning and identifying which areas can be improved through training, your employees would learn new things.

How to provide constructive feedback?

Below you can go through a list of tips that can help you provide productive feedback to your employees:

When you want to give feedback to the employee, you have to keep some important points in mind to deliver positive feedback.

Deliver your feedback so everyone feels positive when they leave the feedback session. Here are the best ways to give it:

1. Choose the right time and place to give feedback

The first thing that you need to do is choose the right place. The small appreciation feedback can be given to other team members. But when you have to include criticism in your feedback, it is best to do it in a one-on-one meeting . This way, team members would not feel embarrassed among other team members.

Time is also important to choose while providing feedback. It would help if you gave feedback as soon as possible when everything is clear. There is no need to wait until you think it is the right time because the longer you delay, the less constructive your feedback will be.

For managers, it is the right time to recognize the accomplishment of an employee while it has been recently achieved.  And if you have to provide negative feedback, then your feedback should also be timely. To give negative feedback, you need to wait until you control your emotions. It can assist in making your feedback look more objective rather than biased.

2. Emotional Intelligence

One of the crucial things to remember before you provide feedback to your employees is that you need to think about your emotional state. For example, if you are feeling anger, then it could result in inappropriate negative feedback. Hence, working on how it can affect you and the recipient becomes important before giving effective criticism.

3. You need to talk about the situation rather than the individual

The feedback can be constructive if it is more about the results rather than biased thoughts about an employee’s traits. If the feedback is focused on the recipient, this can be considered a personal attack inspired by emotions.

Therefore, it becomes clear that you should focus on the situation. Focusing on the problem ensures that you are only here to solve the issue rather than criticizing the traits of your employee.

4. Balance criticism with some praise

You need to balance the criticism with some praise to deliver the best constructive feedback. Overwhelming an individual with criticism can result in him or her being defensive or even shutting them down. Not to mention that you would also lose the opportunity to make them engage in discussing the areas to be worked on.

Praising your employees that they do great work is as important as it is making them aware of where they need to improve.

So, when there is a time to end the session, remember to close it with a positive note. This can help in improving the engagement and enthusiasm of the employee while you will still be able to have your matter across.

5. Listen to your employee

When it comes to giving the best feedback, it is also imperative that your employees can respond to it and have an opinion about it. By creating a conversation with your employee, you acknowledge that you are ready to hear it from the employee’s perspective and what he or she thinks or concerns are. So, overall, listening to a concerned employee allows him to show you what he thinks and makes him a part of the solution.

6. Show appreciation

While you give constructive criticism, you must praise the work or efforts done by your employees. By emphasizing your employees’ working qualities, you can help them improve their confidence. Providing your feedback in a positive and appreciative manner can make them more open-minded to your remarks rather than feeling bashed with negative comments.

7. Make your feedback more precise

For feedback to be fully constructive, you should tell them why it is important instead of telling them what they could do.

For instance, it is needless to say, an employee should come to the office at the right time because he already knows that timeliness is important. But you can instead concentrate on the real issues like; customers waiting for a long time. It would be best to frame your feedback where the real problem lies.

It might be possible that an employee cannot know an issue. That is why, in this case, it becomes essential to give employees a feeling of how this particular issue can impact you as well as the rest of your business. All I want to say on this point is that the more detailed and precise you make your feedback, the more constructive it will be.

With the help of ProofHub , you can give more precise feedback to your employees regarding their work. It has a powerful online proofing tool that you can use to give feedback on files quickly and without any hassle. Using this option, you can mark the file or design in the area in which it needs improvement and even add comments in the form of feedback.

Constructive feedback examples with scenarios

The feedback that is constructive heavily depends on the choice of your words. Strong communication and emotional intelligence are also among the main factors in giving positive feedback. To help you provide constructive criticism to your employees, here are the different scenarios let’s explore :

John is a capable and dedicated employee, but lately, he has been lacking in work performance and is not fully focused on work , therefore delivering the projects after the deadline. Instead of admonishing them, you must assure them that you have seen his work behaviour change and would love to find the solution .

Feedback: “John, I know how committed you are to your work, and we are really happy that people like you are working for our organization. But recently, I have noticed that you cannot concentrate on your work fully and, therefore, are missing the deadlines for your assignments. But that is not like you as you always finish your work before the deadline. That is why I have decided to discuss with you if you are facing any problems regarding your work so I can help you .”

Andrew is a very good employee at work, but recently, he has been showing up late at the office. Coming into the office means that he is missing important details regarding work; thus, this is affecting the workflow of the entire team. So, now, in this situation, you need to make him aware of this matter, know the reason behind it, and explain how his lateness is affecting your entire team.

Feedback: “ Andrew, I have noticed that you are showing up late at the office; therefore, you are missing important information regarding the work discussed in the meeting. This can affect your work and the workflow of the entire team. You have been performing well at work for the past few months, but you can do better if you come to the office at the right time.”

You are also free to discuss with me if there is something that is affecting your arrival at the office. We can also work on making a plan so that you do not miss any future meetings and have updated information regarding your work.”

Austin is working remotely and is not responding to any messages and emails regarding work. Not cooperating with leadership does not enable them to know if he has started working on a project. So if you are working in this kind of environment where you cannot meet physically, then you need to make sure that you emphasize regular virtual meetings with him.

Feedback: “Austin, last week I emailed you to know the status of your project, but I have not received any answer from you. I am unable to get any information regarding your project. To ensure that everyone is on the right track and does not miss the deadline, I would appreciate it if you responded to these emails.

If you are facing any trouble regarding your work, then you are free to discuss it with me and I would love to find a solution for that so that we do not miss any deadline in the future.”

For the past few days, Stephen has been showing a disrespectful attitude towards his colleagues. This is hurting the office. So, you need to handle this matter carefully by remembering that addressing negativity in the workplace can improve employees’ morale .

Feedback: “Stephen, I have noticed that for the past few days, your behavior towards employees is not very good. Are you not feeling happy at work? Or is there something else that is bothering you? You can come to me for the discussion as I am always here to help you.”

Tom has not been accomplishing his goals lately. But he is very good at what he does. So, in this situation, you need to recognize his best work and offer a solution that is best for him.

Feedback: “ Tom, I can see that you have achieved some fantastic results in the past. But, lately, you have not been able to accomplish any sales objectives for the last two months. I think we should discuss this and work on planning goals that are more manageable for you. And if we see an improvement, you should again work on accomplishing those same-size goals.”

Provide the constructive feedback to your employees on a centrailized platform, Try ProofHub for free !

What are the key elements of constructive feedback?

Here are a few important elements you should understand to provide constructive feedback to your team.

Specificity

Being specific is an important part of providing constructive feedback. Instead of generic and vague comments, be specific and focus on the behavior or action you are expecting from the individual.

Giving timely feedback is more effective because the incident will be fresh, and further confusion can be avoided. Waiting too long to provide feedback can reduce the impact of the feedback.

While giving feedback, start by acknowledging what the recipient did well. It shows that you value their efforts, and it sets a positive tone for the conversation.

Incorporating positivity in feedback ensures a positive work environment, and your team feels encouraged to learn and grow.

Actionable suggestions

Instead of pointing out mistakes, offer clear, actionable suggestions on how the team member can improve. Providing practical advice on how to improve helps your team members understand the exact path they need to follow and shows that you care about their growth.

Focusing on behaviour, not the person

Focusing on the person often turns the feedback into resentments and the whole point of the feedback is diluted. Address the action rather than making personal judgments or character assessments.

This approach helps to keep the feedback objective and focus on what can be improved.

What is the difference between constructive and destructive feedback?

The key difference between constructive and destructive feedback is that constructive feedback is specific, timely, and actionable. Whereas, destructive feedback is often vague, negative, and personal.

The goal of constructive feedback is to help the recipient understand what they did well, where they can improve, and how they can make those improvements.

On the other hand, destructive feedback focuses on pointing toward mistakes and is often delivered in a harsh or dismissive tone.

Giving feedback to employees lets them know that you care about their work and performance. But, when we talk about making it more constructive, it is completely different as you need to ensure that it does not seem derogatory even if it is negative feedback.

All those points explained above on how to provide constructive feedback and examples of constructive criticism, I am sure that whenever you have to give feedback, it will be easier to make it constructive by remembering all those main points.

Ultimately, I want to say making your feedback more constructive is all about focusing on the situation and behavior rather than people or personalities. It works by making employees aware of their mistakes and encouraging them to accomplish their goals.

When should you give constructive feedback?

The ideal time to provide feedback is as soon as possible as the longer you delay scheduling the meeting, the less constructive the feedback will be.

The benefits of giving constructive feedback in real-time

Providing Constructive feedback in real-time to employees enhances motivation, allows for personal development, and boosts productivity. Managers who fail to do so risk substantial employee turnover and discontent.

What is the difference between constructive feedback and criticism?

Criticism is a statement that expresses dissatisfaction with someone’s acts or behaviors. Constructive feedback can also point out an employee’s shortcomings, but the focus is on how to improve performance.

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Public Speaking: 40 Useful Performance Feedback Phrases

Public Speaking: Use these sample phrases to craft meaningful performance evaluations, drive change and motivate your workforce.

Public Speaking though closely related to presenting differs in that it is the process of performing a speech before a live audience with the purpose of informing, persuading or entertaining.

Public Speaking: Exceeds Expectations Phrases

• Always does proper research before delivering a talk before people.
• Has an excellent way of organizing ideas and views in a logical manner that is easy to understand.
• Knows how to use a story well to pass a point across much easier.
• Shows a great sense of humor and uses it well to grasp the attention of the audience.
• Uses visual aids with the speech to assist in delivering the intended information.
• Engages the audience well enough through allowing them to ask questions.
• Exhibits a great aura of confidence and poise when delivering a talk.
• Listens to other speakers and tries to learn new ways to improve further.
• Readily accepts feedback and also gives constructive feedback to other speakers.
• Talks in a balanced and easy way that is not too fast or too slow.

Public Speaking: Meets Expectations Phrases

• Handles well any unexpected issue that might arise during the talk.
• Knows how well to maintain good eye contact with the audience.
• Tries to improve on a daily basis on how to perfect the art of public speaking.
• Pays good attention to the body language and tries to keep things together in a good way.
• Handles pressure well and always tries to keep cool when there is panic.
• Always plans appropriately before delivering ant type of talk or speech.
• Does not force ideas and views onto other people and coerce them into accepting them.
• Has a good knowledge of understanding and speaking a wide array of languages.
• Knows how well to summarize the talk and does not speak for too long.
• Manages the time given to deliver the speech well and does not extend.

Public Speaking: Needs Improvement Phrases

• Does not handle pressure well enough and it is easy to tell the nervousness.
• Shows lack of confidence when it comes to delivering any talk.
• Not willing to improve the public speaking skills and learn new ways.
• Does not accept constructive feedback and is not willing to give feedback when required.
• Talks in a speedy and at times slow manner that the audience does not grasp the content being delivered.
• Engages the audience less and hence the talk does not yield the desired impact.
• Delivers the content in a dull manner and with less enthusiasm.
• Seems always to force other people to buy into ideas and views.
• Speaks for too long and does not know how to summarize by capturing key points.
• Does not talk different languages hence, cannot speak to a wide audience.

Public Speaking: Self Evaluation Questions

• Give an instance you delivered a speech and how do you feel you performed
• How well do you engage your audience while giving a talk?
• What was your favorite talk and how did it rate among your audience?
• What will you consider your worst performed speech and how did the audience rate it?
• How well do you prepare yourself before delivering a speech before an audience?
• How well do you manage your nervousness and tension before you give a talk?
• Do you listen to other speakers and what have you learned so far?
• How well are you conversant with speaking different languages that suit different types of audiences?
• Give an example you delivered a long speech and how did you rate your audience regarding their participation?
• Do you normally talk about all your intended points and how do you manage your time on stage.

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40 Constructive Feedback Examples (and Practical Tips)

Morgane Lança

Did you know that 80% of employees would rather receive regular feedback than experience annual performance reviews ? Constructive feedback matters even more for younger generations of employees and new hires. In 2024, businesses and managers should think of ways to improve communication and feedback strategies in the workplace. Our constructive feedback examples will help you implement the best practices and improve employee engagement!

What Is Constructive Feedback?

Constructive feedback aims at providing helpful comments, advice and suggestions for improvement to employees to increase their productivity and support their professional development. Effective feedback should focus on the employee’s work, behaviors, strengths and weaknesses , and not be an attack on their personality.

Many people find this one of the most difficult parts of becoming a manager. You will learn more quickly if you ask more experienced managers for advice or go on a course that covers this .

The difference between feedback and criticism

Constructive feedback can be both positive and negative, but plain criticism that negatively comments on employees’ personalities and individual traits should be banned from the workplace.

Criticism often ressembles mockery, pettiness, and can even lead to workplace bullying if managers give a bad example to employees.

On the other hand, feedback aims to reach positive outcomes by supporting growth, providing guidance, and optimizing processes and skills. It is shared with respect and transparency.

40 Constructive Feedback Examples by Type

Positive feedback.

Commenting on strengths and skills is especially important during employee performance reviews, but you should give positive feedback on a regular basis. After all, expressing recognition will make you stand out from other employers: only 12% of employees feel appreciated at work , and employee recognition supports outstanding performance. Here are some examples of positive feedback phrases you can share with your team:

1) “You did a great job on this project , keep up the good work and feel free to tell me if you need support!”

2) “You are really good at managing your schedule and consistently meeting deadlines. Your time management skills are truly valuable to the team.”

3) “I appreciate your innovative thinking and creative ideas . Please continue sharing your input with us!”

4) “You have a positive attitude and your enthusiasm makes all the difference in our daily work.”

5) “I can see that you work hard and I think we can find ways to help you keep good performance levels .”

6) “You are able to think outside the box and create innovative solutions to overcome challenges. It is inspiring to see!”

7) “You have great leadership skills . You know how to provide guidance, support, and lead by example, which motivates the entire team and creates a positive work environment for everyone.”

8) “I appreciate the fact that you are willing to take on new responsibilities and learn new skills. It shows that you are motivated, dependable, and a real asset for the entire organization.”

9) “You are dedicated to your job and have a great work ethic , which sets a positive example for others to follow.”

10) “I appreciate your attention to detail and your organizational skills , these qualities strengthen our workflow and help us work toward a common goal.”

Constructive Feedback

While positive feedback is great, constructive feedback  and negative feedback are crucial to foster employee development. Constructive feedback needs to identify areas of improvement and provide suggestions and solutions to reach specific goals. Of course, you should be careful with your words and show empathy and transparency.

11) “When facing new challenges, you should take the time to assess the situation and try to use your creative thinking to overcome them.”

12) “During team meetings, please consider giving space to your coworkers so that they can share their ideas.”

13) “We can address tips to optimize your organization skills to help you meet deadlines and gain productivity.”

14) “I noticed that you were struggling to complete tasks and projects on time, so let’s figure out ways we can improve together.”

15) “I appreciate your hard work, but I noticed you have a tendency to take on too many tasks and become overwhelmed as a result. Remember to take your time, delegate your projects, and seek support if needed.”

16) “Let’s work together to improve the way we prioritize tasks so that we can ensure timely completion of your projects.”

17) “Your report was very informative, but I noticed a few errors. Let’s skim it together to identify the issues and work on accuracy .”

18) “I feel like we should work on a weekly schedule so that we can identify which tasks are most time-consuming or interesting to you and improve productivity.”

19) “I noticed that it can be difficult to focus on a single task during your work days. We could define focus hours during which we would avoid distractions such as meetings and messages to help you get over this hurdle.”

20) “The work you did was great, but I feel like we could focus our approach on customers’ needs and tailor it to their specific situation next time.”

Feedback for Professional Development Opportunities

You can go beyond highlighting strengths and weaknesses by using employee feedback examples specifically targeted to foster career development. This meaningful feedback goes hand in hand with ongoing learning strategies – you cannot simply encourage growth and not offer training opportunities afterwards!

21) “You can enhance your project management skills by using a specific project management software . Here are my recommendations.”

22) “You could improve your leadership skills by taking on a mentoring role with someone who recently joined the team.”

23) “It would be interesting to create a knowledge base on which you can write down all your daily processes so that we can think of ways to improve them.”

24) “We can organize training sessions on this specific skill to help you learn and grow.”

25) “Would you be interested in joining a communication workshop to help you optimize your people skills?”

26) “I see you have improved quite a bit on many aspects of your position. Here is how we can take you to the next level !”

27) “I know you wanted to optimize your skills on this specific topic, here are a few solutions in that regard.”

28) “ Ongoing training on this set of skills would help you complete your projects more efficiently.”

29) “I have come up with a list of ideas to help you grow in your position and I want to hear your thoughts on it.”

30) “I feel like you are ready to grow in your career with us, here are a few suggestions we can study together.”

Teamwork Feedback

You should also share regular feedback on people skills such as communication, teamwork, and collaboration. These skills are crucial for sharing peer feedback such as 360-degree feedback – which should definitely be part of your strategy!

31) “You consistently support your coworkers and it helps create a great team dynamic. Keep up the good work!”

32) “You are always happy to help your colleagues, which is great. Remember that you can also ask for support anytime you need it.”

33) “Thank you for actively participating in team meetings, your input is always appreciated.”

34) “Our collaboration is always easy and insightful, you are a great team player .”

35) “You can improve the way you communicate with your teammates to make sure everyone is on the same page.”

36) “The entire team would benefit from you sharing your input and insights during team meetings.”

37) “Before taking on this project, I would appreciate it if you could ask your colleagues what they think.”

38) “I would like you to focus more on sharing creative ideas with team members in the next few months.”

39) “When providing feedback to your colleagues, make sure to illustrate your point with examples and ideas for improvement.”

40) “I have noticed communication issues and conflicts among the team and I think we should figure out a way to address them together.”

Using these constructive feedback examples and tips will help you improve communication and overall human resources management. The end goal is to strike a balance between positive feedback and areas that require development to create a constructive feedback culture  that benefits everyone in your organization. Remember to be transparent and use your communication skills to build the best, most productive and growth-oriented environment in your company!

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12 Examples of Constructive Feedback

By Status.net Editorial Team on May 8, 2023 — 7 minutes to read

Constructive Feedback: Examples & Tips for Effective Communication

Constructive feedback is an essential element in the workplace, because it helps people grow and improve their skills. Effective feedback goes beyond mere criticism; it offers specific guidance for improvement, encouraging recipients to build upon their strengths and address their weaknesses. See also: Constructive Criticism: When and How to Give and Take It

Tips for Giving Constructive Feedback

Be specific.

When giving feedback, it’s essential to be specific about the issue you’re addressing. Instead of making vague statements like “You need to improve” or “Your performance is unsatisfactory,” clearly explain which aspects of their work need improvement and why. This can help the recipient better understand the problem and work towards a solution.

Keep It Private

Addressing employee performance or behavior issues should always be done privately. Keep your feedback discussions confidential and respect the individual’s dignity. Publicly discussing these matters can be demoralizing and damage your professional relationship.

Focus on Behavior

When giving feedback, concentrate on the person’s actions rather than their personality or character. “I noticed you were late to the team meeting” is better than “You’re always late.” By focusing on behavior, you’re making the issue easier to address and directing the conversation towards finding solutions.

Offer Solutions

Constructive feedback should not only point out areas for improvement but also provide guidance and possible solutions. Offer your expertise or additional resources to help the person address the issue. For example, if they’re struggling with time management, suggest specific strategies or tools they can try. This shows you’re invested in their success and willing to support them.

Examples of Constructive Feedback

Utilizing these examples as a guide, you’ll be better equipped to provide constructive feedback in a balanced and effective manner. Keep in mind that both positive and negative feedback should be specific, actionable, and focused on the task or behavior, not the individual’s character.

• When reviewing your work, I noticed that there were several instances where you could have provided more detail. It would be helpful if you could elaborate on your ideas and provide specific examples to support them. This will not only make your work more comprehensive but also help the reader to better understand your thought process.
• I appreciate your effort in completing this project, but I noticed that there were a few errors in your work. In the future, please take the time to proofread and check for any mistakes before submitting your work. This will help to ensure that your work is accurate and professional.
• I noticed that you tend to interrupt others during meetings. While I appreciate your enthusiasm and desire to contribute, it is important to allow others to finish speaking before adding your input. This will help to create a more collaborative and respectful environment for everyone.
• Your work is generally well-written, but I noticed that there were several areas where you could improve your sentence structure. Try to vary your sentence length and structure to make your writing more engaging and interesting to read.
• I noticed that you have been struggling to meet deadlines recently. It would be helpful if you could communicate any challenges or issues that you are facing so that we can work together to find a solution. Additionally, please make sure to prioritize your tasks and manage your time effectively to ensure that you are able to meet your deadlines.
• Your presentation was well-prepared and informative, but I noticed that you tended to speak too quickly. Try to slow down your pace and speak clearly and confidently to ensure that your audience can follow along and understand your message.
• I appreciate your willingness to take on new tasks, but I noticed that you may have taken on too much at once. Please make sure to prioritize your workload and communicate any concerns or challenges that you are facing so that we can work together to find a solution.
• Your work is generally well-researched, but I noticed that you tend to rely heavily on one source. It would be helpful if you could diversify your sources and include a variety of perspectives to make your work more comprehensive and well-rounded.
• I noticed that you tend to avoid conflict and may not always speak up when you have concerns. It is important to communicate your thoughts and concerns in a respectful and constructive manner to ensure that everyone’s needs are being met and that we are working towards a common goal.
• While your work is generally well-organized, I noticed that there were a few areas where the structure could be improved. Try to group related information together and use headings and subheadings to make your work more organized and easier to navigate.
• I appreciate your attention to detail, but I noticed that you tend to focus too much on small details and may lose sight of the bigger picture. Try to step back and look at the project as a whole to ensure that you are meeting the overall goals and objectives.
• I noticed that you tend to take a passive approach in group discussions and may not always contribute your ideas. It is important to actively participate in discussions and share your thoughts and ideas to ensure that everyone’s perspectives are being heard and considered.When giving feedback, it is important to be respectful, constructive, and focused on solutions rather than criticism.

Mistakes to Avoid When Giving Constructive Feedback

Let’s explore some common pitfalls to be aware of: delayed feedback, personal attacks, and ignoring the positive.

Delayed Feedback

One of the most common mistakes is delaying feedback. Giving feedback in a timely manner ensures that the issue is fresh in the employee’s mind and provides an opportunity for immediate improvement. When you wait too long to address a problem, it can lead to confusion, frustration, and even resentment.

To avoid this, prioritize providing feedback as soon as possible. If you observe a concern, set up a meeting with the employee and express your feedback in a clear and constructive manner.

Personal Attacks

Another common mistake is making feedback personal. Doing so can damage relationships and hinder the employee’s ability to learn from the experience. Instead, focus on the specific behavior or action that needs improvement.

For example, avoid saying something like “You’re always lazy,” and instead say, “I noticed that you missed a few deadlines recently. Let’s discuss how we can manage your workload more effectively.”

Ignoring the Positive

Focusing solely on the negative aspects of an employee’s performance can make them feel demoralized and disheartened. It’s essential to balance your feedback with positive comments to maintain their motivation and engagement. Recognize your team members’ achievements and let them know you appreciate their hard work.

An example of balanced feedback might be, “Your presentation was well-researched and had great visuals, but I think it would be even better if you made an effort to engage the audience by asking questions and encouraging discussion.”

Learn more: Constructive Criticism: When and How to Give and Take It

How to Receive Constructive Feedback

Receiving constructive feedback can be challenging, but it’s essential for professional growth. Here are some tips on how to receive constructive feedback effectively:

Active Listening

When receiving feedback, it’s important to actively listen to what the other person is saying. This means giving them your full attention and avoiding any distractions. Focus on understanding their perspective and taking note of the key points they bring up. Let them finish their thoughts before responding, and avoid interrupting or being defensive. Learn more: Active Listening (Techniques, Examples, Tips)

Ask for Clarification

If a point is unclear or you need more information, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. This shows that you value their feedback and are genuinely interested in understanding their perspective. Remember to phrase your questions in a non-confrontational way, such as “Could you please explain further what you meant by that?”.

Take Action

Once you have received the feedback, consider the actionable steps you can take to address the concerns or make improvements. Create a plan to implement these changes, and be open to trying new approaches or strategies.

After taking action on the feedback, it’s a good idea to follow up with the person who provided it. This can be as simple as a brief conversation or a more formal progress update. This shows that you took their feedback seriously and closely considered their input.

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11 Giving and Receiving Feedback: It is Harder Than You Think

• Your colleague asks you to listen to them practice their speech practice and give them feedback.
• Your teacher asks you to give feedback to another classmate about their speech.
• Your boss asks, “What did you think about my speech?”

In each case, the person is looking to you to provide feedback. In this chapter, I will talk about how to assess the feedback situation, how to offer constructive criticism, and how to graciously receive criticism. Let’s start with how to ask for feedback and listen graciously.

Beta Testing with Friends

One useful way to test out your speech is with friends or trusted colleagues. In the world of fan fiction, writers send out a manuscript for beta testing. The idea is that a group of people with eyes on a text can provide helpful suggestions. Seek out those individuals in your life who will be beta testers for you. It is especially important for you to identify the purpose of your speech and what potential problems to look for. For example, are you wanting someone to proof your outline for formatting mistakes or are you wanting someone to tell you if your speech will work for the audience you have? You should seek out friends who will build you up, but you should also seek out those who will give you honest feedback.

Receiving Feedback

When you ask for feedback from others, receive their feedback as a gift. Someone is taking their time and giving it to you; someone is putting themselves out there and saying things that might cause discomfort, but they are doing it for you.  Individuals vary on how they receive feedback and how comfortable they are with being evaluated. It can be hard, I know. Growth can be hard.

When receiving feedback, try doing the following: 

• Sit in a non-defensive posture. It is tempting to cross your arms and to tense up all your muscles when receiving oral feedback. Keep your body open and loose. Staying open helps them to feel like you really want their suggestions and closed arms can equal a closed mind — keep an open body.
• Do not take feedback as a personal insult.
• If the feedback is verbal, write down the suggestions (even if you disagree with the suggestions). Respect the other person’s opinions by writing them down. It makes them feel like they have been heard and you appreciate the feedback they are giving. (Writing the feedback down also helps you to not cross your arms defensively–see suggestion one– and it helps you remember the suggestions.
• Do not take it as a personal insult. (I mean it).
• Avoid the temptation to defend yourself. “I did it this way because…” or, “I thought it would be best to…”  You already know why you did things the way you did. Interrupting them to tell them the reasons you did what you did comes off as defensive and reduces the likelihood they will give you all the feedback they have to offer. You already know what you were thinking and by telling them you haven’t advanced your situation. Use this time to learn what they are thinking.
• Do not take it as a personal insult. (Really, this is so important).
• Breathe. Most people feel stress when someone is giving them constructive criticism, breathe and relax so you can really listen.
•  Do not take it personally. Do not take it personally. Do not take it personally. I said it three times so it will stick. Since it is about your performance or your speech writing, it is hard not to feel criticism of your speech as a criticism of your person. Try to take criticism instead as someone caring enough about you to push you to grow.

Don’t be a Lynn. Yeah, that’s me, I’m the Lynn that you are not supposed to be. I remember being in high school debate my sophomore year and getting a grade from my teacher on my speech performance. She wrote, “slow down.” I can remember being so mad because this was proof that the “evil witch” hated me. It didn’t matter that I earned an A on that speech and that there were many positive things mentioned. It didn’t matter that she picked me to go to the best competitions. No, I was convinced that those two words meant she hated me. Now, I know to take advice as proof that someone cares and not as a criticism. It took me only twenty-plus years to get there. Don’t be a Lynn.

After Every Speech, Do a Self-Evaluation

Allison Shapira of Global Speaking suggests you do a self-evaluation after each speech:

• What did I do well?
• What didn’t I do so well?
• What am I going to do differently next time?

Write these down and keep this on file for the next time you give a speech.

(As a teacher, I do this every time I get student evaluations. I have a file of helpful suggestions from students. Yes, I even keep the critiques. I review the file every semester before I reteach the class. I think it makes me a better teacher. )

Constructive Criticism

There will be times when others look to you to read over their speech or listen to them practice and then give them constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is made up of two words: constructive–the building of something, and criticism–the giving of a critique. So constructive criticism is critiquing with the intention of building something. When we give others constructive criticism, our goal should be to help build them to be better speakers.

Give Them Help

Reagel and Reagle came up with a creative way to remember the goal of feedback, it should HELP : Help the speaker improve Encourage another speech Lift self-esteem Provide useful recommendations

Give Them a Sandwich

One way to give constructive criticism is to use the sandwich method. Say something positive, give feedback about something they can work on to improve, and then say something positive. This way, the first and last words out of your mouth are positive.

Ask Questions

Ask honest questions that can help lead them to solutions or ask questions to soften the sound of negative feedback: “What did you mean by…” “Have you considered? ” “Have you thought about…?” “When you said… did you really mean?”

For example: “Have you considered the impact of showing such a gruesome photo on your slide?” “Have you considered starting with a quote? ” “Have you thought about whether the people in the back will be able to see your poster?” “Have you thought about using a microphone so everyone can hear you?”

Different People, Different Types of Feedback

It is no surprise that people give and receive feedback differently. One person might take a feedback statement and be grateful for the corrections while the next person might take it as a complete insult. People are unique and I want to talk about a few of the most common differences. My goal here is not to put people in boxes or types, but rather to help you be more empathetic as a giver and receiver of feedback.

High and Low Self Monitors

Psychology researcher Mark Snyder identified people as being either high self-monitors or low self-monitors. High self-monitors typically try to fit in and play the role according to the context. They are about image, and they are motivated to fit in with their peers. They like to know what is expected, so they can adapt to the situation. Giving them useful feedback may mean pointing out how they can make changes in their message to meet the audience’s expectations. When giving feedback to high self-monitors, focus the feedback on how they can elevate their credibility in the eyes of the audience.

On the other hand, low self-monitors tend to be motivated to act based on their inner beliefs and values. They are motivated to be true to their sense of self and to above all– be genuine. When giving low self-monitors feedback, encourage them to be the best speaker they can be while being true to themselves. Focus on giving them feedback in a way that encourages them to harness their unique talents.

While you may not know exactly whether they are high or low self-monitor, I bet you have some idea of what motivates them. The more you can tailor your feedback to them, the more likely it is they will hear what you are saying. If you are curious about your type, you can take the quiz. You can have the person giving you feedback take the quiz as well. This can be a helpful exercise to think about how you give and receive feedback.

Take the high and low self-monitor quiz to find out your type

Cultural Differences

When you know your sickness You’re halfway cured. French saying

In the book, The Culture Map, a Dutch businessman is quoted as saying. “It is all a lot of hogwash. All that positive feedback just strikes us in the face and not in the least bit motivating.” People from different cultural groups have different feedback norms.  As our society grows increasingly diverse, it is important to learn not just how to give good feedback, but to give feedback that demonstrates an awareness of how different cultures give and receive feedback.

Erin Meyer does international training to help business professionals understand differences and similarities and how to bridge the gap:

Managers in different parts of the world are conditioned to give feedback in drastically different ways. The Chinese manager learns never to criticize a colleague openly or in front of others, while the Dutch managers learns always to be honest and to give the message straight. Americans are trained to wrap positive messages around negative ones, while the French are trained to criticize passionately and provide positive feedback sparingly. Having a clear understanding of these differences and strategies for navigating them is crucial for leaders of cross-cultural teams. Erin Meyer, The Culture Map

Upgraders and Downgraders

Meyers identifies cultures as Upgraders and Downgraders. Upgraders use words or phrases to make negative feedback feel stronger. An upgrader might say, “this is absolutely inappropriate.” As you read this, see if you identify more as an upgrader or downgrader.

Upgraders say:

• Absolutely–“That was absolutely shameless.”
• Totally–“You totally missed the point.”
• Strongly–” I strongly suggest that you…”

By contrast, downgraders use words to soften the criticism. A downgrader might say, “We are not quite there yet” or “This is just my opinion, but…”

Downgraders say: 

• “Kind of”
• “Sort of”
• “A little”
• “Maybe”
• “Slightly”
• “This is just my opinion.”

When giving and receiving feedback across cultures, it is helpful to be aware of these differences so you can “hear” what they are really saying. Take for example this statement as a Dutch person complains about how Americans give feedback.

The problem is that we cant’ tell when the feedback is supposed to register to us as excellent, ok, or really poor. For a Dutchman, the word “excellent” is saved for a rare occasion and “okay” is…well, neutral. But with the Americans, the grid is different. “Excellent” is used all the time, “Okay” seems to mean, “not okay.” “Good” is only a mild complement. And when the message was intended to be bad, you can pretty much assume that, if an American is speaking and the listner is Dutch, the real meaning of the message will be lost all together. Erin Meyer, The Culture Map.

Nannette Ripmeester, Director of Expertise in Labour Mobility, illustrates these differences to her clients with a chart. This chart shows the differences between what the British say, what they mean, and what the Dutch understand. (This is a condensed version of her list.)

Chances are as you read this list, you identified yourself in some of the statements and identified someone you know who is in the other list. Hopefully, this made you think about how personal style can be as different as cultural style. The big idea here is when you are giving and receiving feedback, it can be helpful to try to identify their communication style and adjust accordingly.

Politeness Strategies

As you already know, whenever you critique someone’s work, there is a potential to hurt their feelings. There are many factors that influence whether the feedback is helpful or hurtful. In communication, we use the term “face” to mean the sense of self a person projects. People can “take face” by creating a situation where someone looks bad to others or people can “lose face” by doing something that diminishes them in the eyes of others. Optimally, we want people to feel like they “gain-face” and feel encouraged. The way that you give feedback as well as the person’s natural tendencies will influence how “face” is affected.

When giving feedback, you should think about how your feedback takes or gives face. You also need to consider what is at stake for the other person. Is this a small speech assignment or is it a career-defining presentation? In addition, critiquing someone privately vs critiquing someone in front of their boss will have different “face” outcomes.

How much you are willing to “take face” from someone may depend on the importance of the feedback. You will likely want to provide more suggestions for someone who is doing a career speech to get their dream job vs that same person doing a college speech worth minimal points. You will likely be more invested in helping a friend polish a speech to make it just right as opposed to someone you barely know.

Finally, the other thing influencing feedback is the power difference between people. You will likely give feedback differently to your little sister than you would to your boss. The status of the individuals and how important power is to them will impact how “face” is taken and given. For example, a high-power country like China would consider an open critique of a teacher, boss, or elder a huge insult, whereas someone from a low-power country, would be less offended.  In any situation, you will be negotiating power, context, and the need to save face.

Taking all these factors into account, Brown and Levinson created Politeness Theory as a way to explain the different ways we give feedback to save face.

Bald on Record: This type of feedback is very direct without concern for the person’s esteem face. This type of feedback is usually given if there is a small fix the speaker would feel strongly about.

Examples of bald on record feedback:

• “Be sure you bold the headings.”
• “Alphabetize the references.”

Positive Politeness: In this type of feedback, you would build up the face or esteem of the other person. You would make them feel good before you make any suggestions. (It looks a lot like the sandwich method, hunh?)

Examples of positive politeness feedback:

• “You are so organized; this one little fix and it will be perfect.”
• “I love the story you told, a few more details would really help me see the character.”

Negative Politeness:  The name of this type of feedback is a little misleading. It doesn’t mean you are negative. It means you acknowledge that getting feedback may make them feel negative.  You would say things that acknowledge their discomfort. You might minimize the criticism so it doesn’t make them feel bad or find other ways to soften the blow of criticism.

Examples of negative politeness feedback: 

• “I know this critique might sound rough and I hope it helps, but I think you really need to work on the middle section.”
• “This is just me making suggestions, but I would be able to understand more if your slide has a heading.”
• I’m not an expert on this, but I think you might need to have a stronger thesis.”
• “I see what you are trying to do here, but I think some of your audience members might not get it.”

Off Record: When you give feedback that is off the record, you are hinting vaguely that they should make a change.

Examples of off the record feedback. 

• “How many sources are we supposed to have?” (Instead of saying, “You need to have more research”)
• “I thought we were supposed to have slides with our speech, maybe I heard that wrong.”
• “Are other people in the class dressing up?”

Avoidance: Some people are afraid of giving feedback so they will avoid the situation altogether.

Avoid the three C’s

Perform the three r’s.

From Westside Toastmasters

Giving Feedback During a Speech

When you are listening to someone speak, you are giving constant nonverbal feedback. Are you leaning forward listening intently or are you leaned back picking at your fingernails? The way you listen lets the speaker know that you value them and what they are saying. It can be reassuring to the speaker to have people who are in the audience smiling and nodding.

Try this little experiment: If you have a speaker who is average or boring, lean in and listen intently. Don’t be insincere and cheesy, but rather try to be an earnest listener. You will find that when the speaker notices you paying attention, they will usually become less monotone and more engaging. The speaker affects the audience, and the audience affects the speaker.

Asking for Feedback During Your Speech

“It is not OK to say OK at the end of every sentence!” That is what my friend told me after one of my speeches. I wasn’t even aware I was saying “OK.”  I asked my friend to raise a finger every time I said, “OK” in my speech. At first, it was distracting because he kept raising his fingers, but eventually, I figured out the way to get him to stop was to stop saying “OK.” Sometimes, it helps to get feedback after a speech, and sometimes it helps to get it during the speech. Having a friend put their hand to their ear to tell you to speak up can be really helpful.  I once stood at the back of the room and tried to signal to my husband as he was speaking with the fly of his pants unzipped.  I kept making the zipper gesture. He saw me gesturing and he could tell I wanted something, but he couldn’t understand what. He finally stopped lecturing and said, “Lynn, what do you want?” What was I to do? What would you do?  I said, “Zip your pants.”  Friends don’t let friends give an entire speech with their pants unzipped.

Do yourself a favor and appoint someone to be your speech buddy. Someone who will tell you if your pants are unzipped (preferably before you start) and will give you the signal to speak louder or to check your microphone. If you know that you tend to pace, lean on the podium, or say um’s, have them give you the signal.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill Former Prime Ministre of the United Kingdom

Assess the Situation

“How do I look?” I asked my husband before we go out on a date. “What do you think of my new dress?” Many of you know that this question can be a trap. Am I really wanting his opinion or am I wanting him to compliment me?  A savvy partner will assess the situation and answer accordingly.  The thought process might go , “She already bought the dress, she is excited about trying out a new restaurant and has been talking about it all week. She has been getting ready for a long time– the right answer is clearly one that makes her feel good. She is not really wanting my advice, she is fishing for a compliment.”

Take this story to heart when thinking about giving speech feedback. Your boss spent three weeks preparing for this big speech with the clients. He told you he has not slept in two days because he wanted everything to be perfect.  After the presentation, he asks you, “What did you think?” A savvy co-worker will read the situation and pick out the positive parts. There may be constructive criticism that needs to happen, but when the boss is in the moment of high adrenaline after laying it all on the line, you should read the situation and hold any negative feedback for another time.

“My honesty is not a gift that everyone wants,” this phrase was from one of my students who was writing a reflective essay about navigating being honest and being appropriate.  Be savvy and read the situation to know when to give feedback and when to be quiet. You should also read the person. The more you adjust your feedback to the person’s personal style and to the situation, the more likely they are to use that feedback to improve.

Key Takeaways

Remember This! 

• Be open to the feedback of others, it can help you improve as a speaker.
• When giving feedback to others consider the context, their needs, the impact on their esteem, and their culture.
• Use the feedback sandwich as a model for giving constructive criticism.

Please share your feedback, suggestions, corrections, and ideas.

I want to hear from you. 

Do you have an activity to include? Did you notice a typo that I should correct? Are you planning to use this as a resource and do you want me to know about it? Do you want to tell me something that really helped you?

Click here to share your feedback. 

Bonus Features

Advice to teachers (and leaders).

Research suggests the following regarding giving students feedback on their speeches:

• Discuss the purpose of feedback.
• Discuss ways to view criticism.
• Give smaller, low-stakes opportunities to receive speech feedback.
• Give negative feedback privately.
• Allow feedback to come from multiple sources: In a speech class, have other students offer speech feedback.
• Phrase it as skill-building rather than deficiency. Instead of “poor eye contact” say “increasing eye contact will build a connection with your audience.”
• Give as many positive comments as possible.
• Develop a warm, positive relationship with your students so they sense goodwill when they receive feedback from you.

King, P. E., & Young, M. J. (2002). An information processing perspective on the efficacy of instructional feedback. American Communication Journal, 5 http://ac-journal.org/journal/vol5/iss2/articles/feedback.htm

Identify the Politeness Strategy

I asked numerous professionals to Beta Test (review) this book. The feedback I received had great examples of the politeness strategies mentioned in this chapter. For me, the review process was the living version of this chapter. I felt exposed and vulnerable (and still feel exposed letting you see these comments). Because I was open to criticism, I was able to correct my mistakes, become a better writer, and give you a book that represented the profession and not just my opinions.

Read these and see if you can figure out which politeness strategy is at work.

As a speaker, it will not be easy to be open to criticism, but doing so will allow you to grow. As an act of reflection, ask yourself, which feedback below would be the most palatable to you–the direct, the apologetic, the explanatory.

• Is there an extra space in that highlighted area?
• This sentence reads funny to me. Seems like you are taking away from your powerful point if you end with the phrase  “a little.” Sorry, just saying.
• I am an over-user of the word “that”. If you can eliminate it and the sentence still makes sense, I would go ahead and cut it.
• I was curious about your choice to provide transcripts for some videos but not for others.
• I realize you are totally confident with saying NEVER. I say NEVER and ALWAYS in class, but I am not sure I should. Maybe  “Instead of” can sub for NEVER.
• Review bulleted lists for punctuation consistency: Some lines have periods in the end; some don’t.
• “It is no surprise then, that when researchers looked at  500 Ted talks.” I suggest the style “TED Talks,” as that’s how the TED org itself expresses its name, and TED was originally an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design.
• The content was spot on and have no critical-minded commentary.  My comments and sharings would be just on formatting.  Because I’m a Monica… (maybe you’re a Friends gal, too?)
• There is a noticeable lack of diversity in the speakers featured. Almost all the examples are of speakers who are white and most of those are men. This is a big problem. It makes white, male, English-first speakers the norm rather than an example of many. This would make me wary of using this text in my classes because typically this demographic of white, male, English-first speakers only represents a bare plurality of my students.

Brown, P., & Levinson, S. (1978). Universals in Language Usage: Politeness Phenomena. In E. Goody (Ed.), Questions and Politeness: Strategies in Social Interaction (pp. 56-310). Cambridge University Press.

Churchhill Central: Life and words of Sir Winston Churchill. https://www.churchillcentral.com/

Gonzales, M. (2017). How to get feedback on speeches. Global Public Speaking. https://www.globalpublicspeaking.com/get-feedback-speeches/

King, P. E., Young, M. J., & Behnke, R. R. (2000). Public speaking performance improvement as a function of information processing in immediate and delayed feedback interventions. Communication Education, 49, 365–374. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520009379224

Mehra, A., Kilduff, M. & Brass, D.J. (2001). The social networks of high and low self-monitors Implications for workplace performance.  Administrative Science Quarterly, 46 (1), 121-146. https://doi.org/10.2307/2667127

Meyer, E. (2014). The culture map: Breaking through the invisible boundaries of global business. Public Affairs.   https://erinmeyer.com/books/the-culture-map/

Meyer, E. (2014). How to say “This is Crap” in different cultures. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/02/how-to-say-this-is-crap-in-different-cultures

Reagle, J.M. & Reagle, J.M. (2015). Reading the comments: Likers, haters, and manipulators at the bottom of the web . MIT Press. https://readingthecomments.mitpress.mit.edu/

Ripmeester, N. Rottier, B., & Bush, A. (2010). Separated by a common translation? How the Brits and the Dutch communicate. Pediatric Pulmonology. 46( 4). 409-411. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppul.21380

Ripmeester, N. (2015). We all speak English, don’t we? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/we-all-speak-english-dont-nannette-ripmeester/

Smith, C.D. & King, P.E. (2007). Student feedback sensitivity and the efficacy of feedback interventions in public speaking performance improvement. Communication Education 53 (3). https://doi.org/10.1080/0363452042000265152

Snyder, M. (1974). Self-monitoring of expressive behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 30 (4), 526-537. http://www.communicationcache.com/uploads/1/0/8/8/10887248/self-monitoring_of_expressive_behavior.pdf

Toastmasters International. (2017). Giving effective feedback. https://www.toastmasters.org/resources/giving-effective-feedback

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Advice for Giving and Getting Feedback to Become a Better Public Speaker

by Janice Tomich

• Presentation Planning & Public Speaking Skills

Your personal and career growth will take a leap forward when you separate your ego from logic while giving or receiving feedback.

I often see the ability to separate from being defensive, as opposed to open to learn, reflected in many of my executive communication and presentation coaching clients. 

Those that can separate their emotions from constructive feedback and take on (vetted) recommendations make fast progress. They are like teflon not thinking that feedback should be taken personally. They see feedback and critique as a fantastic opportunity for growth and put blinders on to letting their ego get in the way.

Those that are blocked – have difficulty asking for or receiving speech critique – make slow progress. They are hurt by feedback that they consider negative and let it rent time in their heads. They also receive a poor return on their investment of time spent creating a speech or presentation.

Table of Contents

Why Is Speech Feedback And Critique An Important Part Of Public Speaking? 

We usually don’t see ourselves as others do. It’s easy for us to see and understand others. It takes a lot of work to actually see ourselves as others do. It can be difficult to anticipate our gaps of understanding or what exactly is it that our audience wants to learn or know from us. 

By reaching out to trusted colleagues you have the opportunity to grow the full gamut of your public speaking skills and focus on the areas to work on to improve. 

Developing and creating a presentation or keynote speech is built on a number of drafts/iterations – one building off the other to laser focus on what will land for your audience and what won’t. These steps of improvement provide opportunities to continually grow your skills as a speaker. 

For many, being a public speaker requires taking a leap of faith…being both humble and vulnerable. And with that comes asking for help to be the best you can be on stage. 

Learning that it’s in collaboration with others that you’ll thrive not only as a public speaker but as a leader happens by deepening your working relationships and relying on colleagues you can trust. 

Why Is Honest Feedback Important For You As A Public Speaker?

We all have a perspective based on our experiences, however as a party of one it’s a very narrow world view. Inviting other professionals or someone that is similar to your ideal audience opens up insight into what you haven’t considered or an understanding of how you will be perceived. 

Valuable insight and perspective that is different than your own is rich with opportunity to learn where the gaps are in your presentation. The positive feedback, as well as the ‘what needs improvement’ feedback provides a valuable opportunity to learn how to improve your public speaking skills. 

What Are Some Tips You Need To Think About To Give Effective Feedback When Asked By A Colleague Or Friend? 

Ask the presenter what the objective is for delivering their presentation. Do they have a specific call to action or are they looking to change a point of view? Keep your eye on the presenter’s objective so you can provide worthwhile constructive feedback. 

Focus on three, maximum five areas for feedback. Any more and you’ll overwhelm the receiver. Provide your feedback focussed on the most important elements for improvement. 

Share what’s working and what isn’t but don’t stop there. For example, explain why the introduction didn’t grab you at the start and then recommend using a technique such as starting with a story to engage your audience right away.

Be concrete with your examples. Vague critique sounds like this, “Your conclusion was confusing – you were all over the place and I couldn’t follow you”. As opposed to clear and helpful critique, which sounds like this, “When you ended with a Q & A I wasn’t sure when your presentation was over. Consider delivering your conclusion after you’ve answered the last question”.

Maya Angelou left us with a wonderful quote, ““I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Share feedback from the perspective of the overall feeling of the presentation. Did you feel included…as though the presentation was focussed on your problem? Or perhaps did you feel inspired and ready to take action? 

Pro Tip: We are more often persuaded by emotion than data. Even the most analytical of us.  Janice Tomich

Providing Effective Feedback As An Audience Member

Please, I encourage you to fill out your feedback form after an event to provide insight to the organizer. 

Most people don’t (uptake is usually 15%), which results in a few exuberant voices being heard and often some of the most valuable insight not being received – useful feedback that will help to improve upcoming events. 

What Are Some Tips To Think About To Get Effective Feedback When You’re The Presenter?

How to ask for feedback.

When asking for feedback put your head into learners mode. Forget about your ego and absorb what you can learn from the feedback given. It’s when you can take constructive criticism that you will grow and fly. 

Be selective about who you ask for feedback. Is the person you’re asking able to take the audience’s perspective? Are they knowledgeable and experienced about how to influence and persuade others? Are the equipped to share astute verbal feedback so their words will help improve each iteration? 

Ask what worked and didn’t work. Both from the perspective of the content and the delivery.

Make sure to choose someone that you can trust to provide a valuable speech evaluation to keep you on course.

I know it’s hard to have that difficult conversation, pitch that podcast, or choose just the right words to make your presentation come to life.

When To Ask For Feedback

Ask for feedback with each iteration – as your presentation evolves. Try to get your feedback from the same people each time. Getting too many opinions will only cause confusion and have you questioning who to believe. 

Years ago I was invited to provide feedback for a TED TALK presenter. Unfortunately the presenter asked an entire posse of people to weigh in. It was a nightmare with too many perspectives popping in now and again, some of them lacking the expertise to provide feedback in public speaking. 

How To (And Not To) Respond To Feedback

When you’re receiving  critique don’t respond (even to ask questions) simply use active listening skills. Once your colleague has finished then ask if something is unclear or you need more context. 

Don’t fall into the trap of defending yourself. Listen with an open heart and consider how you can (or will) implement the feedback to help improve your speech/presentation. 

Toastmaster’s is a wonderful opportunity for practice with a live audience, however I have some words of caution. They use a templated system. Have you noticed that you are easily able to pick out a Toastmasters speaker? Their presenters are encouraged to  follow a framework making those types of presentations pretty predictable. 

I also don’t agree with their rule of counting ums and ahs. We don’t want to sound like robots – vocal tics are normal and natural to the way humans speak. I can’t imagine standing front and centre having ums and ahhs evaluated. The pressure would have me saying a lot more. 

Lastly be very cautious who from Toastmaster you take critique from. Attendees follow a strict framework and that’s where the critique will be delivered from. 

The best speeches and presentations are unexpected jewels that don’t follow the rules. 

Work With An Expert That Has A Deep Breadth And Depth Of Knowledge

Working with a public speaking coach or a specialist in communication will provide expert perspective that Toastmaster, friends, or colleagues can’t. Subject Matter Experts (SME) are trained in the art of influence and persuasion. SME’s are fixated on how your speech or presentation will inspire or compel your audience to take on your thoughts, ideas, or point of view. 

A presentation coach or communication expert will be fully invested in your success. It’s their focussed specialty and comes without the distraction of work projects or whether the dishes are done.

A coach will constantly measure your content and delivery against your goals and objectives. They won’t let you or your speech waiver from it. 

Often SME’s will work with clients for months/years and build a trusted relationship with you. They will intimately understand your experience and are dedicated to how to improve your public speaking skills. 

In order to give or receive feedback you need to understand how to give or receive feedback – see the other perspective. 

The feedback loop is not a one-off endeavour. It’s a work in progress. 

When done right, feedback is a brilliant opportunity to grow as a leader and accelerate your career. It’s worth the time to hone your skills and be both a good recipient and receiver of feedback. 

Do you have a speech or presentation scheduled to deliver in the next few months? Get in touch to talk about if we might work together or review my speech coach services .

It would be my pleasure to take you through all the important steps to deliver a memorable presentation that you will be proud of. 

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How to Give Constructive Feedback in the Workplace

October 25, 2022 - Dom Barnard

Communication within any team is vital. This is especially true when there are solutions to be found regarding specific problems at work or if the overall effectiveness of team members’ working practices could be improved.

However important these problem-solving conversations may be, it can be difficult for a manager or co-worker to raise areas of concern in discussions with employees or other team members.

Here we outline the importance of being able to give constructive feedback to other members of your team, as well as some tips on how to use this method of feedback effectively.

What is constructive feedback?

Feedback is a  necessary part of communication  between a manager and their employees and also between colleagues within a team. Workers need to know what is going well, what’s not going so well, and what they need to do to maximize their output and to best benefit themselves and the business.

Positive feedback consists of praise, encouragement, and recognition of achievements, and is obviously important for raising team morale and encouraging productivity.

Of course, things don’t always go well, however. At times it might be necessary to draw a worker’s attention to a mistake or to less than ideal working practices more generally. If framed in a negative way, this is criticism, which can  feel very personal  and could be disheartening for your co-workers to hear.

With constructive feedback, it is possible to highlight issues in a way that might feel less critical or personal to your team members, while also looking for solutions and moving forward in a positive way. This can be a very effective method of approaching any difficulties and of managing a team to its best potential.

Qualities of constructive feedback

• Provides specific information
• Based on observations and facts
• Solution-focused

Benefits of constructive feedback

In a  2014 study  conducted by Harvard Business Review, 57% of participants stated that they preferred constructive feedback over praise (43%). This suggests that most employees want to know what they can do to improve their performance.

Benefits of constructive feedback include:

1. Enhances performance and assists with professional growth

Employees want to perform at their best and generally want to progress. By providing them with constructive feedback you will be assisting them in their progression and also showing them that you and the organisation cares about employee development.

2. Clarifies expectations

You can clarify your expectations of employees which will provide them with guidance and a sense of purpose.

3. Benefits the organisation’s performance

The organisation is working towards the same objective but if you do not make this explicit then employees may prioritise other goals. Constructive feedback can guide them.

4. Improve team relations

Addressing difficulties can reduce tensions between the team, for example, addressing an individual’s interpersonal problems can improve team relations.

Do people want to hear this feedback?

As a team leader, you might feel that other members of your team will be less than enthusiastic to hear about any issues you might have with their work. If you are working within a team below management level, you might also have the difficult task of encouraging your colleagues to approach things in a different way.

It’s certainly true that it’s not easy to be criticized. A worker will be likely to become demotivated and demoralized if they feel you think they are not good enough.

However, constructive feedback is intended to be a less critical and more problem-solving form of feedback, which can lead to better team spirit and mutual respect between colleagues.

If delivered in the right way, constructive feedback should help an employee to feel encouraged to improve and supported to fix or avoid mistakes.

What are the foundations for giving feedback?

The foundations follow the three C’s model:

• Credibility : Recipients must view you as credible. This is achieved by understanding what each employee does and observing their work.
• Candour : Be polite, respectful and thoughtful but don’t avoid the issue as that’s not helpful for either of you.
• Care : Employees should feel as though you’re providing this information because you want to help them rather than yourself.

How to give constructive feedback

It’s important that members of your team feel supported and encouraged to work enthusiastically and effectively. Too much negative feedback can really dampen the spirits of individuals or even a team as a whole.

To keep morale boosted, you should always help your team members find solutions to any issues, and this is where constructive feedback comes into its own. Here are some tips on how to give effective constructive feedback to your team.

1. Hold regular one-to-one meetings with your team

To help ensure that your team members feel valued and heard, consider holding regular one-to-one meetings with each of them. This will create a space for them to raise any issues they have, and it will be easier for you to work with them on an ongoing basis to iron out any current or potential issues that need discussing.

You could also make time in the diary to have an ad hoc one-to-one with an employee if any further difficulties arise, but it’s easier to keep the feedback constructive if you work this type of regular discussion into your ongoing management style.

Your team members will feel respected, valued, and listened to, and they will be more likely to come to you with any problems before they get out of hand.

2. Emphasise the positive

It’s never easy to discuss problems at work, especially if an issue has arisen from something someone has done (or not done). However, we all make mistakes, and we can all benefit from learning from them.

If you find yourself in the position of having to have a difficult conversation with a member of your team, help take the pressure off the situation by leading with some positive feedback.

People are more likely to feel motivated at work if they feel they are appreciated and valued, so make sure your employees know that you recognize their positive efforts before tackling any problems. This will also help them to receive constructive feedback more effectively, as they won’t feel that they are being criticized so much.

3. Don’t make it personal

An employee will quickly become demotivated if they feel they are under attack or being personally criticized. Frame your discussions to focus on the issue that needs addressing, and emphasize how you might work together to move forwards in dealing with it, rather than focusing directly on the working practice of the individual.

This will help ensure that their morale is boosted and they will be more likely to be able to address the necessary problems effectively.

Practice Giving Feedback

Practice giving both positive and negative feedback to your colleagues in the workplace. Choose how to reply based on their reaction. Learn More

4. Keep it simple

You might find that you have more than one issue that you need to take up with a colleague or member of your team, and it could be tempting to list them all in the same meeting. Consider simplifying your feedback, perhaps just taking one or two of the more important issues at a time.

Taking one issue at a time will enable you and your team member to work together to find a solution before moving on to the next problem. This is an important approach in working with a  growth mindset  and in keeping tasks achievable in order to promote success.

It will also help to protect your team member’s well-being if they don’t feel that you’re picking them up on everything they are doing. This will benefit their mental health as an employee and your working relationship with each other.

It will also have a knock-on effect of benefiting your business as a whole, since workers are likely to be more productive if they feel encouraged rather than criticized.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wtl5UrrgU8c

5. Help find solutions – and make a plan

A big part of giving constructive feedback is working together to help to find a solution for any problems. This is the key to the word ‘constructive’. During your discussions with your team members, it will help if you suggest or brainstorm with them some ways that their work could be even better.

Even if things are going well, there is always room for improvement, and your co-workers will feel encouraged to perform at their best if they are working for the team.

It almost always helps to pool ideas at work, and it could well be that your employees genuinely can’t see another way of approaching a task. As a manager your role is to guide your team to success, so talk through solutions together as a way out of difficulties. This will also help to boost team morale as your employees will feel supported.

It will help to draw up a  problem-solving plan  with your team members as a practical way to implement any changes. Not only will this make these changes easier to approach, but it also gives you and your employee something to come back to later, when following up and discussing progress.

6. Finish on a high

Finally, close any awkward discussions by emphasizing again what’s going well. This can be recapping on the positive elements that you drew upon at the start of your meeting, or it could be an encouraging word about the next steps for improvement.

Team members will feel much more motivated and able to act on constructive feedback effectively if they leave discussions with you on a high, rather than feeling like their efforts at work have been pulled apart.

Common mistakes

If feedback is not provided effectively it can  discourage and demotivate staff . The recipient may remain resentful and it can ruin your relationship with that employee. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Try not to worry about the recipient taking the negative feedback personally. Remember that your aim is to help their employee performance – you could even tell them this. Ask them to reflect on the feedback so you can correct any misinterpretations.
• It’s important to provide feedback to all employees and not just to the ones who need to improve the most. High performers want to know how to advance professionally, if they do not receive this information they may go elsewhere.
• Don’t avoid bringing up issues because you don’t want to upset the recipient. The issue may worsen and consequently be harder to resolve in the future.
• Sometimes managers can forget to provide positive feedback because positive behaviour can just be seen as expected behaviour. Don’t forget the importance of providing positive feedback as this reinforces positive behaviour.

Structure for giving constructive feedback

Use this structure in your feedback meeting.

1. Preparation

Pre-established goals : It’s useful to have established goals and measurements with the employee before a review. This allows you to focus your feedback on areas they want to develop. If you don’t already have a system like this in place, create one by meeting one-to-one with employees and identifying, for example,  monthly/quarterly or annual goals .

Invite them for a meeting : Schedule a meeting and explain to the employee what you will be discussing rather than ordering them into your office unexpectedly. This is less likely to make them feel anxious and it gives them time to prepare. Say something quite informal and optimistic, such as, “Can we have a catch-up at 3pm tomorrow to discuss your progress?” rather than “Come to my office at 3pm tomorrow so we can review your performance.”

If you want to speak to an employee about a specific event a good way to approach this is by asking “Would you be willing to discuss what happened at X?” We can do it now or after the team meeting if that’s better for you.”

Person-to-person : Always provide constructive feedback person-to-person, preferably face-to-face, rather than over an email so it cannot be misinterpreted.

One-on-one : Give feedback in private as you don’t want to embarrass your employees and this allows for a more open discussion.

2. Communication techniques

Communicate care :  Communicate  that you care so the recipient understands that is why you are providing this feedback. To show care when delivering negative feedback express your concern. This will highlight that this information is important and that you’re providing it because you want to help them.

Manner : Avoid expressing anger, irritation or disappointment. Your constructive feedback will become criticism, the point of the message will be diluted and the employee is likely to become emotional.

Be direct : Always get to the point and be straightforward rather than being vague. This will increase the clarity of your points.

Be sincere : Avoid linking positive feedback to negative feedback as this creates mixed messages. This is often done by using the words “however/but/although”. For example, “Your communication skills are very strong but…” This suggests that the positive message was not sincere.

Encourage : Negative statements that scold can make people defensive and ignore your feedback, such as “You should not…” Instead be encouraging, for example:

“Perhaps you could aim to/try…” “Have you thought about trying…?”

Be appreciative : When delivering positive feedback, show that you are grateful and appreciative. Use examples to explain why their actions were so valuable.

3. Content of constructive feedback

Only constructive feedback : Never give feedback if there isn’t a constructive purpose of providing it.

Start Positive : Ensure that you provide a positive point first as the employee is likely to feel more confident and respond better to any negative feedback.

Provide a balance : Balance the positive and negative feedback throughout the conversation because this will make the employee more receptive to the negative feedback; it shows them that there are improvements to work on but they’re also doing things well. If you list all of the negatives one after the other it would be discouraging for the employee – they may either shut off or not trust the feedback. However, only include positive feedback if it helps with their work performance.

Pick a few areas for improvement : The employee may have several areas they need to develop but providing all of this is one meeting could be too confusing and discouraging. Provide around three areas of improvement. This way your employee can work on improving these optimally rather than trying to improve lots of areas sub-optimally.

Provide context and examples : You must be as specific as possible to make feedback practical. Do this by using exact examples of behaviours or situations. For example, saying “Your presentation skills aren’t great” doesn’t show the recipient what they need to change and why this is damaging their performance. Instead you can say “I’ve noticed that when you deliver presentations you often read from a script which…” This will allow them to recall previous presentations and think about what changes they can make.

Ask for permission : A technique for introducing specific examples is to ask the recipient for permission. Such as saying “Can I share an observation with you?” The recipient may be more inclined to take the feedback onboard.

Stick to observations : State observations and facts rather than interpretations or opinions. Observations are what you see and hear. Interpretations are judgements about what you see and hear. Concentrate on what the employee did, such as, “You finished the project two days after the deadline” rather than assuming their motivation: “I’m guessing that you didn’t like this project.” Only describe what you noticed and then move on to discussing the impact of the behaviour.

Focus on actions : Similarly, focus on the employee’s actions and not their personality to avoid your feedback looking like a personal attack. To explain behaviour use adverbs as they describe actions and avoid adjectives as these describe nouns. For example, instead of saying “You seemed uninterested during Monday’s presentation”, which is making an assumption, you could say “During Monday’s presentation you were frequently on your phone…”

Explain the impact : Explain why an observation is important by using facts and explaining how their behaviour has affected others, including the organisation. This will encourage them to make changes. For example. “I’ve noticed that you’ve been getting in around 9:20 during the last week. Other staff members have been covering your phone as well as their own phones.”

Understanding : Allow your employee to respond to your feedback and explain themselves. You want to  understand why an employee  has behaved in a certain way before deciding on what actions to take. In the meeting, after providing them an example of their behaviour in a situation ask them to explain their thought process using open questions, such as, “What are your thoughts on this situation?” Once you have an answer you can choose how to deal with it.

When employees are explaining their actions they can often identify where they went wrong and come up with solutions to get a better outcome. This helps you out in the meeting because the employees show themselves what they need to work on.

4. Create solutions together

• Help your employee find solutions for themselves by asking  open questions  such as, “How do you think you could do this better in the future?”
• Provide your own suggestions and get their thoughts on these ideas.
• Explain the importance of making these changes and the positive results it will have.
• Create clear measurable goals so employees can assess whether they are improving.
• Ask your employee how you help them achieve these goals.

Summarise : Summarise the key points and the goals. This has the benefit of confirming that the employee has understood what has been discussed.

Close positively : Try to end the conversation with something you have positively noticed so they leave feeling confident and encouraged. If the conversation does end more negatively, show the employee that you are confident in them achieving the goals set.

6. Frequency and timings of reviews

Review regularly : If possible, try to schedule regular reviews so your employees become accustomed to receiving positive and negative feedback. Also, if you are providing only yearly reviews, this can slow the professional growth of employees and frustrate them.

Be timely : Try to be timely with feedback, such as, delivering feedback the end of a project. The impact of feedback reduces when too much time has passed as the event is no longer fresh in their minds.

Delivered in the right way, constructive feedback is about working together as a team to make improvements to working practice. Your team will be stronger and more productive for being able to have these discussions with you.

26 constructive feedback examples and tips for managers

Published on

Constructive feedback is an essential tool in any manager’s arsenal to improve team performance and morale. Delivering constructive feedback requires empathetic communication skills, a people-centered mindset, and a good grasp of feedback methodologies.  

Even the best leaders can sometimes find the constructive feedback process challenging. An effective way to learn and hone in on delivering helpful feedback is by taking a cue from a variety of different constructive feedback examples applied to different scenarios. So, we’ve rounded up 26 of them to help you master the art of giving constructive feedback! 

What is constructive feedback: Meaning and team impact 

The path to professional growth starts with providing constructive feedback , so understanding its importance as a cornerstone of progress and development is a great place to start.  

Before we jump into our constructive feedback examples, this article first focuses on understanding the basics — including the process of giving feedback, the importance of empathy and active listening, and the impact constructive feedback has on employees. 

Why constructive feedback matters 

Constructive feedback matters because it acts as a catalyst for growth and improvement. It provides individual employees and teams the insights needed to help their own professional advancement — be it to achieve their targets, enhance their skills, or develop their relationships at work. When delivered effectively, constructive feedback helps employees understand their performance and keeps them accountable for their success.  

By putting time and care into feedback, managers also demonstrate that they’re invested in supporting their teams, which , ultimately , creates a culture of trust and empowerment. 

The benefits of constructive feedback 

Only good things can come from constructive feedback. When delivered properly and regularly, it can result in increased motivation, productivity, and employee satisfaction . As an added bonus, constructive feedback can also build stronger relationships within a team, which boosts collaboration and collective performance. 

The short and sweet: Simply put, the goal of constructive feedback is to point out areas of improvement in a way that is both helpful and positive, rather than critical. When done right, it's a powerful tool for promoting personal growth and enhancing employee performance . 

Characteristics of constructive feedback 

Effective feedback is specific, clear, and focused on behavior rather than on a person. Managers should deliver it in a timely fashion, while the memory of the action or behavior is still fresh and top of mind for the employee. And lastly, there should be a fair balance between positive reinforcement and points of improvement. 

Specificity 

Why does being specific matter when giving feedback? Because it allows employees to understand precisely which behaviors or actions they need to work on. This avoids guesswork, ensuring the issue isn’t misinterpreted and the road toward a solution is clear! 

For example, “You’re always late” isn’t specific or objective enough. Instead, try “You’ve been late to the last three meetings.” 

Clarity 

Clarity in feedback explains the “why.” To ensure mutual understanding, managers should explain why a certain matter needs attention. This helps connect the dots. Providing examples to illustrate the point can help make the picture crystal clear 

For example, a statement like “The meeting had to start later which caused issues” leaves the problem up to interpretation. Instead, give more context to the problem: “Because you arrived late to the meeting, it had to start later. That prevented us from having enough time to discuss X topic, which we needed to do.”  

Objective 

Constructive feedback needs to be objective. This is achieved by focusing feedback on observed behaviors and not personal characteristics. Addressing specific behaviors helps managers provide actionable insights and keeps the vibes non-judgmental. 

A comment like “You don’t care about arriving on time!” is subjective, unhelpful, and likely untrue. Keeping feedback on behavior, such as “I noticed you’ve been 15 minutes late to most meetings in the last few weeks” removes judgment and sets things up for finding solutions. 

Actionable 

Lastly, feedback becomes constructive when the direction is solution-oriented and forward-looking. Managers should ask themselves: Does the feedback frame the next steps? By providing actionable feedback, employees have a map for improvement. 

In the context where an employee has an issue with arriving to meetings on time, actionable feedback looks like: “Let’s make sure you can manage your time better. Can you share the day planning techniques you’re currently using and try a tool to help you?” 

Delivering constructive feedback 

There is, of course, an art to giving constructive feedback to ensure that it's well received. Start by stating what was done well, then follow this by pointing out the areas where improvement is needed. It's also important to offer specific suggestions or actions for how the situation can be improved so that the person has the tools they need to grow and progress positively and productively. 

Some additional tips to deliver great feedback: 

Choose the right time and place 

Sometimes, timing is everything. By picking an appropriate moment and setting to provide them feedback, an employee will likely be more receptive. Delivering feedback during a five-minute window between meetings in a room with other people not only prevents the chance to ask questions and advice but could also risk embarrassing them. Make sure there’s enough time available for a discussion and create a moment with privacy. 

Use the “feedback sandwich” method

The good ol’ sandwich method is about “sandwiching” constructive criticism between two positives. This sets the tone of the conversation, using praise to soften the delivery of the feedback. It also allows managers to end the conversation on an encouraging note, which helps mitigate defensiveness from the receiver. 

An example of constructive feedback using the sandwich method looks like this: “I love how confident you are about sharing your ideas at our meetings. Because everyone needs to have a chance to speak, let’s work on how we can help you share the floor more. You’re a great speaker and I see how you could help inspire others to share ideas!” 

Encourage two-way communication 

While managers may be the ones providing constructive feedback, it’s important to remember that the feedback process should always be a two-way flow of communication. To reach a successful outcome, a little active listening can go a long way — keeping the conversation open, honest, and supportive. 

The importance of empathy 

There's a lot to be said about the way in which constructive feedback is given. When managers take an empathetic approach , it can make the feedback process even more effective. Considering the feelings of the person receiving the feedback, and putting yourself in their shoes, makes it easier to connect with them in a way that resonates and makes them feel more comfortable. 

Receiving constructive feedback 

Just like there’s an art to delivering feedback, there’s an art to receiving it too. Receiving feedback is the other side of the coin. It requires open-mindedness and willingness to learn and grow. It involves active listening, reflection, and a willingness to improve. Remember these principles: 

Maintain an open mind 

Being on the receiving end of constructive feedback, it’s essential to approach the process with an open mind. This is what fosters a growth mindset. After all, no one is perfect. It’s important to check one’s ego at the door, remain receptive rather than defensive, and remember that feedback is an opportunity to learn and improve. 

Ask clarifying questions 

Asking questions is part of active listening. The more questions asked, the more clarity and understanding one can have about the feedback one receives. This is why picking the right time and place is so important — there has to be room for constructive dialogue, so the receiver can walk away confidently, knowing exactly what they need to do because they had the opportunity to ask questions. 

Develop an action plan 

As with any constructive conversation, there should be clear next steps toward the solution. Based on the insights gained from feedback, an action plan with clear goals, strategies, and a timeline should be agreed upon between the manager and the employee. Action plans can also be adjusted and evolve, depending on the context. This is central to the continuous improvement philosophy. 

The secret to effective feedback? Make it regular

Growth is perpetual and so should be constructive feedback. Make it a regular occurrence, rather than a one-off, to see ongoing improvement and prevent small issues from snowballing into larger ones. Regular check-ins help keep everyone aligned and on the right path to success. 

Giving constructive feedback: Examples and scenario-based tips 

Feedback is not just for quarterly performance reviews anymore and the ability to communicate effectively with employees is more critical than ever. Below, find 26 examples of constructive feedback for managers , with actionable advice to apply to your own real-life scenarios. 

Improvement feedback examples for time management 

Is an employee frequently late to team meetings or running behind in the morning? When discussing the issue, managers should show genuine concern, set clear expectations of their timeliness, and avoid an accusatory tone. 

1. “I’ve noticed that you’re struggling to make it on time to your afternoon sessions with the team and I’m concerned that you may miss some vital information. Can we work together to develop a plan to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?” 

2. “We’ve missed you during our morning team meetings. I know you have a heavy workload, but we value your input and ideas. How can I support you in improving your time management skills?” 

Feedback with performance improvement recommendations 

If an employee’s performance is declining, there's likely a logical explanation behind it with easy solutions. To avoid sounding accusatory, nosy, or invasive, managers should take a more generalist approach to the issue and open the conversation with a question. 

3. “The team has noticed that you’ve missed some deadlines lately. Is everything ok? Let’s schedule some time to chat where we can assess your current workload and any roadblocks, and develop a plan so that you can get back to feeling focused and productive in your day-to-day.” 

4. “I wanted to connect with you and see how you’re doing. I’ve noticed that you don’t show the same motivation as usual. How can I help you get back on track? Let’s review your priorities and brainstorm the best ways to accomplish them.” 

Follow our simple guidelines to address an employee's poor performance with confidence and put them back on the road to success. 

Improvement feedback examples for employee attitudes and team morale 

Even one team member with a negative attitude can significantly affect employee morale. Constructive feedback can stop this issue in its tracks and shift the mood before it becomes too disruptive to the team. 

5. “The team has recently noticed that you’re struggling to stay positive. We’re all in this together. Is there anything the team or I can do to help?” 

6. “Hey, I wanted to check how you’ve been feeling lately. Can we talk about what’s bothering you? I appreciate how hard you’ve been working and I would like to help you overcome your challenges and lift your spirits. We can talk privately or schedule a team meeting for an open and honest discussion.” 

When negative attitudes enter the workplace, it can be tough on everyone. Learn more about how to give feedback on negative attitudes in the workplace. 

Constructive criticism examples for continuous improvement 

Mistakes happen. But when they don’t get addressed, they are often repeated. When mistakes happen, managers should take a moment to course-correct to avoid mistakes becoming habits, and for employees to get the quality of their work back up to par. 

7. “You’re generally very good at learning from past mistakes, but the team has noticed you making this one similar mistake during the current project. Understandably, such small things may slip through the cracks, but I wanted to flag it so that you can be more vigilant in the future.” 

8. “You're usually someone who's eager to learn and grow. We've noticed that you've been a little less engaged lately. Is there something we can do to help you find your groove again?” 

Pro tip: One-on-one meetings offer an excellent opportunity to bring up these kinds of conversations. During one-on-one sessions, empathize with employees to build a positive, judgment-free zone. Give concise, clear guidance and maintain an understanding but firm attitude. 

Examples of constructive feedback for teamwork enhancement 

Evaluating a team’s collaboration skills should be a top priority for leaders. Managers should address gaps in teamwork abilities by focusing on creating a mutually supportive environment and improving employee morale. 

9. “You’ve got the talent and drive to be a shining star in this company, but you tend to stay apart from the wider team. What do you think would help you integrate better with your teammates?” 

10. “I know you’re all hard workers and dedicated to your jobs, but we need to focus on improving collaboration and strengthening our group bond . Can we brainstorm solutions for making everyone feel like a valuable team player?” 

Are your remote employees struggling to collaborate? Here are some tips to increase collaboration and foster better relationships across your remote team. 

Constructive feedback to improve communication style and skills 

Effective communication between managers and employees is a critical component of success. Providing regular, constructive feedback is vital for improving communication in a group setting and during one-on-one meetings. 

11. “I’ve noticed that we sometimes have a communication mismatch. Do you want to work together to better understand how we can communicate more effectively?” 

12. “Your work has been great, but I've noticed that you've been a bit quieter lately. Can we schedule a weekly sync so I can stay in the loop and offer my support when you need it?” 

Pro tip: When it comes to delivering constructive feedback, keep your communication clear, objective, authentic, and fact-based. Ask for feedback during your next one-on-one to understand how your team member feels about your communication skills and how you can improve. 

Constructive feedback to improve listening skills in group discussions 

If team members operate in a fast-paced environment, sometimes the extroverts will unknowingly “take over” in a group meeting while others get lost in the shuffle. While there is nothing wrong with having passionate employees, talking over others isn’t conducive to productivity or collaboration. Managers should find constructive ways to even the playing field. 

13. “I appreciate the passion you bring to the project! However, you also need to make space for others to be included in the conversation. Letting others speak will support your development, and it will also help other members of the team bring creative ideas. Let’s come up with a solution that channels your passion and that of the team.” 

14. “I love the creativity and new ideas you bring to our brainstorming sessions. But, when you get excited, sometimes you forget to share the floor. When I’m in a creative flow, I write down my ideas while others speak so I can remember them. Would you like to try that during our next group collaboration?” 

Goal-oriented feedback to support target achievement 

Employees with a solid commitment to their jobs will have moments when they feel disappointed and guilty about missing a goal. Managers should acknowledge their disappointment and lift them back up by giving feedback that offers actionable solutions to prevent the same missed opportunities in the future. 

15. “We appreciate your passion for this project, even if you didn't hit the goal you set out to achieve. What can we learn from this experience? I’m always here to support you if you need help meeting your next goal.” 

16. “Your work ethic and dedication to achieving goals are admirable and a valuable part of this team. I know you’re upset that [project name] didn’t go exactly as planned, but it’s a meaningful learning experience. How can we realign your goals moving forward to ensure success?” 

Browse through our employee goal-setting examples and learn how to set measurable and attainable goals that will make your employees shine. 

Feedback to encourage camaraderie and interpersonal relationships 

When teammates get along, the positive vibes are infectious. People who genuinely like each other produce extraordinary teamwork. Managers can expect to see greater creativity, stronger bonds, and better morale when they encourage positive social interactions. 

17. “I've noticed that you haven't been getting along as well with [employee name] lately, and I’ve also noticed that many team members have been in the same boat. Shall we get together and set the record straight about what's causing the disconnect?” 

18. “Hey, I noticed the tension between you and [employee name]. You’re valuable team members, and I want to help you work through your issues together. Can I schedule a mediation session to help you both understand each other better?” 

💌 Encourage your employees to recognize each other. A platform like Good Vibes makes peer-to-peer recognition fun and easy and contributes to creating a positive culture and strong team relationships. 

Feedback to encourage taking initiative and autonomy 

Every successful manager pushes employees to take the initiative when problem-solving. It facilitates productivity and development on the team . It’s important to encourage independence but also be clear that any employee who feels stuck can reach out for help. 

19. “I’m glad that you’re comfortable asking for help. That’s an important skill. Next time you need a hand, I would like to see you bring forth possible solutions you've come up with, along with your request.” 

20. “I appreciate all your hard work on [project name], but I noticed you needed extra help. I know you’re a resourceful person. What kind of help can I give you to help you improve your confidence in your critical thinking and problem-solving skills?” 

Constructive feedback to help facilitate feedback reception 

For constructive feedback to be both understood and effective, it needs to be clear, concise, and contain actionable guidance. Managers can set their team up for success by outlining clear expectations and boundaries regarding workload, and offer the space to open up conversations around the feedback. 

21. “I know performance reviews can be challenging to hear and you may not agree with all of the constructive criticism you’ve received. If there’s anything you want to discuss further, please feel free to reach out.” 

22. “I’d like to schedule a weekly one-on-one meeting together. Let’s use this time to make sure we’re clear about expectations and priorities. You’re a great team member, and I want to help you succeed.” 

Feedback offering conflict resolution strategies 

When working with humans, interpersonal conflict is inevitable. That said, it needs to be resolved fast. By intervening and offering guidance on conflict resolution techniques, managers can help mediate tensions between co-workers and maintain a positive working atmosphere for everyone at work! 

23. “I’ve noticed tension rise between you and your peer during the meeting. Unresolved conflict could affect our team’s productivity. Let’s schedule a private moment to discuss the issue openly and find solutions that work for the both of you.” 

24. “It seems like there’s a misunderstanding about the recent project allocations. Let’s have a team meeting to clarify roles, responsibilities, and expectations so that everyone can feel confident in what they need to focus on.” 

Feedback to recognize effort and initiative 

Just like it’s important to flag areas to improve, it’s crucial to also highlight what’s going well. Positive feedback is incredibly powerful — a means to boost confidence and reinforce behaviors they want to keep seeing. Managers should use that tactic to their advantage! 

25. “I want to commend you for your initiative in spearheading last Friday’s presentation. You took the lead and delivered the numbers confidently. It made a big impression on everyone — great job!” 

26. “Thanks for jumping in on that project yesterday. Your proactiveness and team player attitude showed through. Keep that up!” 

Hungry for more? Take a look at these 24 employee feedback examples to help you discuss recognition, areas of improvement, goal setting, and more. 

When to use different types of constructive feedback 

Different circumstances require different solutions and knowing what type of feedback to give in a particular situation is an invaluable management skill. Here, we look at two types of constructive feedback: feedback to reinforce good behaviors and feedback to improve less-than-great behaviors. 

Use positive feedback to reinforce strengths and celebrate success 

When a team member does well, giving positive employee feedback celebrates their success and reinforces positive actions and behaviors. By recognizing an employee’s positive impact, managers provide them with a clear understanding of their work’s value to the team. 

Use constructive criticism to target areas of growth and development 

There's a difference between negative feedback and constructive feedback. Negative feedback  focuses on negative attributes and can be perceived badly, whereas constructive feedback (or constructive criticism) focuses on the positive possibility and guides the recipient toward a better outcome. By providing solutions to issues, managers are ensuring their feedback is constructive and helpful, rather than just pointing out the issues and making the employee feel demoralized. 

Remember, great feedback doesn't always need to be purely positive. Constructive feedback can include praise, criticism, or both — as long as it’s fact-based (not opinion-based) and sets the employee up for a chance to improve, grow, and succeed. 

Check out our comprehensive guide to employee feedback to learn everything you need to know about this critical managerial skill. 

Challenges in giving and receiving constructive feedback 

Understanding the benefits of continuous feedback is the first step toward fostering a healthier workplace, but the practicalities of integrating feedback into a corporate culture can be a challenge. Some people struggle with effectively communicating feedback without causing offense or demotivation, while others find it challenging to receive feedback without feeling defensive or demotivated. 

A whole lot can be going on that impacts a productive feedback loop. If you’re struggling with maintaining a positive feedback culture, the following realities might be at play: 

• Fear of offending the receiver and causing conflict 
• Taking feedback personally due to projection  
• Cultural differences that influence communication style 
• Power dynamics affecting feedback exchange 
• Past experiences with negative feedback  
• Lack of clarity or balance in positive and negative feedback 
• Picking the wrong time where the conversation is rushed 
• Not creating a safe environment for honest dialogue 
• Difficulty with managing emotions and self-regulation  

Overcoming feedback challenges is part of the commitment to create a culture of open communication and continuous improvement.  

How to build a feedback-oriented workplace culture 

Just like Rome wasn’t built in one day, an office culture is built collectively — one action at a time. So how can managers start nurturing a strong feedback culture ? With effective communication and using feedback tools to their advantage! 

Clear communication tips: Make feedback specific and actionable 

One of the keys to effective feedback is making sure it’s specific and actionable. Vague or general comments don’t allow the receiver to have a clear understanding of which behaviors need to be targeted and addressed.  

So what does clear, specific, and actionable feedback look like? 

“I noticed your late attendance lately, such as with [X, Y, and Z instances]. Everyone needs to show up to meetings on time so we can all make the most out of them and be as productive as possible. If we can get a plan in place to help you, like blocking out 10 min before every meeting so you have wiggle room, I’d like to start seeing improvement starting next week. How does that sound?” 

By offering specific examples of what needs to be improved, suggestions for improvement, and expected outcomes, the receiver can see a clear path forward.  

Future framing : When delivering feedback try focusing on the future instead of dwelling on past mistakes. What’s done is done, and it’s important to maintain a positive outlook on what can be fixed and what’s ahead. This framing ensures the feedback is constructive — not criticizing. 

Constructive feedback tools and techniques for managers 

People may be reluctant to provide feedback to their superiors out of fear of repercussions or the belief that their input will remain unheard. It’s crucial to encourage communication without repercussions, both from employees and managers.  

Anonymous surveys are an excellent place to start. They can show employees that the company is ready to listen while also allowing managers to identify systemic issues in the organization. 

One useful tip is to customize surveys . By asking employees specific or open-ended questions, managers might get more valuable and actionable feedback than generic questions with a scaling system. Personalized questions give employees a safe space to share their honest thoughts and spark conversations that probably wouldn’t happen otherwise. 

Gain your team’s confidence with Officevibe’s employee feedback tool : a conversation starter with examples of constructive feedback for employees to provide their own insights and perspectives. This tool enables managers to gather honest thoughts through surveys, follow-up questions, and a free feedback section — all with the option for anonymity. 

Constructive feedback: A boost to everyone’s performance 

Clearly, constructive feedback is the key to enhancing a team’s overall performance, improving morale, and even strengthening relationships in the workplace. Sure, having these types of conversations may feel awkward or unnatural at first, but the constructive feedback examples listed in this article are a great place to start. 

Equip HR and managers with tools to engage, recognize, and drive performance.

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What Good Feedback Really Looks Like

• Craig Chappelow
• Cindy McCauley

Constructive criticism has its place.

Feedback — both positive and negative — is essential to helping managers enhance their best qualities and address their worst so they can excel at leading. Strengths-based development can, unfortunately, lull people into believing there are no areas in which they need to improve. So instead of encouraging people to avoid negative feedback, we should focus on how to deliver it in ways that minimize the fight-or-flight response. One approach is called Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI). Feedback providers first note the time and place in which a behavior occurred. Then they describe the behavior — what they saw and heard. The final step is to describe the impact the behavior had in terms of the feedback providers’ thoughts, feelings or actions.

According to a recent Harvard Business Review  cover story , it’s rarely useful to give feedback to colleagues. The authors argue that constructive criticism won’t help people excel and that, when you highlight someone’s shortcomings, you actually hinder their learning. They say that managers should encourage employees to worry less about their weaknesses and instead focus on their strengths.

• Craig Chappelow is a leadership solutions facilitator, Americas, at the Center for Creative Leadership.
• Cindy McCauley is a senior fellow, Americas, at the Center for Creative Leadership.

Partner Center

Effective Presentation Feedback: Examples, Importance, and Tips

• By Judhajit Sen
• August 7, 2024

Learning how to give a good presentation isn’t a talent; it’s a skill that requires time and presentation practice. The same goes for giving feedback. If you’re a manager or leader, your feedback can significantly improve a speaker’s performance and boost their confidence.

Continuous improvement starts with consistent feedback. Providing feedback, positive or otherwise, is crucial for ongoing growth. Everyone is on a journey of personal and professional development, and asking presentation feedback questions is a key part of that process.

Many people find public speaking and presenting intimidating, but feedback can help them get better. It highlights areas for improvement and reinforces strengths. Without feedback, growth is slow, and bad habits can become ingrained.

Feedback targets key aspects of performance, helping individuals focus on specific skills in an organized manner. It drives personal and professional growth by providing clear guidance and structure. Continuous feedback ensures that improvement is ongoing, making the learning process more effective.

Key Takeaways

• Feedback Drives Improvement: Providing consistent feedback helps speakers refine their skills, boost confidence, and address both strengths and weaknesses.
• Engage Your Audience: Collect feedback through presentation feedback sheets and forms or direct interaction to gauge engagement and improve future presentations.
• Balance Positive and Negative Feedback: Use specific PowerPoint presentation feedback examples to highlight what went well and offer practical advice for areas needing improvement.
• Receive Feedback Openly: Listen carefully, avoid taking feedback personally, and reflect on it to make meaningful changes in your presentation skills.

Importance of Presentation Feedback

Evaluation for a presentation is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it serves as a gauge for audience engagement . While we might think our presentations are perfect, there’s always room for improvement. Feedback, whether positive or negative, helps us grow. If you complete a presentation and receive no feedback, it might not be a sign of perfection but rather an indication that the audience was disengaged. Without their attention, they can’t provide feedback.

To avoid this, make it easier for your audience to engage and provide feedback on a presentation example. Consider using feedback forms to collect responses. These tools allow your audience to share their thoughts conveniently. Additionally, direct interaction can be beneficial. If there’s an opportunity to chat with attendees after the presentation, don’t hesitate to ask for their feedback. Most people are willing to help.

Secondly, feedback directly contributes to improving your public speaking skills. When people provide feedback, they often comment on your delivery or slides. You might hear things like, “You command attention well,” or “Your slides could be more visually appealing.” Candid criticism, such as, “Your facial expressions were distracting,” is also valuable. 

It’s crucial to actively seek, receive, and act on this feedback. By addressing the comments and suggestions, you can enhance both your presentation skills and the quality of your slides. Continuous improvement through feedback leads to better presentations and a more engaged audience.

Presentation Feedback Examples

Positive Feedback

Positive feedback in presentations highlights the strengths of the speaker and their effective delivery. It should:

Acknowledge Strengths: Point out what the speaker did well.

Provide Specific Examples: Mention moments that exceeded expectations.

Having good things to say about a presentation is about recognizing the speaker’s efforts beyond basic expectations. Instead of generic praise like “Good job!” specify how:

– The presentation flowed logically, enhancing audience understanding.

– Detailed research strengthened the presentation’s credibility.

– Inclusion of relevant slides demonstrated audience awareness.

– Engaging icebreakers established authority and captured attention.

– Complex topics were simplified for better audience comprehension.

– Real-life examples made the topic relatable and significant.

– Visual aids effectively supported key points, maintaining audience focus.

– Interactive elements encouraged audience engagement and clarity.

– Professional yet passionate delivery sustained audience interest.

– Conclusion effectively summarized key points while encouraging further exploration.

– Attention to detail in slides and delivery enhanced overall impact.

– Confident body language underscored authority and engagement.

– Additional resources provided enriched learning opportunities for all audience members.

Recognizing these specific strengths helps speakers refine their skills and deliver even stronger presentations in the future.

Constructive Feedback

Constructive feedback focuses on areas that need help while offering guidance on how to address those issues in future presentations. The goal is to build up the speaker, not tear them down, by highlighting specific weaknesses and providing practical advice.

When giving candid feedback, it’s important to focus on the presentation, not the presenter. If you notice a recurring problem, provide a few examples instead of pointing out every instance. Asking the speaker about their thought process before critiquing their slides or speech can help identify knowledge gaps.

Here are some examples of constructive feedback for a presentation:

Engage the Audience: Start with a thought-provoking question or an interesting statistic to grab the audience’s attention right away.

Eye Contact: Making eye contact helps connect with the audience and boosts your confidence.

Clarity and Pace: Speak with clarity and at a slower pace. Recording yourself and listening back can help you improve.

Interactive Elements: Include time for audience questions to make the presentation more engaging.

Audience Knowledge: Tailor your content to the audience’s knowledge level. Remove unnecessary parts and focus on what’s relevant.

Presentation Structure: Organize your presentation from general to specific to make it easier to follow.

Real-World Examples: Use real-world examples to make your points more relatable and understandable.

Visuals: Balance text and visuals on your slides to maintain audience interest.

Humor and Media: Use humor and GIFs sparingly to enhance transitions, not distract from the content.

Confidence and Preparation: Practice regularly and consider a script or outline to keep on track and improve pacing.

Additionally, understand your audience’s body language and social cues to adjust your presentation style and tone. Preparing for tough questions and remaining calm during debates can help maintain a positive discussion. Practicing consistently will build your confidence and improve your overall presentation skills.

Candid feedback on how to perform a presentation is about continuous improvement, helping speakers refine their skills and deliver more impactful presentations in the future.

Things to Look for When Providing Presentation Feedback

Giving feedback on a presentation can seem daunting, but breaking it down into specific areas can make the process easier and more effective. Here are key aspects to consider:

Understanding: Did the speakers know who their audience was?

Context: Was the amount of context provided suitable for the audience’s knowledge level?

Engagement: Did the speaker allow time for audience questions?

Tone: Was the presentation’s tone appropriate for the audience?

Body Language and Presence

Approachability: Did the speaker appear approachable and confident?

Clarity: Was the speaker speaking clearly and at a good pace?

Eye Contact: Did the presenter make eye contact with the audience?

Nonverbal Cues: Were the presenter’s nonverbal cues appropriate and not distracting?

Clarity: Was the information clear, specific, and easy to understand?

Relevance: Was the material relevant to the topic and audience?

Examples: Did the presenter include real-world examples to illustrate points?

Relevance: Were the visuals relevant to the content?

Clarity: Were the visuals easy to see and understand?

Balance: Was there a good balance between text and visuals?

Professionalism: Did the slides look professional and well-designed?

Communication

Key Messages: Were the key messages clear and concise?

Objectives: Did the presenter clearly communicate the objectives of the presentation?

Takeaways: Did the presenter provide clear takeaways for the audience?

Voice: How well did the presenter’s voice carry in the presentation space?

Engagement: Was the presentation engaging and interactive?

Capturing Attention: How well did the presenter capture and maintain audience attention?

Accessibility: Was the presentation accessible to all audience members?

Using a checklist based on these categories can help you provide structured and transparent feedback on the quality of a presentation, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.

Tips to Give Effective Presentation Feedback

Giving effective feedback on presentations is a skill that takes practice to master. Here are some tips to help you provide constructive and positive feedback to presenters:

Prepare What You’d Like to Say  

Before giving feedback, think carefully about what you want to communicate. Prepare your thoughts to avoid knee-jerk reactions that can be unhelpful. Practice your feedback with a coach if possible to ensure clarity and effectiveness.

Use the Feedback Sandwich

Start with something positive, then offer candid feedback, and end with another positive comment. This method helps balance your feedback and shows the presenter what they did well.

Be Specific and Concrete  

Use specific examples from the presentation when giving feedback. Avoid vague comments like “ improve your communication skills .” Instead, say, “I suggest adding a slide with key agenda items to help the audience follow along.”

Focus on Behavior, Not Personality  

Address actions and behaviors rather than personal traits. For example, instead of saying, “You seemed nervous,” say, “I noticed that you were fidgeting, which can be distracting.”

Use “I” Statements  

Frame your feedback with “I” statements to make it clear that you’re sharing your perspective. For instance, say, “I felt the presentation could benefit from more examples.”

Give feedback as soon as possible after the presentation. This ensures that the details are fresh in your mind and provides more accurate and helpful feedback.

Offer Solutions or Suggestions

When pointing out areas for improvement, offer actionable advice. For example, “I recommend practicing with a friend to improve your pacing.”

Create Dialogue

Encourage a two-way conversation by asking the presenter for their thoughts on their performance. This helps them reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement.

Lead with Empathy

Be clear and direct, but also kind. Feedback should come from a place of care and support, making the recipient feel valued.

Check in with the presenter after some time to see how they are progressing. Offer continued support and share any positive changes you’ve noticed.

Choose the Right Setting

Provide feedback in a private and comfortable setting where the presenter feels safe to receive and discuss it.

End on a Positive Note  

Finish with a sincere compliment to reinforce positive behaviors and encourage growth. For example, “I was really impressed with your opening—it grabbed everyone’s attention.”

By following these tips, you can give feedback that is constructive, supportive, and effective, helping presenters improve their skills and confidence.

Tips to Constructively Receive Presentation Feedback

Once you’ve learned how to give good feedback, it’s time to focus on receiving it. Here’s how to make the most of feedback after your presentation:

Pay Close Attention

When you ask for feedback, stop talking and listen. Avoid justifying your actions or steering the conversation. Simply listen to what the person has to say.

Don’t Take it Personally

Pay attention to how you respond to feedback, including your body language and facial expressions. Don’t take feedback personally, as this might make the person giving it feel like they’re hurting your feelings. This can lead to less honest feedback, which isn’t helpful. Create an environment that allows honest and constructive dialogue.

Be Open-minded

To grow, be open to all feedback you receive. Closing yourself off from feedback hinders your progress and development. Embrace feedback as a chance to improve.

Understand the Message

Before making any changes based on feedback, ensure you fully understand the message. Avoid changing something that’s working well. Confirm that you’re addressing the right issues before taking action.

Reflect & Process

After receiving feedback, take time to reflect and process it. Compare the feedback with your own self-evaluation. Look for differences between your perspective and the feedback you received. Remember, no presentation is perfect, and it’s challenging to meet everyone’s expectations.

Always follow up after receiving feedback. This shows you value the input and are committed to improvement. It also demonstrates that you’ve taken action based on their advice.

Wrap-up: Presentation Feedback

Presentation feedback is crucial for improvement and confidence building. It involves both positive and constructive elements that help speakers refine their skills. Positive feedback highlights what went well, offering specific praise to reinforce strengths and encourage continued success. Constructive feedback, on the other hand, focuses on areas for growth, providing actionable advice to address weaknesses. This balanced approach ensures ongoing development and enhances presentation quality.

Effective feedback should be specific, timely, and empathetic, aiming to support rather than criticize. By actively seeking and integrating feedback, presenters can enhance their delivery, engage their audience better, and continuously improve their skills. Embracing feedback as a tool for growth helps transform challenges into opportunities for learning and achievement.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why is feedback important for presentations?  

Feedback helps improve presentation skills by highlighting strengths and areas needing improvement. It boosts confidence and ensures ongoing growth, making presentations more effective and engaging.

2. How can you provide effective feedback to a speaker?  

Focus on specific behaviors and provide actionable advice. Use examples from the presentation, offer solutions, and maintain a supportive tone to help the speaker improve without discouraging them.

3. What is the best way to receive feedback?  

Listen carefully without getting defensive. Be open-minded, understand the feedback fully, and reflect on it before making changes. Following up shows you value the input and are committed to improvement.

4. How can I make feedback easier for my audience to give?  

Use feedback forms or engage directly with your audience after the presentation. This makes it convenient for them to share their thoughts and ensures you get valuable insights for improvement.

Elevate Your Presentation Skills with Expert Feedback

At Prezentium, we understand that effective presentation feedback is essential for growth and improvement. Whether you’re refining your skills or seeking to make a lasting impression, our AI-powered services can make a difference. Our Overnight Presentations service ensures you receive expertly designed, visually compelling presentations. For ongoing improvement, our Accelerators team transforms your ideas and notes into polished presentations and custom templates. And with Zenith Learning , we offer interactive workshops that combine structured problem-solving with visual storytelling to enhance your communication skills.

Don’t let feedback intimidate you—let it be a tool for excellence. Partner with Prezentium to receive the insights and support you need to shine. Contact us today to see how we can help you deliver outstanding presentations and continuously improve your skills.

Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.

15 Job Interview Presentation Template Tips

4 types of communication styles, how to make an engaging medical presentation: a comprehensive guide.

Toastmasters – Where Leaders Are Made

Credible Constructive Feedback: Art of Evaluations

WHAT IS AN EVALUATION WHEN YOU ARE AN EVALUATOR? 

It is your reaction to the speech as it came across to you: what you saw, heard, and felt in the message.

If different individuals give evaluation feedback to the same speaker, will that be different? The answer is yes: each person has a different perspective, state of mind, temperament, and background to feel and perceive the speech.

WHAT IS AN EVALUATION FOR A SPEAKER RECEIVING IT?

• It is an opportunity for the speaker to see how a fellow toastie received their speech.
• It is a helpful peer-to-peer support system to improve and learn.

The speaker should appreciate feedback from the evaluator. The evaluator, a fellow toastie, listens to the speech presentation carefully, thinks critically about the project objectives, writes notes, prepares detailed feedback, and sincerely attempts to deliver it constructively.

At a Toastmasters meeting, the speaker avoids interrupting, countering, talking back, or arguing with an evaluator in the middle of the evaluation.

TOASTMASTERS’ SPIRIT WITH EVALUATIONS 

A Toastie genuinely cares for fellow toasties in the group.

At Toastmasters, we encourage every teenager to get on their cutting edge, stretch their comfort zone, and try new ideas. So, an evaluator shares their reaction in a very positive and constructive way. The evaluation could be an opportunity to make friends with a new speaker or sometimes take the speaker in your wings. An evaluator always roots for the success of a fellow toastie making a speech attempt.

Think about it from the speaker’s perspective. Examples:

• Suppose it is an Ice Breaker speech where the speaker stands up for a prepared presentation for the first time. In that case, it is essential not to overwhelm them with too many areas to improve: accentuate the positives a little bit more, maybe to encourage them.
• Suppose you give feedback to an experienced speaker preparing for a competition or a critical school presentation. In that case, the speaker might find detailed insights for improvement more helpful.

Q: What if you disagree with a viewpoint a speaker shares in their speech? A:  Focus on the speaker’s project objectives and how well you think they achieved them. It is an absolute NO-NO to counter the speaker or argue against their take in your evaluation.

Q: Do you have to agree with the speaker’s viewpoint even if you don’t believe in it? A: As an evaluator, you don’t have to agree or disagree with the speaker’s opinion or message. Look at it from the speaker’s perspective: think of what they did well and where they could improve to achieve their goals.

For example, what if you see a lot of value in social media and the speaker’s message was social media is the worst thing that happened to teenagers? Try to understand what they tried to convey and how well you think they succeeded in developing the statement. Probably okay to mention that your opinion on it was different, but the focus of an evaluation should be on what the speaker did well and where they could improve to develop their intended message.

Q: Do you share what a speaker could have done differently for a more substantial impact/impression on you? A: Yes. Evaluations are the heart and soul of toastmasters and an incredibly empowering tool for teenagers to grow and develop. Seeing a genuine perspective from a fellow teenager toastie regarding how their message was received and perceived is priceless. Speakers can use it to understand how to improve.

The critical success factor with the role of an evaluator is to ensure the message doesn’t come across as a judgment or a piece of advice. Use the techniques from our one-pager on delivering the message (it is PDF and opens in a new tab when you click here.)

Q: Do you share what came across effectively from the speech? A: Yes. An evaluation isn’t just a fault-finding mission; it should also include positives from the speech.

TIPS TO BE EFFECTIVE AS AN EVALUATOR

• Review the project objectives before the speech.
• Write down notes while listening to the speech.
• Focus on the project objectives while putting your thoughts together. Each project targets a specific area, for example, organizing your message, using descriptive language, vocal variety, body language, visual aids, persuading your audience, etc.
• Smile and address the speaker using their name.
• Make your feedback specific – pull in particular instances and details from the speech and use that when you give an evaluation. The speaker can understand and relate to your feedback when you do that.

Read and take the printed copy of our PDF note on evaluations to the meeting. Click here to download. It opens in a new tab .

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45 constructive feedback examples: your cheatsheat to improvement feedback.

Giving constructive feedback is easier said than done. It is one thing to understand the theory, but finding the right words can be tricky. 

This article will give you some actual constructive feedback examples that you can use to improve your feedback process. 

Share them with your employees and your leaders and start reaping the benefits of a constructive feedback culture.

🔄 What is constructive feedback ?

Meaningful feedback is essential to employee development and a positive work environment. 

However, there is a fine line between constructive feedback and criticism, which you need to understand when managing people. 

Employee feedback is necessary to enhance a worker's performance by identifying areas needing improvement. Unlike criticism, which merely points out weak spots, constructive feedback identifies problem areas and offers solutions. 

A healthy feedback culture in your company ensures open, beneficial communication regarding employee and company performance. Everyone needs to work together toward a common goal when striving for success, and constructive feedback can help you get there!

➡️ To learn more about the philosophy behind these examples, check out our article on how to effectively use constructive feedback . We cover the benefits, collective goals, and best practices for giving constructive feedback in a positive workplace—a must-have skill for HR pros.

📝 45 Constructive feedback examples

Below are 45 examples of constructive feedback that you can use for inspiration when you need to motivate your coworkers to do their best.

🎯 Constructive feedback examples about missing goals

If any employee is missing goals , you must consider the cause from every angle. Ask yourself:

• Why are they missing goals?
• Are expectations clear and fair?
• What might be preventing them from reaching their goals?
• How can we help them succeed?

Generally, a feedback recipient wants to perform well, and missing goals is something they hope to avoid. So be sure to approach this conversation and offer assistance rather than criticize their ability or performance. 

Here are some employee feedback examples you can use when it comes to missing goals:

• It looks like you fell a little short of achieving this goal. Are there any obstacles preventing you from succeeding? What would you need to overcome them?
• You didn't quite meet expectations this period. Are there any aspects of the plan that you don't fully understand? We have confidence in your ability, so long as the path is clear.
• You did not meet all of your targets this quarter. Do you think the sales goals we set were realistic? If not, what changes can we make to ensure you succeed next quarter?

📉 Constructive feedback examples about decreased productivity

Decreased productivity can often result from dissatisfaction with a job or burnout. In either case, it is essential to use tact to avoid exacerbating a situation where friction already exists.

Be sure to do your homework before giving this type of feedback. You can do so by:

• Examining employee performance data and reviews.
• Looking for changes that coincide with reduced productivity.
• Talk to coworkers and supervisors about any reasons they are aware of.

Suppose you can identify some likely causes for decreased productivity. In that case, you can better prepare yourself if they come up during the discussion. 

For example, suppose an employee's productivity decreased after a coworker quit . In that case, you can try to figure out how that has impacted the subject.

Below are a few constructive criticism examples you can use to broach the subject of decreased positivity while remaining positive and helpful:

• Last year you went the extra mile! Your scores were some of the best I've ever seen. So far this year, your numbers aren't quite keeping up. Has something changed that is causing this?
• Since X occurred, it appears your scores have taken a dip. Unfortunately, we can't go back in time, but is there anything we can do to get back on track?
• We noticed your output has been a tad lower these last few weeks. Do you need a break or change of pace to help you recharge?

Tip: Offering assistance or showing a legitimate concern for the employee's success will convey that you are there to help, not crack the whip.

🦹 Constructive feedback examples for attitude and rudeness

When dealing with a bad attitude, you need to be extra cautious. 

If an employee has a history of a bad attitude, feedback of any sort may trigger an unprofessional response. 

While this can be uncomfortable, it may also be beneficial in the long run as you can address the problem firsthand. Though, ideally, you can prevent any situations now or in the future.

Tip #1: The key here is to target the behavior, not the person. Try not to get personal with opinions or judgment. Instead, point out the issue and why it is a problem. 

These are some ways you can deliver behavioral feedback constructively:

• Last week you commented that the sales team made some mistakes you had to fix. While we appreciate your help, your language was a little unprofessional. Do you recall what you said?
• Some of your team members expressed a reluctance to work with you due to your attitude and some negative comments you have made. We all have bad days, but you must maintain a positive or at least neutral attitude at work. Can you remember an example of when this might have happened? 
• It has come to our attention that you and Jeff have had some personal conflicts lately. We understand that personalities don't always mix well, but we must be able to work together as a team. Is there anything we can do to resolve this issue?

In some cases, merely letting an employee know that their behavior has caused enough of an issue for management to take notice can motivate them to take steps to correct it. 

Tip #2: When possible, approach the situation gently, hoping they will be willing to improve. 

Tip #3: If this is a recurring problem or severe enough to need an immediate resolution, you may need to use more explicit language and set stern expectations or ultimatums.

⏰ Constructive feedback examples for work ethic: Tardiness and absenteeism

Tardiness and absenteeism are common issues that every HR specialist might have to deal with occasionally. 

Fortunately, attendance is usually well-documented, and policies are often in place. If not, you may want to consider making one. 

Tip: Having attendance policies in place removes any favoritism from the situation. Plus, it will prevent some employees from feeling targeted unfairly. 

When giving constructive feedback about work ethic, consider these approaches:

• You've had quite a few unexcused absences so far this year. Is there a reason you've been having trouble getting to work? Historically your attendance has been excellent.
• We noticed you clocked in late twice last week and again the week before. Is there a reason you're having trouble making it in on time? Are you happy with your current schedule and job roles?
• It looks like you missed the start of a meeting on Friday due to taking an extended lunch. You also left early the previous Friday. While we care about everyone finding a comfortable work-life balance, we have certain expectations about time management.

If possible, offer to work with the subject on their schedule. Try to find ways to improve the situation without forgetting about their work-life balance. 

Show that you are trying to help them and might clear up any attendance issues.

🔍 Constructive feedback examples about attention to detail

A lack of attention to detail can be harmful in the workplace. Small mistakes in critical processes can cause a slew of problems. 

Spending an extra minute double-checking your work can save hours cleaning up a mistake.

However, we are all human, and mistakes do happen. The problem is when an individual makes more than their fair share of these small mistakes. 

To address concerns with attention to detail, try framing your constructive feedback like this:

• Overall, the quality of your work is excellent. There are just a few minor errors that keep it from being perfect. Is there a step we can add to your process so you can catch them?
• I know there is a lot on your plate, but there have been several repeated mistakes creating more work for you and others on your team. Do you know what they are?
• Your speed metric is very good, but there have been a few inaccuracies lately. Is there anything we can do to ensure this doesn't happen? At this stage, it would be best to focus on accuracy, even if that means slowing your pace.

Providing constructive feedback on a worker's attention to detail is tricky, as it can have many root causes.

For some, it is simply not one of their strengths. Other times, it can be a lack of motivation or engagement or even a symptom of burnout.

Discovering the cause of the lack of attention to detail is vital to solving the problem (even if that means the position simply isn't a good fit).

💼 Constructive feedback examples about leadership

Constructive feedback isn't always targeted at new employees or those low on the totem pole. 

Sometimes you will need to give feedback to employees in a high-up position who may have years of experience under their belt.

This has a higher chance of going sideways because that person may see themselves as your peer or even superior. After all, they must have some success and leadership skills if they made it to where they are.

Tip:  With constructive criticism, you want to avoid questioning someone's ability. Especially when the recipients are likely to have pride attached to a position they feel is earned and prestigious. 

Giving feedback in these situations may trigger a more defensive or haughty response. 

Try to remain neutral when administering constructive feedback examples for your manager and those in positions of leadership, like in these examples:

• When Jennifer resigned from her position last month, one reason she offered was difficulty with management. Were you aware of any problems she was having? Did she ever bring it up to you? We didn't notice any noticeable performance issues.
• The other day you reprimanded Adam quite harshly in front of other coworkers in the break room. While we understand your reason for talking with him, it may be better to do that privately next time. Do you understand why?
• Your department's performance last quarter was significantly lower than our predictions. I know many factors could have caused that, but ultimately the burden falls on you as the department head. Your track record is otherwise solid, so I was hoping you could help me understand what happened and how we can turn it around. 

In leadership roles, the levels of responsibility and stress tend to be higher. This context makes constructive criticism even more important as performance, morale, and open communication rely on positive and effective feedback.

High-performers are another tricky group to give constructive feedback to. Since their performance is usually high, feedback often isn't needed or warranted. At the same time, opportunities to further develop these individuals can make them even more effective. 

➡️ We gathered 36 constructive feedback for high performers examples to help you further develop your best employees without backfiring and hurting their morale.

🧩 Feedback examples for poor problem-solving or lack of initiative

The goal of good management is not to have to manage your people. If everyone knows what they need to do and how to do it, your company can run like a well-oiled machine.

Inevitably, new problems will arise. While some folks can overcome those challenges, others won't. 

Sometimes this is a lack of ability to solve the problem. Other times it can flag putting insufficient effort into the tasks.

Often, the oil of a well-oiled work machine is the employees' ability to work autonomously without micromanaging from their leaders. 

For employees who don't seem to be bringing enough oil to work, try these constructive criticism examples:

• You are really good at following protocols and procedures, but in scenarios where there isn't one, we would like to see you try to handle them on your own.
• We appreciate your ability to communicate well, but your team leader believes you slow down the process by asking for confirmation too often. Go with your gut! We trust you.
• In situations where there isn't an obvious next step, we have noticed you like to adopt a "wait and see" mindset. Is there a reason you don't feel like taking the initiative? We are confident in your ability and think you should be too!

Often, a reluctance to take the initiative or try a solution that seems outside the box stems from fear of making a mistake. 

However, employees who are constantly unwilling to take that leap won't grow or learn from those potential mistakes. 

Know when to encourage them!

🙅 Constructive criticism on communication skills

Communication, like feedback, is vital for teams to work effectively and efficiently. 

Unfortunately, there will be times when employees are unable or unwilling to communicate with their coworkers, which can lead to wasted time and unnecessary mistakes. 

Some common reasons for poor communication skills are:

• being soft-spoken;
• fear of making mistakes;
• lack of support;
• not wanting to step on anyone's toes;
• no communication opportunities;
• superiority complexes;
• competitiveness;
• poor interpersonal relationships;
• bad communication skills (written or spoken).

As always, identifying the cause of the problem is the first step to solving it. 

To root out these issues, try these examples to promote effective communication:

• You sent an email yesterday that wasn't very clear to others on your team. Would you mind rereading it and clarifying what you meant? The last thing we want is for a misunderstanding to make your job harder!
• I notice you rarely speak up in meetings, even when I know you have the knowledge to contribute. Can I ask why? I know it can be nerve-wracking to speak up in front of others.
• We noticed you withheld some information at the last sales meeting that Dan had requested. Was this intentional? It is vital that we all work together for the best of the company, regardless of personal feelings or what you think is fair. I promise it won't negatively impact you to help others out.

More often than not, communication breakdowns have an easy fix. 

For example, maybe a new employee hasn't met enough friendly faces to feel comfortable putting themselves out there. 

Or perhaps someone has valuable information but no good lines of communication to pass it along.

Usually, employees simply need a nudge to get them talking. 

👎 Soft skills feedback examples: Poor teamwork skills

Teamwork is an essential part of a successful company. With different individuals bringing different expertise to the table, working together is the only way for everyone to add value.

Sometimes the teamwork dynamic doesn't run as smoothly as we would like. This can result from several reasons, such as personality conflicts, poor communications, or ineffective management, which can all affect team morale. 

To help employees be more of a team player, try these constructive feedback examples:

• I sense some tension in your entire team currently. Can you tell me what is going on? Usually, you all work well together, and the results are impressive!
• You have a lot of talented people on your team, but for some reason, we still aren't getting the results we want. Is everyone contributing and adding value to each project? I would like to see all of your expertise shining through!
• We have noticed some disconnects between Team A and Team B, which has caused work to be done twice in some cases. Let us schedule some team meetings to get everyone on the same page and iron out these miscommunications. We don't want anyone wasting their valuable time on something that a simple chat could solve.

Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say. In other words, good teamwork makes everyone's job easier and leads to success. 

Teamwork breakdowns often result from communication failures, though personality conflicts can also lead to tension among team members.

Scheduling a sit-down or team-building exercise is often a worthwhile use of your and your team's time.

💻 Constructive feedback examples for a remote work environment

While the tenets behind constructive feedback remain the same for a remote team, there are some considerations you should be aware of. For example, it can be harder to portray emotion and empathy through email than through oral delivery.

You can do some things to mitigate these challenges, like giving feedback through a video call instead of an email or text chat. Still, your approach may also need to change. 

Tip: Convey positivity and constructiveness clearly through whatever medium you use. It may mean using superlative words in an email or emojis in a web chat.

Here are some examples of written constructive feedback for remote workers:

• I really liked how you handled the introduction to the current project! The part about future projects was also solid. I did think the call-to-action could have been clearer, though. Here are some suggestions for next time!
• Hey there! I noticed you missed your deadline for your outline yesterday. Are you having any trouble with it? Let me know if I can help or if you want to push out the deadline :)
• Good morning! Here are the results of your performance review. Overall, you have improved in a lot of areas and seem to be catching on. There are a few areas of concern, though, that you will notice in red. Can we schedule a video call soon to come up with an improvement plan? Thanks!

As you can see, these examples include more exclamation marks, pleasantries, and even a smiley face that you don't necessarily see in the other examples. 

Tip: An added effort to imbue text communications with an appreciative tone can help make up for the lack of smiles and facial expressions you can offer in person. 

Being kind and supportive in virtual communications can help remote workers feel welcome and valued as part of your team, even if you don't see them daily. 

As an HR professional, you still want to build relationships and loyalty with long-distance coworkers.

🌱 Use constructive feedback to create a development plan and set the path for growth. First, set concrete professional development goals . Then, define the concrete steps that will make your goals a reality.

📈 Feedback for improvement examples

Improvement focus: communication skills.

1. "While you have great insights, I've observed that during team meetings, your points sometimes get lost because of not being clearly articulated. Perhaps focusing on structuring your thoughts before presenting might help in more effective communication."

2. "During presentations, you have a wealth of knowledge to share, but sometimes it feels rushed. Slowing down and ensuring everyone is following might lead to more fruitful discussions and clearer understanding for everyone."

Improvement focus: Time management

1. "I've noticed that you often work late hours to meet deadlines. While your dedication is commendable, it might be helpful to prioritize tasks and set intermediate goals to manage your workload more effectively."

2. "I've seen that the last-minute rush sometimes results in oversights in your work. Setting earlier personal deadlines might help in allocating ample time for review and refinements."

Improvement focus: Collaboration

1. "On several projects, it seemed like you preferred working in isolation, which sometimes resulted in overlapping efforts with other team members. It might be beneficial to regularly check in and collaborate with the team to ensure everyone's on the same page."

2. "While your independent work is strong, there have been moments when integrating it with the team's output posed challenges. Regularly sharing updates and seeking input can ensure smoother integration and better cohesion within the team's work."

Improvement focus: Receptiveness to feedback

1. "While you're incredibly skilled in your domain, there were a few instances where feedback was provided, but it wasn't incorporated. Being more open to suggestions and constructive criticism might help in refining the final output."

2. "You have a strong vision for your projects, which is commendable. However, being more adaptive to feedback can provide a fresh perspective and potentially elevate the quality of work even further."

Improvement focus: Proactiveness

1. "You have a knack for solving problems once they're identified. However, taking a more proactive approach by anticipating potential issues and addressing them in advance could enhance the overall team efficiency."

2. "Your response to issues is commendably swift. However, focusing on foresight and preventive measures might decrease the frequency of problems arising in the first place."

💬 Would you like some more examples, and extra tips and tricks? Then, 45 performance review phrases and extra tips and tricks for giving better performance feedback.

💼 Leadership improvement feedback examples

Improvement focus: delegation & trust.

"While your hands-on approach is commendable, it might benefit the team if you delegate more tasks. This not only helps in managing your workload but also empowers team members, fostering trust and helping them grow in their roles."

Improvement focus: Communicating a shared vision

"You have a clear idea of where our department should head, but sometimes the team seems uncertain about the bigger picture. Regularly communicating and reiterating the vision can keep everyone aligned and motivated toward the same goals."

Improvement focus: Receptiveness to team ideas

"Your leadership has guided us to achieve great milestones. However, there are instances where team members have innovative ideas they'd like to share. Creating an environment where everyone feels their suggestions are heard and valued can spark innovation and boost team morale."

Improvement focus: Conflict resolution

"When conflicts arise within the team, it's crucial to address them promptly and constructively. I've observed situations where issues lingered longer than necessary. By taking a proactive approach to mediate and facilitate open dialogue, we can maintain a more harmonious and productive environment."

Improvement focus: Feedback and recognition

"You've done a commendable job in driving projects to completion. However, recognizing team members for their contributions and giving specific, constructive feedback can further enhance motivation and performance. Regularly acknowledging efforts and guiding improvements can make a significant difference in team dynamics and individual growth."

➡️ Create a constructive feedback culture with Zavvy

Do not think of giving and receiving feedback as pointing out failures. Instead, think of it as paving the way for growth and success . 

Feedback as a part of your company culture is truly best for everyone. Individuals are encouraged to strengthen and develop their skills while the company benefits from better employee performance.

📈 Zavvy helps promote a positive feedback culture with our 360 Feedback Software that enables you to give honest feedback that is fully customizable for your workforce.

Empower your team with transparent upward, downward, peer, and self-feedback modalities to drive professional growth and team development.

Keke is Zavvy's expert in learning experience. On our blog, she shares experience and insights based on her studies in learning design and experiences made with our customers.

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