How to Gather Helpful Feedback

I was once invited to give feedback on an activity my child participated in. I’m confident the leaders had good intentions – after all, they asked parents to fill out a survey. But, I didn’t feel fulfilled after answering the questions. I didn’t understand why my input was needed. Was I helping to make the activity better for the next year? Was I understood?
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You’ve likely found yourself in a similar situation. The experience prompted me to think deeper about why we need feedback and the best way to gather it.

First of all, gathering feedback should not be taken lightly, skipped, or overlooked. Always take the time to ask other stakeholders their thoughts about a completed event or project.

It’s also important to remember that feedback is a task on its own. This is not the time to jump to fix-it mode. Instead, collect and document what went well and what could go better next time. Leave fixing and analyzing for later.

Feedback can be gathered in a number of different ways – from a number of different stakeholders. For this post, I’ll share some best practices for gleaning input from the core team that worked on the event or project.

Some tips:

• Ask the leader to manage the feedback meeting. This gives the session credibility and confirms the step is important. Prepare to give grace and practice patience for what is shared. Remember: silence is okay. Give people time to respond. The leader can participate at the end by giving new feedback, but should NOT give feedback on what was shared.
  
  While it is best for the leader to manage the session, others can do it if clear guidelines are established. Either way:
  
  
• Set clear guidelines up front. Establish an open approach for input and be clear that feedback won’t be analyzed during this session. Asking only “what went well?” is too broad. Instead, identify specific components of the event or project and use these to guide the conversation. Design the time so there are opportunities to cover both the positive and negative experiences.

• Listen with both an open ear and an open mind. This is not the time to become defensive. In fact, you know you’ve held a solid session when your team is comfortable enough to offer honest input. This also is not the time to solve any challenges identified. Instead, encourage people to keep moving to the next thing. No one thing should be focused on; it could become irrelevant later.

• Make feedback a team priority, even an expectation. Get the feedback meeting and financial report deadline on peoples’ calendars BEFORE the event or project concludes. This makes it clear that the session is part of the work, not an optional afterthought. Schedule the meeting within three weeks after the event or project concludes. This provides enough time for the financial report to be written and for any stakeholder surveys to be summarized. Yet, it keeps the project current enough so input is relevant and insightful.
  
  
• Keep the meeting attendees to the project’s core team. This session is for the project’s “circle of trust.” By limiting who attends, you encourage more open, intimate dialogue. Everyone should be present in person or virtually. This makes it easier to clarify observations and input. Email responses can lead to misunderstanding and don’t lead to dialogue with the team.

 
Feedback is an important and valuable part of every project and event. When done well, it can lead to increased trust and a better future product. It is well worth the effort.
 
– Anita