Effective Feedback for Enhanced Communication Skills

1. SAIGE 16th Annual National Training Program (NTP) “Communication Skills Needed for Effective Feedback” Thursday, June 13, 2019 8:30 am – 9:45 am Presented by: Cynthia D. Dunn “Cin-dee”, Director Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Tax Exempt and Government Entities (TEGE) Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Washington, DC

2. Who Am I? • Cynthia “CIN-DEE” Dunn, Director, IRS, TE/GE, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion • Longest Serving IRS EEO/EDI Director • Direct Report to TEGE Commissioner • 39+ Years of Federal Service (1980) • EEO/EDI/Diversity/Civil Rights Field since 1992 • Tribal Affiliation = Crow and Blackfeet • Life Member of SAIGE • Member of Various EEO National Organizations • Workshop Presenter • Proud Mother and Grandmother

3. Vanity/Personalized Plates – Exercise • On your index card, write what you would submit for personalized (vanity) license plates • Length should not be no more than 8 characters • Use only numbers and alpha characters Example: 4CINDEE, 2CINDEE

4. What is Feedback, Anyway? • feed·back • ˈfēdˌbak/ • information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc., used as a basis for improvement

5. What is Feedback? Feedback is a system where the reaction or response of the receiver reaches to the sender after s/he has interpreted the message. Feedback is essential to make two way communication effective. In fact, without feedback in communication, it remains incomplete.

6. Why is Feedback so Important? • Effective feedback, both positive and negative, is very helpful. Feedback is valuable information that will be used to make important decisions. Top performing agencies are consistently searching for ways to make their best even better.

7. Why Feedback is Essential for Effective Communication? Feedback enables the sender to evaluate the effectiveness of the message. It is essential in case of two-way communication. Without feedback, two way communication is either ineffective or incomplete. Feedback is the only way to gain receiver’s response and depending on the feedback, sender can track further steps.

8. Why is it Important to Give and Receive Constructive Feedback? • Providing feedback can improve colleague and employee morale and reduce confusion regarding expectations and current performance • Constructive feedback addresses areas in need of improvement. It is important to provide employees with both forms of feedback in order to improve and maintain quality performance.

9. Effective Feedback Methods in the Workplace • Start with the positive • Be specific • Be objective • Give actionable advice • Make feedback frequent • Communicate face-to-face (when at all possible)

10. The WRONG Reasons to Give Feedback • Defend/excuse your own behavior • To demoralize/condemn • You’re in a bad mood • To appease a third party • To make yourself seem superior/powerful

11. The RIGHT Reasons to Give Feedback • Commitment/concern for another • Sense of responsibility • To guide/mentor • To support/enhance

12. Effective Feedback is Specific, Timely, Meaningful, and Candid • Specific: Feedback should have a clear business focus • Timely: Feedback should be offered as close as possible to the action in question • Meaningful: Add content and precision to the management message • Candid: Yes, giving feedback is difficult

13. Effective Feedback Focuses on the Future "Everything that happens once can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time.” - Paulo Coelho

14. Keys to Unlock Effective Feedback • Goal-Referenced • Tangible and Transparent • Actionable • User-Friendly • Timely • Ongoing • Consistent

15. Getting and Giving Feedback – Exercise Giving feedback is one of the most important part of a manager’s job. Read the poor feedback in each category and provide a positive feedback response for each category

16. Poor to Positive Behavioral Feedback - Exercise Behavioral feedback: “Bob, you snapped at Linda in the meeting last week. You really need to control your temper.” • Positive feedback: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. Poor to Positive Career Feedback - Exercise Career feedback: “Dorothy, congratulations, I’m promoting you!” • Positive feedback: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Poor to Positive Reputational Feedback - Exercise Reputational feedback: “Lisa, you are starting to develop a reputation as a complainer. Try to stay more positive.” • Positive feedback: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. Poor to Positive Feedback that came from Others - Exercise Feedback that came from others: “Donna, I think you are being too critical of others. Dorothy, Kayla, and Al have complained to me about you being too harsh with them. What’s going on with that? Is this true?” • Positive feedback: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. Why Feedback is Important in Communication? It also allows us to build and maintain communication with others. Effective feedback, both positive and negative, is very helpful. Feedback is valuable information that will be used to make important decisions. ... Effective feedback has benefits for the giver, the receiver, and the wider agency/organization.

21. Feedback is Also About Communication

22. The Seven “C’s” of Effective Communication Checklist • Clear • Concise • Concrete • Correct • Coherent • Complete • Courtesy

23. 1. Clear • To create clear messages, minimize the number of ideas you attempt to convey at any one time. Make sure that it’s easy for your reader to understand your meaning.

24. 2. Concise • Make it easier for the person you are communicating with to understand what you say or write by reducing the complexity of your sentences.

25. 3. Concrete • When your messages are concrete, they convey clear pictures to your audience. This makes them practical, useful, and focused. Include in your messages just enough detail and facts to convey the meaning.

26. 4. Correct • Ensure your communications are free of spelling and grammatical mistakes. Check all facts, names, and titles to assure that they are spelled correctly.

27. 5. Coherent • Ensure your communication to the learners is coherent by checking it makes sense and is logical – all points should be connected and relate to the main topic.

28. 6. Complete • Complete communication gives the listener everything they need to be informed or instructed. They also contain everything required to fulfill their purpose or goal.

29. 7. Courteous • Communication with your listeners should be courteous. This means it is friendly, open, and honest, keeps their viewpoint in mind, and is empathetic to their needs.

30. 5 Most Common Types of Communication Conflict • Interdependence Conflicts • Differences in Style • Differences in Background/Gender • Differences in Leadership • Personality Clashes

31. Personality Clashes All types of conflict in the workplace can be messy but it is the differences in personality that causes the most grief. Statistics show that 85% of dismissals in the Civilian Labor Force (CLF) in the US are due to personality conflicts.

32. What You Should Do When Faced with Negative Conflict • AVOID CONFRONTATION!! • AVOID INAPPROPRIATE REMARKS • MAINTAIN PROFESSIONALISM AT ALL TIMES

33. Getting and Giving Feedback - 5 Generations in the Workplace • Matures/Traditionalists: born before 1939 • Hard Workers, High respect for rules, considered the silent generation • Baby Boomers: 1940 – 1963 • Personal gratification, started the workaholic trend, team-oriented • Generation X: 1964 – 1980 • “Prove it to me”, technology driven, short attention span (talk in short sound bites) • Generation Y: 1981 – 1990 • Optimistic, Instant gratification, very diverse, will resent those who talk down to them • Generation 9/11: born after 1991 • Less optimistic about the future, questions the importance of College, want to be treated as adults, not children

34. Effective Feedback:Is This Appropriate? • He said/She said • Jokes • Favortism • Yelling/Raising Your Voice

35. Giving and Receiving Feedback is Key! • Listen 2x more than you speak; • Ensure what you are saying is relevant to the workplace and can be repeated; • Speak purposefully; and • Speak with professionalism.

36. Feedback Scenario– Exercise • Count off 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, etc. • Get in your groups • Read the scenarios • Read your scenario for your group to get and give feedback • Keep your responses under 5 minutes • Be prepared to share your feedback

37. Feedback - Exercise • One of your closest colleagues informed you that he is going on a job interview. He asked for feedback on what he should wear. His choices are: (1) His “good luck” pair of jeans and a tee shirt, or (2) the standard “blue” interview suit. What would be good effective feedback? • Your manager informed you that there is a rumor going around about a colleague leaving early every day after your manager leaves for the day. Your manager ask you for feedback on how she should address the employee? What would be good effective feedback? Ask members of your group to give feedback on what you have learned about the participants in your group?

38. Tips on Effective Feedback when Dealing with Conflict Treat people with respect, maintain their sense of self-worth Be human, be positive, and keep your sense of humor “ Sleep on it!” before reacting (particularly email) Be consistent in the way you treat people Be careful of defensiveness in response to complaints Show gratitude and recognize good work, and do it timely Be honest follow through on promises and don’t over - promise

39. How Can You Acquire Effective Feedback Skills? • Enroll in your Agency’s on-Line Courses (ELMS, FLRP, SLRP, XR, XD) • Include Communication Activities in your CDP (ask for developmental details, shadowing assignments, identify a communication course) • Join National SAIGE and your local Affinity Groups • Lead 24x7 (Books 24x7) • Seek Mentoring Programs

40. Did You Know? “What is the shortest word in the English language that contains the letters: abcdef? Answer is FEEDBACK

41. Communication Skills Needed for Effective Feedback for Leaders • Keep Your Word • Be Fair and Respectable to All • Be a Good Communicator • Be Flexible • Be Organized • Delegate • Set an Example • Be Consistent • Give Praise • Ask for Help

42. Effective Communication using the F.A.I.R. Approach • F = Feedback • A = Assistance • I = Inclusion • R = Respect

43. To Tell the Truth? • Need 6 volunteers to come forward • Each volunteer will tell a story in 2 minutes or less about them (truth or a lie) • Participants will listen and try and figure if they are telling the truth or a lie. • Participants will explain why they are telling the truth or a lie.

44. Feedback Quote for the Day “Examine what is said and not who speaks.” – African proverb

45. In Closing…

46. Open for Questions

47. Contact Me Cynthia D. Dunn, Director, EDI Internal Revenue Service, TE/GE 999 N. Capital Street, N.E. Washington, DC 20003 Office (202) 317-8651 Blackberry (202) 360-0867 Best Way to Contact is by Email: Cynthia.D.Dunn@irs.gov