There is a constant buzz about feedback and the culture of giving feedback. In some organizations, the culture of providing feedback exists, and in others, don’t. Some organizations are urged to implement it, and some don’t. But, the common thing for all companies is that they know the impact that feedback can produce.

Giving feedback is a two-way street. To provide feedback, we also need to learn how to receive feedback. To be honest with yourself, learn how to put EGO aside and really hear what message someone who gives you feedback tries to convey.

One of the simplest ways is to give “sandwich” feedback, especially for young leaders.

The process is easy:

• Say something good about the person and their work
• Say what to improve
• Say something good at the end

There is a lot of discussion about this type of feedback. It is fuzzy and blurred to the receiver, and often, they don’t know what to improve. To me, it’s also dishonest because it tries to say something very sugarcoated.

But using something “foody” yet more powerful is “Feedback Wrap,” a tool for giving feedback in the Management 3.0 environment.

The “Feedback Wrap” is a dynamic tool introduced by Jurgen Appelo in his Management 3.0 framework. It aims to foster a culture of continuous improvement and constructive communication within organizations. As a structured approach to giving feedback, the Feedback Wrap encourages transparency, empathy, and actionable insights, which are critical components in modern management practices.

Understanding the Feedback Wrap

1. Describe your context: Set the stage for the feedback by describing the situation where the observed behavior occurred.

2. List your observations: Provide specific and objective observations without interpretations or judgments.

3. Express your emotions: Expressing the emotional response to the observed behavior.

4. Sort by value: Highlighting the underlying needs that are connected to the feelings.

5. End with suggestions: Making a clear and actionable recommendation for future behavior.

This framework ensures that feedback is comprehensive, balanced, and focused on improvement rather than criticism.

Using this feedback is simple yet powerful, but it requires practice. As an external Agile coach, I have many opportunities to practice this type of feedback.

So, let me share with you how I used it.

As an external Agile Coach in one company, I was conducting Sprint Review meetings and noticed that one team member constantly interrupted his colleagues. After the meeting, I called and gave him a 1:1 Feedback Wrap. The conversation was like this:

Context: 

“I would like to discuss what happened during our Sprint Review.”

Observations:

“During the last two Sprint Review meetings, I’ve noticed that you’ve spoken over your teammates several times while they were presenting their progress and ideas.” 

Feelings: 

“Because of that, I feel concerned because it disrupts the flow of the meeting and can discourage others from sharing their ideas and influence creativity.” 

Needs: 

“I need our meetings to be a safe environment where everyone feels respected and heard and is free to share their learnings and failures.”

Request: 

Please make a conscious effort to let others finish speaking before you respond. Taking notes during their presentations to capture your thoughts might help.”

From my experience, it’s very rare for a person to respond negatively. The key things are structure and honesty when speaking up.

What did I learn?

• Giving this feedback will promote clarity and minimize the risk of misinterpretation.
• Including feelings and needs helped me to be more empathetic and foster more supportive and constructive interaction.
• This feedback provides a clear path to improvement and includes action.
• When feedback is given in a structured, respectful manner, it helps build trust between team members.

Of course, while I practiced, there were some pitfalls, and I would like to share for you to be prepared:

• Over-structuring: In the beginning (learning phase), I rigidly adhered to the structure in which feedback seemed forced or insincere. It’s essential to adapt the wrap to the context and the individual.
• Ignoring Context: Sometimes, I needed to provide adequate context, which led to confusion and diminished the effectiveness of my feedback. So, always stick to the context.
• Emotional Mismanagement: Dealing with my emotions is the hardest thing for me. I allowed myself to be dragged into an emotional rollercoaster a few times, and my feedback wasn’t as constructive and nonjudgmental as it should have been.
• Unclear Requests: Maybe I was vague or unrealistic in my requests, which can lead to frustration and hinder the recipient’s ability to act on the feedback effectively.

My final message to you is to learn it, practice it, and master this feedback. It will pay off quickly.