Feedforward rather than feedback

Do you know how you are perceived?

For most of us, this is one of the most important questions. And as a rule, we have no idea. We hope that we are perceived in the way we want to be, but that is far from certain.

We often say that gut feelings are a poor guide, especially when it comes to understanding how others perceive us. Feeling a certain way is no guarantee that you will be perceived that way.

That is why we need feedback. And if the person giving the feedback really wants to emphasize that it is about helping the other person develop, they can instead talk about feedforward:

Feedforward is forward-looking feedback that focuses on future improvements rather than analyzing past mistakes.

Feedforward creates concrete suggestions for what the person can do differently next time, rather than criticizing what went wrong.

Feedforward creates a positive atmosphere because it is perceived as more constructive and less threatening than traditional feedback.

Feedforward takes into account that the past cannot be changed—instead, energy is focused on what we can change going forward.

Feedforward is used effectively in the workplace to develop employees and improve performance with less risk of the person receiving comments becoming defensive.

One company that really takes this seriously is SAM Nordic! Thank you for letting us visit your Nordic conference!

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