A Great Structure for Getting & Giving Feedback at Work
Giving and receiving feedback is often one of the most challenging parts of a professional career for many of us. I have been using the below structure for over a decade with my team and my own managers, and it’s been one of the most useful tools I have in my career. Here I describe how I implemented in our team of about 20 staff at a nonprofit organization where I was an executive leader.
One of My Favorite Structures for Giving Professional Feedback
We all know that getting and giving good feedback to our colleagues and volunteers is a critical part of running successful organizations and teams. It’s important to offer feedback regularly in our work – sometimes daily and weekly – to our colleagues. But we all know that structures can support us to be better than we might be without them.
One of these structures that helps me prioritize giving feedback is one I’ve learned over the years from those wiser than myself — it’s called a “2×2 conversation.” I’ve even made you a Google Docs template you can copy and use.
In brief, it’s a conversation in which each person shares:
Two things that they think they are doing well in their own work
Two things they want to improve upon in their own work
Two things their colleague is doing well in their work
Two things they think their colleague could improve upon in their own work
Before the conversation, we’ve found it’s best if the two people engaging send each other an email with their thoughts. Then schedule a lunch, coffee, or walk and discuss your thoughts and ideas about how the two of you can take your work together to the next level.
At this point in my career, I’ve probably had more than fifty 2×2 conversations. And regardless of the situation, I can honestly share that every one of these conversations has been helpful. I’ve gotten excellent feedback from managers, those I manage, and lateral peers, and gotten to share thoughts with others that I might not have otherwise made time to share given a busy schedule.
We have in the past done organization-wide 2×2 conversations at least once a year where teammates have these conversations with several staff with whom they work closely, and we also schedule one for 6 weeks into someone new joining the team (with that person’s manager).
There’s little that’s more important to your work than how you interact with your teammates. Those working relationships are worth the investment, and this is one tested strategy that you’ll love.
Have another tip on giving feedback? Share in the comments!
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