The five levels of feedback to improve communication and performance in the company

2. Second level - persuasive feedback

Persuasive feedback also protects the interests of both the 'I' and the 'You', but with one major difference: personal interests in this case are concealed. It therefore conceals a subtle form of deception, in that the interlocutor has the feeling that the other is only acting for his own benefit when in fact he is not. Consequently, although more sophisticated than others, it does not lay the foundation for a lasting relationship.

3. Third level - Effective feedback

From a performance point of view, effective feedback is not the best: this is because it only enhances and makes explicit the interests of the giver. It is often used due to lack of time: in this case the right approach is to anticipate to the interlocutor the reason for this extreme synthesis, preparing him 'for the effectiveness' of the exchange. It is, however, important to use this formula sparingly to avoid annoying the other to the point of souring the relationship.

4. Fourth level - Direct feedback

Preamble: calling the fourth and fifth levels 'feedback' is not quite correct because they do not contain any real 'feeding'. Straightforward feedback provides a direct, flat and, if not rude, judgement that lacks a handle by which the interlocutor can improve. While it is to be avoided, it is a feedback used more often than one would think.

5. Fifth level - Rude feedback

It is a typical case of the 'lowest', almost instinctive feedback: unfiltered, sometimes brutal, closer to an outburst than to a real contribution ('This job sucks!').

Whatever the level, a good leader does not just correct or judge, but welcomes what works in the team and returns useful feedback without compromising the relationship. In this sense, feedback is not only content: it is form, intention, responsibility.

Of course, not all feedback carries the same weight: it depends on who is giving it. As the saying goes, 'let an expert take care of you, but be comforted by those who love you'. Translated: not all opinions are equivalent. Expertise matters, as do context and the quality of the relationship.

Another underestimated aspect is quantity. Are we really able to handle all the feedback we receive? Everyone has their own threshold, a certain capacity to absorb and process what is given back. That is why ten feedbacks in an hour do not produce growth, only overload. Consequently, not everything we receive should be accepted automatically. What nurtures is that which allows one to work on weaknesses without losing sight of strengths, which does not crush but opens up possibilities.

The dynamics by which feedback takes place are also crucial. Creating a structured and protected moment facilitates the absorption of advice, even if negative. Experience in life and in business teaches that unsolicited and spontaneous judgements proliferate: it is the so-called 'bar effect', made up of loud comments and quick opinions. Real feedback, the useful kind, on the other hand, is surprisingly rare. In many organisations, little or little is said. And silence, in the long run, isolates.

Not only giving but also asking for feedback is a strategic competence. People who want to grow do not wait for feedback: they seek it. They ask targeted questions, expose themselves, question their own performance. "Where can I improve?" is a question that contains a readiness to change. And quality questions are matched by quality answers.

Because feedback, if it works, is an investment in improvement, in generating performance from - perhaps - a weakness or a mistake. As Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, says: 'Respect your team enough to listen to their feedback and act on it'.

*Director Strategic Communication Academy