21 Mentor Training Modules 5: Verbal Feedback
Hey everyone, welcome to the final mentor training module. This time around, we will be discussing verbal feedback.
To start, we will be discussing active listening. Giving verbal feedback consists of stages, one of which is listening and understanding the individual you are giving the feedback to. First off, listen to understand, not to reply. Your reply will be the feedback once you have finished, so have some patience and take your time to understand what the individual is saying before you go about providing feedback.
Next, paying attention to the body language and tone of the individuals. This also applies to online settings, whenever possible. They may feel uncomfortable, not as confident, or unsure when they are presenting their ideas so that is a good indication to put a bit more time into guiding them towards a good project.
Thirdly, to show the speaker that you understand them, try reiterating their words back to them. Not only will this show the speaker you understand, but it will solidify your understanding of their idea as well.
Finally, once you understand what they are presenting to you, respond with honesty. Being ambiguous or indirect can be confusing and might frustrate a team you are working with, so respond honestly. With that being said, be kind! There is always a kind way to communicate whatever needs to be said, so take a second and find the kinder way to proceed.
Showing empathy is extremely important when providing feedback. Having empathy will help you with conflict management. You’d be surprised how many conflicts can arise when you provide feedback. When you identify areas for growth within the project it might make participants feel defensive. Participants may turn on each other, saying “so and so was supposed to do this part but didn’t do it.” They might feel defeated, wondering if any part of their idea is worth keeping or they may fear they do not have time to come up with a new direction. Being empathetic will help you take positive action and help you provide further feedback or guidance beyond what may was initially needed.
Some examples of showing empathy would be listening to your students when they want to discuss an issue. If they make a mistake, tell them that is okay. You want to encourage positive failure as it is a way to grow as a group and to learn from their mistakes. Like they say, failure is the best teacher! Next, recognize their efforts and applaud them. They are working hard between many obligations and their personal lives, so make sure you appreciate their effort. It may seem like these are obvious things to do, but when you are balancing multiple teams or dealing with your own stress, these little things can be easy to forget. Take a moment to find empathy in the moment, and it will make a difference to your teams.
Next is speaking concisely. Do you think the students would rather listen to two minutes of your concise feedback or 10 minutes of conv