What Did You Like About It

A Simple Technique to Get Impactful Positive Feedback

How many times do we hear general feedback comments such as:

“That was a great presentation”

“I liked how you handled that customer issue”

“The sales call went really well”

These type of comments might make me feel good for about 5 minutes, but it doesn’t tell me specifically what worked and why.  When I understand what it was that worked I will know to weave those same ingredients into future work.

The person who gave the positive feedback does have more information but you’ll need to draw it out.  Here’s how:

The next time someone gives you some general feedback such as, “That was a great report” you should immediately say,”Thanks for the feedback, what did you like about it?”

What you’ll hear are thoughtful details such as “Well, it was helpful that you first presented x, y and z.  The graphics describing the current situation were spot on and the way you wrapped it up by tying in xyz really hit home.”

Now that’s meaningful feedback because you get the particulars on what worked well and why.  You can then repeat those same things for future and confidently continue to build upon past  successes.   So, the next time you receive well intentioned yet non-specific feedback follow it up by asking, “What Did You Like About It”.

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