Do's and Don'ts of 360 Degree reviews

For 360 Degree feedback, there is no rule that you must always deal with the act of giving feedback alone but also to attempt in giving good, actionable feedback to several people.

When it’s time for 360 Degree feedback, you may be expected to give feedback just to a single person or to ten people or more. Giving feedback to one person is easy since you can spend enough time on it and do a really good job. But what you will do when you must give 360 Degree feedback to more than one person? Here are some do’s and don’ts that can help you giving 360 Degree feedback review efficiently.

Give Honest Feedback

The key to a good 360 Degree feedback is honesty. If you are honest when giving your feedback, you are doing the right thing. You don’t need to wear someone’s shoes while giving feedback, but it is important to remember that emotional reactions are a consequence of feedback. So, give your honest feedback.

Be Concise and Specific

The feedback given by some people may be blunt or abrupt. The feedback should be direct in manner and you should be polite. On the other hand, there are people who would love to give feedback that spills over into paragraphs or pages. Restrain yourself to be concise and to be specific while giving feedback. The respondents who answer the given feedback questions must understand the cause behind the feedback as well as to understand it better.

Don’t give feedback based on false assumptions

Giving feedback to employees you know, and their work is well and good. Because you know exactly what to say, what qualities they need to focus on and the areas in which they can improve. But giving feedback to someone you don’t know very well and whose work you have no clue about is dangerous. This is because you are essentially giving feedback based on assumptions. It might disrupt the entire 360 Degree feedback process. If you receive a feedback request for an employee you are not well acquainted with, the best thing you can do is decline.

Choose the right word and frame feedback

Be careful about choosing the right word and framing the feedback. The right choice of words and tone are important in the case of 360 Degree feedback because the words framed for feedback may give cues to understand the feedback provider’s opinion about the insights of the employees or the workforce. Feedback given verbally is quite different from feedback on the paper. So, don’t convey the wrong message.

Identify your intent behind the feedback

When giving 360 Degree feedback to someone, it is good to examine your intentions behind the feedback. The intent of the feedback should not hurt the employees, but it could be helpful, to see or to share some constructive criticism. Identifying your intent behind giving feedback will not only help you frame the feedback accordingly, but it also will be helpful to the employees since they know where exactly you want the employees to put into practice. You can include all three aspects like criticism, an observation or a suggestion when giving feedback, however, make sure you are clear about what you want to say and remember to clearly define the intent.

Takeaway

360 Degree Feedback can turn out to be successful if leveraged the right way. You can utilize the strategies mentioned above for a beginning. Always remember that your feedback needs to be honest and concise. What kind of strategies do you have in mind? Leave your comments below!

Gayathri Arun is a senior content marketer with Synergita, the leading HR Tech Company. Gayathri promotes technology enablement in strategic HR space to streamline your employee performance management and help achieve high-productivity driven growth.