How to Ask for Feedback in 5 Easy Steps

Looking for a way to reduce your editing time on training documents and reviews of courses or videos? The “secret” is in consolidating the voice!

We have all worked on a team where people have different opinions on how something should be said or shown visually. Without a clear step-by-step approach, time is wasted, feelings get hurt, the budget gets blown out, and projects get delayed.

The following approach has helped Learning Carton manage large teams with lots of opinions.

Now, let’s get to “How to Ask for Feedback in 5 Easy Steps”

Step 1: Start in the Kick-off

Asking for feedback begins the first time you meet as a group. First order of business is always establishing clear lines of communication. Regardless of your role, it is critical to advocate for actionable and consolidated feedback from the beginning. If you can get everyone on the same page on day #1, you will be able to manage the feedback process smoothly. The next step is to define the term “actionable.”

Step 2: Define Actionable

During the kick-off meeting and every other time you ask for feedback, use the word ACTIONABLE. It means something that you can concretely act on or complete without the need for breaking it down into further sub-tasks. For example, a reviewer may leave a comment about the music and text on-screen in a video such as, “I don’t like this.” If this comment were actionable it would not use pronouns, in this case, “this.” Ask the reviewer to specify what they don’t like. Suggest that an actionable comment would be, “I don’t like the music and text together. It’s distracting. Remove or change the music.” Immediately after defining the term actionable, you should either assign or advocate for the designation of a “consolidator.”

Step 3: Assign a Consolidator

Ask that a team member (ideally the one with final sign-off) serve as the feedback consolidator for the project. A consolidator has the important responsibility of reading all of the feedback from the team and providing a single direction. The consolidator is critical in projects that include subject matter experts who may not be reading each other’s comments. The consolidator’s number one job is to read their team’s feedback for conflicting opinions. Then, they should provide streamlined comments that are actionable. Be consistent, ask for actionable and consolidated feedback every time!

Step 4: ALWAYS Ask for Actionable and Consolidated!

When you ask for feedback in an email or on a phone call, always use the terms actionable and consolidated. You are modeling the behavior you want to see in your team and your client’s team. We learn by repetition. Be consistent! Each time the team hears the term actionable and consolidated, they will internalize the request and consistently offer direct actionable feedback. Consistency will save time and effort for everyone. Coaching your team members with affirmation and praise when they meet the request is crucial!

Step 5: Affirm and Praise

As you manage the project, your management style can lead to lifelong client and team relationships. Of course, you also need to be excellent at what you do, hold a positive growth mindset, deliver on time, and exceed expectations. As you are asking for feedback, you should praise actionable feedback when you see it. If it is on the phone you might say, “Thanks for the actionable feedback, it really helps us turn this around faster.” If you are reading tracked changes or online feedback then you may write, “Love this feedback, very clear direction.”

Conclusion

If you fail to ask for actionable and consolidated feedback, you are wasting your time and budget. Following these five steps on asking for feedback, will ensure your success. And, in this context, what does successful mean? It means your projects will run smoother, your clients will be happier, and you will deliver the final product on time and on budget. It’s really that simple.