How to Observe and Giving Feedback

1. How to Observeand Giving Feedback Parsloe,Eric and Leedham,Melville (2009). Coaching and Mentoring, Practical conversations to improve learning. London: Kogan Page.

2. Feedback • Defined as communication with a person that give information about how his or her behaviour is perceived by others and the effect it has on them. • Feedback helps us to learn by increasing both awareness of what we are doing and how we are doing it.

3. Observing Performance • Coach-mentors will continually find themselves having to give feedback. • Inexperienced learners often want to ask, • How well am I doing? • Have I improved my competence? • An experienced learner, attempting to improve his or her performance still further, might say • If I do this way, I think it will be better. What do you think? • Alternatively, a coach-mentor may be asked’ • I have the chance to apply for this new job, do you think I should do it?

4. How to Observe - simplicity tips • Start by explaining, or confirming if previously agreed, why you are observing the learner – you are there to help him or her improve, not to catch him or her out. Make sure you also explain your purpose to any other people directly involved. • Be aware of your influence on the learner’s performance and position yourself as unobtrusively as possible. Consider how you would feel if someone watching you do something.

5. Observe the process the learner is using to carry out the activity. • Observe the quality or standard of the final outcome or end result achieved. • Don’t interrupt the interactions or activity, or distract the learner or any other participants during the observation.

6. Ask questions to verify your understanding, but only you are sure you are not affecting the activity or process. • Observe the interaction or behaviour several times in different contexts if possible. • Make notes at the time for discussion later. • Compare what you saw with any ‘standard’ procedures or with what you may have previously been told. • Observe other people carry out the same process or behaviourfor comparison purposes if relevant or appropriate.

7. Observing principles • To encourage the learner to articulate his or her own answer to the question. • To establish just how important or relevant the coach-mentor’s feedback will be. • Having encouraged self-assessment, to give feedback which is clear, concise and constructive.

8. Constructive Feedback • Increase self-awareness, offers options as well as opinions and encourages self-development. • Feedback about poor performance, given skillfully, can equally useful an important as an aid to development.

9. Feedback result • Understanding more about how they come across to others • Choosing to change • Keeping their behaviour on target to achieve good results • Becoming more effective

10. Effective Feedback - potential barriers • Can come as a surprise or shock when there are no clear objectives for the job or development, or when the learner and the coach-mentor do not share the same perception of these. • May be delivered in a way that the recipients sees as concentrating on critical or unsubstantiated judgements, which offend the recipient’s sense of fairness.

11. There may be a problem of credibility; it is important that the recipient believes the feedback-giver is competent to comment on those points. • Previous history of receiving negative feedback may take the recipient feel obliged to ‘defend his or her corner’. • People are ‘afraid’ to give feedback because they are not confident about handling the response and concerned that feedback will damage relationships.

12. Sensitivity and Stress • Many young people are shy and feel awkward and embarrassed in new situations where they have to perform alongside other experienced staff.