What Kind of Feedback Do I Want and Need?
“What kind of feedback would you like?” she asked me. “What would be most helpful?”
I was in a writer’s critique group for my book project. I had poured my heart and soul into writing the story, editing it, and doing everything else I could think of.
Up to this point, I’d been on my own . . . in my own world.
Now, it was time for me to let others take a look at my work. I needed other pairs of eyes on it. There were certainly things that I was missing, overlooking. I was too close to the story, too close to the work. I had blinders, and I needed others to take a look and point out things that I might not be seeing or even thinking about.
I sent the manuscript to the other writers in my group.
“What kind of feedback would you like?” one of them asked me.
It was an interesting question and one that I had never considered. I wasn’t sure how to answer.
Are there different kinds of feedback? I thought to myself. Do I really want their honest feedback, or do I just want them to say they love my book, they admire my work, and to praise me as a writer . . . as a person?
“What are the different types of feedback?” I asked an experienced writer in my critique group, looking for clarity.
“Do you want me to tell you what I think overall of the book—a more global perspective? Do you want me to tell you what I like or don’t like? What confuses me? Suggest changes?”
The list went on and on . . .
Wow! I had sent them my manuscript and asked for feedback. I guess I didn’t know what I was asking for. It seems like the word “feedback” entails more than I realized.
What is Feedback?
According to John Hattie and Helen Timperley from the University of Auckland in their article, “The Power of Feedback,” “Feedback is conceptualized as information provided by an agent (e.g., teacher, peer, book, parent, self, experience) regarding aspects of one’s performance or understanding. Feedback thus is a ‘consequence’ of performance.”
Another definition comes from best-selling authors, Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, in Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well."Feedback includes any information you get about yourself. In the broadest sense, it's how we learn about ourselves from our experiences and from other people—how we learn from life."
Feedback can serve several different purposes and take on several different forms—each with its own place in our learning experience.
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Different Methods of Feedback
Federation University in Australia identifies several different types of feedback. Here are a few:
1. Informal Feedback
“Informal feedback can occur at any time, as it is something that emerges spontaneously in the moment or during action.”
This type of feedback requires a good rapport between those who are giving and receiving feedback. It often takes place in everyday life and activities or in a casual conversation between friends or family members. For example, informal feedback comes when your friend tells you they like your new shirt, your kids tell you they don’t really like the dinner you prepared, your colleague sends you a text commenting on your last project, or your neighbor tells you that your Arabic has drastically improved. This type of feedback often happens naturally, without the parties being aware that it’s even taking place.
2. Formal Feedback
“Formal feedback is planned and systematically scheduled into the process. Usually associated with assessment tasks, formal feedback includes the likes of marking criteria, competencies, or achievement of standards, and is recorded for both the student and organization as evidence.”
This type of feedback often takes place in an academic or work setting in which people are formally evaluated by teachers or other leaders or superiors. This could take the form of regular language learning exams or end-of-the year assessments by your boss.
3. Formative Feedback
“The goal of formative assessment is to monitor . . . learning or to provide ongoing feedback that can be used . . . to improve.”
This type of feedback is often given towards the beginning of a learning or work process, and then again at various stages to access progress and growth.
For example, when you start your Arabic classes at the local language school, your initial placement test gives you and your teacher a good idea of your beginning level. A final exam at the end of the year will inform all of you of the progress you made, strengths, weaknesses, and focused areas of continued learning.
4. Summative Feedback
“The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate . . . learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.” This type of feedback can be seen in a language exam at the end of a course level, standardized tests, or an assessment at the end of a training. The results give an indication to the student and the teacher of where the person is in his learning.
5. Peer Feedback
Providing “regular opportunities to give and receive peer feedback enriches . . . learning experiences and develops [one’s] professional skill set.”
My writing critique group, for example, doesn’t have any highly-acclaimed New York Times Best Selling authors. Rather, we are a group of aspiring authors, all still learning the craft, trying to help each other and offer peer feedback.
6. Self Feedback
This type of independent feedback involves self-assessment and goal setting. Having
success criteria or checklists and guided opportunities for self-feedback can also be helpful for this type of feedback.
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Types of Feedback
You’ve probably received feedback in several of the different methods mentioned above. Each of them can deliver one or more styles of feedback. According to the book, “Thanks for the Feedback,” by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen, there are three main types of feedback.
1. Appreciation– This type of feedback conveys “thanks.” When our boss tells us he is grateful that we are working with him on his team, appreciation is shown. It lets us know that he actually sees us and is acknowledging how hard we have been working.
2. Tips–(Stone and Heen refer to this as “Coaching.”) Tips often come in the form of advice and is a type of feedback that helps us gain new awareness through insightful and powerful questions. It helps us learn, grow, and change by allowing us to see where to focus our time and energy. For example, “You could try notecards to memorize those new Arabic words.” “Maybe talking to your boss would work.” “Try taking the train instead of a taxi next time, it might be easier.” These are all feedback “tips.”
3. Evaluation– Evaluation is a type of feedback used to rank, assess, or rate us. It helps us to know where we stand. This could be in the form of a standardized test, a student’s report card, or your timed run in that last marathon. Evaluations usually compare us to others or to a certain standard. Sometimes, evaluations can leave us feeling judged. For example, “You are a great language learner.” “You’re an awful friend.” “You got 80% correct.” “I think you did that well enough.” These are all evaluative types of feedback.
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Further Reflection
My learning and understanding of the word “feedback” have greatly expanded. Before I ask my peers—my writing colleagues in my critique group—to give me feedback on my book manuscript, it might be helpful for me to determine what methods and types of feedback I want and/or need. That way, I can ask specifically for what I want.
It’s not as simple as saying, “Could you please give me some feedback?” By thinking through the larger concept and understanding the different purposes and forms, I can better direct those around me to offer me feedback that is most helpful and useful for me and my work.
Sure, I would like to only receive positive feedback. I especially like appreciation. However, I may need to expand my desired and expected feedback to maximize my learning—some tips and evaluation may be in store. I may actually need some “unwanted” feedback in order to maximize my development. This fresh perspective and paradigm shift about feedback can help me adopt a growth mindset and help accelerate my learning. Only then can I move forward on my writing project and publish an incredible book!
