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Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
Feedback as reinforcement
Feedback is feedback. Terms such as ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ are more judgments about how it feels to give or receive feedback than the nature of the feedback itself.
Positive feedback may be more usefully thought of as reinforcement or confirmation of expectations being met. This is why it’s also known as confirmatory feedback. Telling someone you acknowledge they are on course or exceeding expectations may be highly motivating for them.
Best practices
Follow these best practices when delivering positive feedback.
Be specific
Just as with corrective feedback, your positive feedback needs to be precise. This enables the receiver to identify what they are being praised for. Tell them specifically how the job they did was great.
Keep it factual
Did you know that some people are uncomfortable with being praised? Some people especially dislike vague or general positive feedback, as they may feel that it’s insincere or just ‘token’ feedback. So it's a good idea to keep it factual and practical. For example, you could say, “I think you are doing a good job. Would you like me to specify how so that you can keep doing it?”
Make it public
Ensure everyone knows about the person's achievements or good work. One team member’s success can help to raise the morale of other team members. Communicate it to all staff via email and use team meetings to shine a light on it. Do ensure that the receiver is comfortable with this sort of public feedback, however.
Positive feedback in action
An enterprising young manager, just a few months into the job, came up with a method for improving workflow. This new method delighted his boss, and helped his team mates by reducing their workload. His boss said to him, “Thank you for doing such a great job. I think your team mates might be impressed by how you achieved it. Are you OK if I offer you some feedback in front of the team when we are all together?”
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Bill Phillips and Kevin J Reid
Bill Phillips is an International Facilitator, Trainer, and Team Coach.
- Has successfully coached CEOs, board members, directors, executive teams, and team leaders in public and private companies, NGOs, and UN organizations in 15 countries across four continents
- Is the creator of Future-basing®, a highly potent process for building strategy, vision, and cooperation
- Inspires people to build excellent interpersonal relationships and achieve their goals
In this module, Bill is the instructor for the ‘Leading With Emotional Intelligence’, 'How to Delegate to Your Team', and 'Providing Effective Feedback' lessons.
Kevin Reid is CEO of Personal Skills Training, Senior Coach at Kevin J Reid Coaching, Co-founder and Communications Director of The Counsel.ie, and Lead Collaborator of LeitrimMade.com.
- A consummate and skillful international communications trainer, facilitator, and coach
- Has over 15 years of learning development experience with individuals, teams, and entire organizations
- Has facilitated communications workshops and training across numerous sectors in Ireland, the UK, Europe, America, and Africa
In this module, Kevin is the instructor for the ‘Coaching and Mentoring’ lesson.
The following pieces of content from the Digital Marketing Institute's Membership Library have been chosen to offer additional material that you might find interesting or insightful.
You can find more information and content like this on the Digital Marketing Institute's Membership Library
- Article: Tech Advances - The Importance of Keeping Up to Speed
- Article: What is Emotional Branding and How is it Effective?
- Webinar: Interview - The Road to Digital Leadership with Alan Coleman
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