4 Creative Virtual Feedback Hacks
Make feedback fun for your team.
People dread feedback.
Even more when you receive an invitation to an online meeting called “feedback”.
Flexible working hours, different schedules, and international teams working across countries make it more difficult. If you wait till you meet in the office, you may wait forever.
More and more feedback sessions happen in a virtual space. Think outside of the box about how to make it engaging and less dull.
For starters, you may enjoy these:
1. Anonymous feedback carousel
One big advantage of virtual feedback is that it can be anonymous.
Yes! That is right.
You can sit under the lamp for once without being in the spotlight. Tempting.
Try to use some tools to exchange feedback among team members anonymously. The goal is to receive input from multiple colleagues.
Anonymity encourages more honest feedback. It also takes a little time to complete a few lines per person, and the outcome could be wonderful. Yes, you may argue that the feedback may be shallow or not direct enough. But with training, the team can do a better job next time.
When the feedback is collected, you can reflect on it with your manager or the whole team. You present it and ask for suggestions from the team: “I read that I should be more empathetic. What do you guys recommend?”
The feedback carousel is valuable for considering different perspectives and working together as a team.
2. Virtual feedback escape room
Break-out rooms are the best during online sessions I run. They also work well for feedback meetings.
Imagine creating a virtual escape room where solving a task requires collaboration and feedback.
This works well for helping people discuss and disagree with each other. First of all, it’s a harmless activity. Second of all, it encourages bonding and problem-solving skills.
People get used to being open with each other. If you choose a creative task, they will remember how fun it was to solve it.
The memorable format creates positive feelings. Bang! Feedback might be less painful for the team and more fun.
3. Feedback storytelling
Feedback means something different for each team member.
Some like direct feedback. Others email with corrections and the boss prefers telling informally, such as “By the way, I noticed…”.
To understand what feedback means, and what form works best for each colleague, try to organize a virtual campfire tale.
Ask everyone to wear outdoor clothes and to change their virtual background to forest or camp. Nah, haha. You don’t have to! But it’s fun.
You simply meet, and each person narrates a story highlighting the key feedback experiences. What they got, why they liked it, and what lessons learned they took for successful outcomes.
Storytelling makes it easy for each participant to open up and share. Turn bullet points into engaging narratives and shared learning.
Lastly, storytelling encourages active listening and empathy. It does connect people.
You can do two sessions talking about the best and the worst experience. You will easily know how to give feedback to your mates.
4. Feedback gamification
Online apps make people love tracking. Your weight, sleep, steps, sports activity, and you can also track feedback.
How much feedback do you give or get? Wouldn’t you want to see it? You can set a goal saying you want to give feedback this much or that much to build a regular habit and normalize feedback.
You can even agree with your team to earn points and badges for giving and receiving feedback. It can either make people give more frequent feedback or annoy them.
But if you present it as learning games, you may start building a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. So, it's worth giving gamification a shot.
The format is up to you.
TL;DR
You want virtual feedback to be quality and dynamic. Turn feedback into a more enjoyable experience. The key is the involvement.
Feedback is not yours to them but everyone to everyone.
Cheers, Ivona
On the menu:
Monday Deep Dive: Team Motivation
Thursday Newsletter: Leadership News
Upcoming training: July Feedback Boot Camp
2 sessions on feedback practice. Because you already know that feedback is a conversation. Now, get it done.
Dates: 16th & 23rd July
Duration: 85 Minutes/each session
Details: Dive into the key principles, SBI & Pendleton models, and master the art of handling emotional reactions easily, ensuring your feedback is heard and embraced.