3 min read

How Clean Language makes feedback easier to give and clearer to receive

There are times when the diverse capabilities of the human brain are useful, and others when they stand in in our way. Take our ability to infer meaning — a skill we rely on when we don’t have access to all the information we need. Inference enables us to make a best guess, to deepen our understanding of a situation quickly and to respond sensitively to others when they’re struggling to express themselves. But sometimes inference can take us in the wrong direction.

Mixed messages

This is especially true when we’re receiving feedback, when we’re prone to making all kinds of assumptions that obscure the true meaning of what’s being said. One reason for this is that being assessed can make us feel vulnerable. We might have our own ideas about how we’re perceived and this can colour the way we interpret even carefully worded constructive criticism.

Another reason is that many people don’t know the best way to deliver feedback, so find the process difficult. They’re often worried about their comments having a negative impact, which can mean they hold back or use language that makes their meaning unclear.

Mind the gap

If feedback is given in a way that leaves gaps in our understanding, our brains get straight to work filling them in. We glean whatever we can from the clues that are available, scrutinise the tone of voice and body language of the feedback giver, call on memories of previous experiences and see it all through the filter of how positively or negatively we view ourselves.

We might, for example, hear a mentor suggest ways to strengthen our communication skills and infer that they’re saying we’re bad at public speaking. We may be offered training in team building and assume that we’re seen as too independent. It can happen when our self-view is more optimistic too and inferring that we’re making progress even if we’re not is just as problematic for our development.

Keep it clean

Clean Language can help with all of this. When used within organisations, the Clean Feedback Model developed by Caitlin Walker in 2014* can empower individuals to plot their own progress. It also counters people’s tendency to infer things by closing the gaps between what is meant and what is said. It ensures that participants in any feedback session have a clear, shared starting point based firmly in evidence. It allows individuals to feel trusted with their own development, and it also gives leaders the confidence to deliver feedback because using clean language means that everything it is much more likely that the message lands in the way that was intended.

The clean feedback model breaks things down by asking three questions:

1. What’s working well?
2. What’s not working well?
3. What could be different or better?

Each answer must include three further pieces of information so it can be really understood:

i. Evidence (what you’ve seen or heard)
ii. Inference (what you’re assuming or guessing)
iii. Impact (the effect on you, the team or the project)

Evidence based

People often confuse inference for evidence. If we really challenge ourselves to focus and ask: ‘what did I see or hear that made me think that?’ something interesting happens: we start to challenge our own assumptions. It’s a way of checking that the data we’re using as the basis of of the feedback session is sound, and it encourages us to gathering all the information so that there are no gaps in our understanding that might leave room for further inference.

Under review

Many organisations report challenges with the formal review process because often inherent in that system is a sense that the leader must play the role of ‘the all-knowing assessor.’ The Clean Feedback Model frees people from these fixed positions and allows creates a framework where individuals can assess themselves and and the boss can fill in the gaps (if there are any). This not only helps leaders to get much richer insights into the progress of their team, but also allows companies to tailor their review process so that it chimes with their aspirations. Traditional appraisals can make companies seem parental and handholding when in fact they want to be more progressive. Encouraging staff to use their initiative and self-assess creates the right conditions for self-motivated people to work at their best.

A new way forwards

Appraisals often get put off because of the time they require or the energy they take from the ‘real’ work an organisation is trying to do. But switching the emphasis to the individual and encouraging them to be responsible for their own development can streamline the process. Each person can write up their own review, the boss can check that it’s an accurate representation of the conversation they’ve had together, and because it’s less laborious, it can happen more frequently.

The feedback model can also form the basis of an individual action plan, where answers to the question ‘what could be different or better?’ are turned into specific measurable steps that people can take to move towards where they want to be.

Clean feedback sessions can become light touch but meaningful conversations that empower people to gain clarity about exactly how they’re doing and take ownership of their own development and success.

We Are Clean can facilitate teams sessions virtually or for you and your organisation in- person or virtually, working with groups of 6 - 30 people. We can also speak at events. Depending on your specific needs sessions can be designed to last from 60 minutes to a full (away) day and we can also speak at events. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help your organisation embed a feedback culture, book a discovery call

*Walker, C. 2014. From Contempt to Curiosity: Creating the conditions for groups to collaborate using clean language and systemic modelling. Clean Learning.