All employees need feedback. However, not all feedback needs to be delivered the same way.
The goal of feedback is to help a person change a behavior, but receiving that information can be tough. To make it easier to hear, deliver the feedback in a way that matches how and when they want to hear it.
- Do they want feedback right away, or would they prefer to have that conversation at the end of the day?
- Would they rather have it in written form, e.g. an email, or in person?
- Should the conversation take place at their desk, at yours, or in a neutral spot?
Take notes and revisit those notes before you deliver feedback.
*BTW: If you were born in this century and the expression ‘pick your poison’ confused you, here’s the origin:
To ’pick your poison' means to choose between two worst cases. In the mid-19th century, 'poison' was slang for alcoholic drinks. A pub in Australia was named 'poison-shop'. It referred to the ill-effects of excessive drinking and the barkeep would ask you to ‘choose your poison’.