8 Ways to Make Your Feedback More Impactful

At this year’s PRSA 2025 Counselors Academy Spring Conference in Charleston, S.C., I spoke on a topic close to my heart: “How to Give Feedback That Actually Inspires.”

Here are eight key recommendations I shared with attendees.

1. Know your mindset.

What frame of mind are you in about the person to whom you will give feedback? Are you focusing only on what they’ve done wrong and must improve? 

If so, then start by taking inventory of everything they’re doing right. Equally important, make sure that the recipient perceives that you care about them and believe they can do better. 

When you offer critiques without the recipient perceiving them, they’ll view you as insulting and close down to your wisdom. 

2. Consistently communicate respect.

You must be respectful throughout the discussion, regardless of how subpar the work was or how egregious their behavior. If not, then the recipient shuts down. Giving feedback to someone who’s done so wastes their time — and yours. 

3. Ask, listen and encourage response.

Many leaders believe that they should do most of the talking in a feedback session. But I think they’ve got it wrong. Instead of nonstop telling, you should ask, listen deeply, ask again, listen and respond. Then repeat. Doing so allows you to understand the recipient’s point of view and whether they understand what they got wrong.

Allowing them to explain themselves gives you needed insight. Additionally, it will enable them to keep their egos intact, making it easier for them to understand your guidance regarding what they must do better next time. 

4. Empathize with them.

There are three types of empathy: cognitive, emotional and compassionate; and we generally experience all three in that order. You must understand how difficult this type of conversation can be for them, feel how hard it might be to experience it and be compassionate toward them throughout the feedback session. 

5. Mind your emotions and theirs.

You don’t need to be an emotional intelligence ninja to have a successful feedback session, but having your antenna set to perceive emotions will serve you best. 

If you sense them shutting down or getting frustrated, then take a breath. The same is true for you. Take three deep cleansing breaths if you feel angry, frustrated or sarcastic. According to “Leadership Freak,” four emotions that you want the recipient to feel are valued, challenged, supported and energized.

6. Know that it’s OK to tell them everything they did right.

Perhaps we, as PR professionals, are problem solvers. We lean into things that are wrong and need fixing. That might work in communications, but not in a feedback session. 

Instead, tell them everything they did right. Why? It not only shows that you have perspective about their performance but also appreciate what they did right. This will encourage them to keep doing so. 

7. Use the magic quadrant of constructive feedback.

In the past, we were encouraged to use the “Feedback Sandwich” — some things they got right, some things they got wrong, and some things they got right. 

This has proven ineffective because people hardly heard the first things they got right, waiting for you to “lower the boom” with what they did wrong, and after hearing it, blocking out the other things they got right. 

Instead, ensure that your content and delivery are consistently kind (because being “nice” can lead to avoidance); direct (get to the point or you’ll confuse them); diplomatic (which some define as being able to handle difficult situations without causing offense or conflict), since offending them means they stop listening; and honest (because how can the person improve if you’re not being so). 

8. Focus on the future, not the past.

Even though you’re discussing something from the past, remember that they can’t go back in time and change it. 

In addition, people are often defensive about past work, no matter how much it missed the mark or past behavior, and no matter how dysfunctional it was.

Instead, you talk about what you need in the next version or the next meeting and signal your belief that they can reach that quality standard. This not only prevents defensiveness, but also encourages openness. It’s only when the recipient is open to your input that they can create positive change and improvement.