Article ~
"What gets us into trouble
isn't what we don't know,
it's what we know for sure, that just isn't
so."
~ Mark Twain
1 + 1 = To
Grow
by Barb
Langlois
Do you know when you giving too
much information rather than ‘to grow’?
I belong to a speaking
group and recently one of our new members, Bob (not his real name) was
giving a powerpoint presentation. This was a practice run for a
presentation Bob was going to make in the community. Now Bob has only ever
given one speech to our group and it is obvious he is way out of his
comfort zone when he speaks. In Bob’s words “public
speaking is THE biggest fear in my life.”
After Bob’s
presentation, we did a round table evaluation where everyone gave Bob some
feedback on his talk. The unwritten rule for the round table evaluation is
to give the speaker something they did well and a point for improvement
(PFI) (those of you who have attended my workshops, know PFI is my
favourite feedback strategy). This 1 + 1 approach is intended to give the
speaker an equal ratio of praise to PFIs. 1 + 1 = to
grow.
Well, too much
information is what Bob received. The first person gave Bob three PFIs. The
next person had 2 PAGEs of written feedback. As she was giving her feedback
to Bob, his face went pale, he stopped writing and just stared at his
paper. She continued with the feedback. Before the chairperson realized
what was occurring, this lady managed to get through a page and a half of
the feedback, all PFIs! Way, too much information.
Sometimes our intentions
are good but our impact is not so good. That was the case here. This lady
had previously made the same mistakes Bob was making and just wanted to
help him. Her intentions were good. Her impact was not. After
she had time to realize what she had done, she approached Bob, explained
her intention and apologized for giving too much information.
It’s important to
keep in mind the human spirit is only capable of taking in a little bit of
feedback at a time. The brain goes into automatic “shut down”
when feedback is perceived (by the person receiving it) as too
much.
In assisting
students, new graduates and even expert nurses to learn and grow, feedback
can only be heard, internalized and acted upon in small doses. Most
people will listen for and focus on the PFI; therefore ensure your feedback
is allowing them ‘to grow.’ Include a genuine positive comment
in your feedback. 1 + 1 = to grow.
Step Out of the Ordinary!
Barb Langlois RN BSN MSN
Speaker and Seminar Leader
(1) 604.819.1888
www.BarbLanglois.com
e-Mail me at: barb@barblanglois.com
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