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With Valentine’s Day around the corner, giving feedback with L.O.V.E. is a relevant topic. A colleague told me she saw the Michael Jackson movie, “THIS IS IT.” She said there were two things that stood out. The first was that Michael Jackson was a genius and a perfectionist when it came to performing and to music. The second was that he was a gentle soul who gave direct feedback, but gave that feedback with L.O.V.E. She said that when his band didn’t quite deliver to the standard he expected he would premise his feedback saying that he was giving it with “L.O.V.E.”

What a novel idea. Feedback given with L.O.V.E will be more accepted by the person receiving it. Perhaps you think that L.O.V.E. doesn’t have a place in the workplace. Why not? All people respond to caring and compassion. Consider feedback given in a harsh and abrupt way, in front of coworkers, in a way that humilates the receiver. Will that feedback be effective? Will it help build a relationship? I don’t think so. I believe that giving feedback with or from a place of L.O.V.E. is much more effective.

Feedback with L.O.V.E.

Here are some tips for giving feedback with L.O.V.E. in a way that will make a positive impact on the person receiving it:

L Lead the meeting in a positive manner while giving the facts and data.
O Open the dialogue by asking for their input and perception of the situation.
V Verify the facts and data and lead the discussion by asking logical
consequence questions*.
E End the meeting with a follow up date, encouragement, and a commitment
to support the employee.

The benefits to the organization are plenty: increased goal achievement, performance improvement, communication, morale, and productivity.

There you have it – a short and sweet process for giving feedback with L.O.V.E.!

Happy Valentine’s Day,

Joanne

P.S. * Logical consequence questioning is a type of questioning that leads a person to form their own conclusion or decision. It is more effective than telling a person what to do because when a person comes to their own conclusion, they own the decision. This skill is taught in our Effective Communication program.