Vague Feedback Could Be Holding You Back
I'm sure you've received feedback that was amazing at some point in your career. When you were told exactly what you should change to have more impact.
And you've probably received feedback that wasn't worth much at all. Something like, "You needed to show up with more confidence."
What are you supposed to do with that? Other than panic and feel nervous the next time you talk.
Even positive feedback has little value when the statements lack specificity. "You were great." Well, what about your presentation was great? Was it your opening joke? The story you told? Your knowledge about the stakeholder's upcoming anniversary?
When feedback is not specific, it's hard to make meaningful improvements. If it's unclear what you need to change, how to change it, and why it matters, you're likely to make the same mistakes in the future.
Similarly, if you are not sure what you did well, you may not repeat that winning behavior either.
This can be especially problematic for women. There's research to suggest that women are more likely to receive vague feedback than men. Not surprisingly, this can impact their upward mobility in an organization.
So how do we overcome the deficiency of vague feedback, you ask?
Try this: "You said that I wasn't coming across as confident in that meeting, please tell me exactly what you saw me do physically, or heard me say, that made you feel that way. Did you notice this because of the way others were reacting to my words? If so, what did you notice so I can pay attention to that more in the future?"
Get specific and talk behaviors. It's up to us to ask the clarifying questions.