As a manager or leader, it’s your responsibility to provide your employees with feedback and coaching to help them improve and grow in their career. However, it’s not always an easy task, and you may have experienced moments when your well-meaning feedback left your employee feeling demotivated or even insulted. The good news is that there are ways to deliver feedback and coaching that will not only be effective but also appreciated. In this blog post, we will discuss some tips on how to provide effective coaching and feedback to your employees without making them feel awful. 

1. Start with the positive. The conventional approach to providing feedback is to critique the negative aspects. However, this approach can feel overwhelming and demotivating to an employee. Therefore, it’s important to start the feedback process with something positive. Identify something they’ve done well and acknowledge it. This will set a positive tone for the conversation and make the employee more receptive to the feedback they’ll be receiving. 
2. Provide specific examples. Be specific when delivering feedback. Providing specific examples of the situation, behavior, or outcome will help your employee understand the context, and their role in it. Remember, feedback should not be a generalization of a problem but a specific depiction of the situation. 
3.  Open up the dialogue. Feedback is not a one-way communication process. Encourage the employee to contribute to the conversation. Ask them questions intended for them to provide feedback also. By allowing the employee to respond, you provide them with ownership of the problem and build a constructive environment. 
4. Focus on the behavior, not the person. It’s important to focus on the behavior instead of the person. The behavior is a problem, not the person. Addressing the behavior helps the employee recognize what specifically they need to improve, instead of feeling like they’re the problem. 
5. End with an action plan. Provide constructive ideas and practical tips that help the employee correct the behavior. Give them a timeline to act on before providing a follow-up. Be prepared to revisit the feedback provided in previous feedback sessions. 

There is no one formula for effective coaching and feedback, but the above tips will serve as a guide to help you deliver effective feedback. Delivering feedback is an essential part of your employee’s personal and professional development, and therefore, it’s vital to remain objective, constructive, and nurturing. With these tips and with practice, you can ensure that your feedback is well-received and results in positive feelings and outcomes. No one likes to feel awful. Don’t be that guy! Use feedback as a developing tool.