The secret to giving great feedback | The Way We Work, a TED series

Transcriber: TED Translators admin

譯者: J T 審譯者: SF Huang

If you look at a carpenter, they have a toolbox;

若你看到一位木匠， 他會隨身帶著工具箱；

a dentist, they have their drills.

牙醫則會是帶著牙鑽。

In our era and the type of work most of us are doing,

在這個時代以及多數人的工作當中，

the tool we most need is actually centered

其實我們最需要的工具，

around being able to give and receive feedback well.

在於如何給予和接受回饋意見。

[The Way We Work]

[我們的行事方法]

Humans have been talking about feedback for centuries.

人類已花了好幾世紀 探討有關回饋這個話題。

In fact, Confucius, way back in 500 BC,

事實上，孔子早在西元前五百年

talked about how important it is to be able to say difficult messages well.

就已經闡述過有效表達 棘手訊息的重要性了。

But to be honest, we're still pretty bad at it.

但老實說， 這方面我們還是做得很差。

In fact, a recent Gallup survey found

事實上，根據最近的 一個蓋洛普調查顯示

that only 26 percent of employees strongly agree

僅有 26% 的員工非常贊同

that the feedback they get actually improves their work.

他們所得到的回饋 對於改善工作表現有助益。

Those numbers are pretty dismal.

這些數據令人沮喪。

So what's going on?

所以問題出在哪呢？

The way that most people give their feedback

大多數人給人回饋意見的方式，

actually isn't brain-friendly.

其實不利於大腦的接受。

People fall into one of two camps.

人可歸為兩類。

Either they're of the camp that is very indirect and soft

一類是他們非常迂迴及溫和，

and the brain doesn't even recognize that feedback is being given

以至於大腦根本無法察覺已收到回饋

or it's just simply confused,

或者只是感覺困惑；

or they fall into the other camp of being too direct,

另一種人則是太過直接，

and with that, it tips the other person into the land of being defensive.

這會讓接收回饋的人進入防禦狀態。

There's this part of the brain called the amygdala,

大腦有一個部分為杏仁核，

and it's scanning at all times to figure out

它無時無刻都在掃描判斷

whether the message has a social threat attached to it.

所接收到的訊息是否具社交威脅。

With that, we'll move forward to defensiveness,

如果有，我們會築起防禦之心，

we'll move backwards in retreat,

我們會往後退縮，

and what happens is the feedback giver then starts to disregulate as well.

這時給予回饋的人也會開始不知所措。

They add more ums and ahs and justifications,

他們說話更吞吞吐吐且用更多的藉口，

and the whole thing gets wonky really fast.

使得情況急轉直下。

It doesn't have to be this way.

其實大可不必如此 。

I and my team have spent many years going into different companies

我和我的團隊花了許多年到不同公司

and asking who here is a great feedback giver.

詢問他們當中誰是出色的回饋者。

Anybody who's named again and again,

那些一直獲得推薦的人，

we actually bring into our labs to see what they're doing differently.

我們會帶回實驗室 看看他們的做法究竟有何不同。

And what we find is that there's a four-part formula

我們找出了四種方法，

that you can use to say any difficult message well.

可運用在傳達任何棘手的訊息上。

OK, are you ready for it? Here we go.

你準備好了嗎? 開始囉。

The first part of the formula is what we call the micro-yes.

第一個方法就是 我們所稱的「微同意」。

Great feedback givers begin their feedback

擅長給予回饋的人會以詢問一個簡短

by asking a question that is short but important.

但重要的問題來破題。

It lets the brain know that feedback is actually coming.

這讓大腦知道自己 即將要接收到回饋的訊息。

It would be something, for example, like,

舉例來說，問題有可能是：

"Do you have five minutes to talk about how that last conversation went"

「你有五分鐘的時間 可以聊聊上次會談的事嗎？」

or "I have some ideas for how we can improve things.

或「讓事情更趨完善，我有一些想法

Can I share them with you?"

我能跟你分享嗎？」

This micro-yes question does two things for you.

這個微同意的提問 會幫你完成兩件事。

First of all, it's going to be a pacing tool.

第一，它會是個調整節奏的工具。

It lets the other person know that feedback is about to be given.

它會讓另一個人知道 自己即將接收到回饋。

And the second thing it does is it creates a moment of buy-in.

第二，它創造了接受的時機。

I can say yes or no to that yes or no question.

我可以接受或拒絕對方的提問。

And with that, I get a feeling of autonomy.

因此，我覺得有了自主權。

The second part of the feedback formula is going to be giving your data point.

第二個提供回饋的方法 是給你數據點。

Here, you should name specifically what you saw or heard,

你要明確地指出你看到或聽到的事，

and cut out any words that aren't objective.

並且排除任何不客觀的用字。

There's a concept we call blur words.

有一種概念，我們稱作模糊字眼。

A blur word is something that can mean different things to different people.

模糊字眼意即 每個人會有不同解釋的字詞。

Blur words are not specific.

模糊字眼並不明確。

So for example, if I say "You shouldn't be so defensive"

所以，假設我說： 「你不該防衛心這麼強」，

or "You could be more proactive."

或「你該更積極一些」，

What we see great feedback givers doing differently

出色的回饋者作法則不同，

is they'll convert their blur words into actual data points.

他們會將模糊字眼轉換為數據點。

So for example, instead of saying,

舉個例子，我們不會說：

"You aren't reliable,"

「你不可靠。」

we would say, "You said you'd get that email to me by 11,

而會說：「你答應 在 11 點前會傳郵件給我，

and I still don't have it yet."

但我現在還沒收到。」

Specificity is also important when it comes to positive feedback,

訊息明確對於提供 正面回饋也很重要。

and the reason for that is that we want to be able to specify exactly

理由是我們希望能明確點出

what we want the other person to increase or diminish.

我們希望對方增加或減少什麼。

And if we stick with blur words,

如果我們使用模糊字眼，

they actually won't have any clue particularly

他們其實完全不知道

what to do going forward to keep repeating that behavior.

接下來該如何做才能符合需求。

The third part of the feedback formula is the impact statement.

提供回饋的第三部分 就是陳述所造成的影響。

Here, you name exactly how that data point impacted you.

你具體陳述那個數據點如何影響你。

So, for example, I might say, "Because I didn't get the message,

例如，我可能會說： 「因為我沒收到訊息，

I was blocked on my work and couldn't move forward"

所以我遇到了瓶頸， 使得工作無法順利進行。」

or "I really liked how you added those stories,

或者「我真的很欣賞 你補充的那些故事，

because it helped me grasp the concepts faster."

讓我更快理解其中的概念。」

It gives you a sense of purpose

這麼做會讓你的陳述具有目標、

and meaning and logic between the points,

意義與邏輯性，

which is something the brain really craves.

這才是大腦真正渴望獲得的。

The fourth part of the feedback formula is a question.

回饋的第四部份是 提出一個問題。

Great feedback givers wrap their feedback message with a question.

擅長給回饋的人會用 一個問題包裝回饋訊息。

They'll ask something like,

他們可能會說：

"Well, how do you see it?"

「那你對這件事看法如何？」

Or "This is what I'm thinking we should do,

或者「我認為我們應該這麼做，

but what are your thoughts on it?"

但你有什麼的想法嗎？」

What it does is it creates commitment rather than just compliance.

這麼說會鼓勵對方投入而非服從。

It makes the conversation no longer be a monologue,

會讓對話不再是獨白，

but rather becomes a joint problem-solving situation.

而是創造一個共同解決問題的情境。

But there's one last thing.

但最後還有一點。

Great feedback givers not only can say messages well,

出色的回饋者不但知道 如何好好傳達訊息，

but also, they ask for feedback regularly.

他們也會經常尋求回饋。

In fact, our research on perceived leadership

事實上，我們所做的 領導力認知的研究

shows that you shouldn't wait for feedback to be given to you --

顯示你不該等待別人給你回饋──

what we call push feedback --

就是我們所說的推送回饋──

but rather, you should actively ask for feedback,

相反的，你應該主動尋求回饋，

what we call pulling feedback.

就是我們說的提取回饋。

Pulling feedback establishes you as a continual learner

提取回饋會建立起 你喜好持續學習的形象，

and puts the power in your hands.

讓你有主控權。

The most challenging situations

最具挑戰性的

are actually the ones that call for the most skillful feedback.

是那些需要熟練技巧回饋的情況。

But it doesn't have to be hard.

但是要學會並不困難。

Now that you know this four-part formula,

在認識了這四個方法後，

you can mix and match it to make it work for any difficult conversation.

你可以任意搭配運用 來應付任何棘手的對話。