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Stop Serving the Feedback Sandwich


The classic sandwich feedback technique doesn’t work anymore


BY ALANNA TURCO I


n the early 1980s, Ken Blanchard wrote The One-Minute Manager, one of the best selling manage- ment books of all times. Blanchard


taught that “feedback is the breakfast of champions” and “negative feedback is better than no feedback at all.” While managers have used the


book’s feedback techniques for de- cades, times have changed and many of them are not as effective as we once believed. Fortunately, Blanchard has recog-


nized that people today demand more transparency, directness and hones- ty, and he has published a new edition aptly called “The New One-Minute Manager.” It should be on every club supervi-


sor’s reading list. Let me share my experience using


these once tried and true techniques. I’ll show you how I changed my ap- proach to deliver more-effective and appreciated feedback.


The feedback sandwich doesn’t work As a new manager, with my One


Minute Manager bible in hand, I deliv- ered feedback often to my employees. It taught me about the importance of delivering it at the earliest possible op- portunity and to praise in public and reprimand in private. As recommended in the book, I al-


ways gave feedback in the form of a “feedback sandwich”: putting the nega- tive between two pieces of positive. For


46 Fitness Business Canada September/October 2016


example, “Jim, you’ve been doing a great job making sure members’ pro- grams are properly filed, and I really appreciate this. During your shift, it would be great if you could make an extra effort to circulate through the gyms more often. Anyway, keep up the great work!” I always walked away feeling sat-


isfied. The formula allowed me to keep motivation and esteem high while still pointing out what needed improvement.


But as time went on, an interesting


thing started happening. Every time I offered a compliment, a look of fear would cross the person’s face—as they braced themselves for the negative comment. To my dismay, employees became suspicious of anything posi- tive I had to say to them! Another problem was that the real


issue sometimes got lost in the mes- sage as employees walked away con- fused or, even worse, thinking that the main message had been praise.


The open-face feedback sandwich works What did I learn? It was time to try a


new more-direct method. I nicknamed it the “open-face feedback sandwich.”


With this method, I don’t beat


around the bush or try to soften the blow by praising them—I get right to the point. I tell them I have some feed- back, and then I give it to them. I am specific and provide examples so that they fully understand what the issue is. Here is how it works: 1. Tell the employee to expect


feedback. 2. Give the feedback. Be specific,


and give examples. 3. Describe the impact of the behav-


iour and the consequences. 4. Pause for a few seconds to let it


sink in. 5. Finish by confirming your sup-


port and expressing confidence in the employee. This more-transparent method de-


creases employee anxiety, and peo- ple know that when it’s over it’s over. Employees have more respect for boss- es who are honest, and straight for- ward feedback shows them that you care and want to help them improve. FBC


Alanna Turco is a partner at 360impact Group, which provides customized training, e-learn- ing, management coaching, sales and mar- keting training, recruiting and HR consult- ing to fitness clubs. She has worked in the industry for 20 years, as a general manager, and a regional manager and director of train- ing and development, and she is also a faculty member at Humber College. Contact Alanna at alanna@360impactgroup.com and ask about new HR toolkits and training. To view a free six-minute online learning lesson on delivering effective feedback, visit www.360impactgroup.com.


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