An Exercise in Feedback

By Lisa Heay, Marketing Planning Manager at Heinz Marketing
I recently attended a training session for new managers where we did an exercise in demonstrating the value of feedback.  Not just any feedback, but positive, directive feedback.  It seems obvious, right?  Providing valuable feedback heeds productivity, improvements, confident employees, etc.
However, a lot of times it’s easier said than done.  For some, it can be difficult to provide constructive criticism.  It’d be great if everything was awesome all the time, but we all know that isn’t realistic.  There are times when you must deliver a message someone doesn’t necessarily want to hear.
But it is necessary, and this exercise demonstrated it perfectly.
Here’s how it went.  The trainer selected four individuals from the room to wait in the hall.  While they were outside, she taped a square on the floor about 18 inches wide and explained the exercise to the rest of us.  She