Thursday, September 27, 2012

9/24-9/30 Post 2: Guidelines


There are 10 guidelines for providing observer feed back to a group. The first one explains that the more specific the feedback the better. This way the group has concrete evidence and suggestions to improve off of. The second one says to focus on the behaviors of the group members that can be changed. Since communication is the primary factor in all groups, it makes sense to focus on the behaviors since it is the primary basis of how communication is perceived. The third guideline explains that the observers observations are meant to be useful. Arguing and debating over things in the group as an observer is the exact opposite. The fourth point iterates that the observer should focus on two to three main points for feedback instead of everything. Two or three points can go much further in terms of a group understanding and making changes instead of trying to change everything. Number five reminds the observer to not forget his/her role as the observer. That is, the observer is a facilitator and developer of the group, not a subjective and biased outsider. The sixth guideline says to accentuate the positive aspects. Humans respond better to positive and constructive comments than negative ones. Number seven says to end with specific suggestions. After all the feedback, groups tend to forget, so ending with specific suggestions leaves the group freshly remembering what they need to work on. The eighth guideline reminds observers to be clear and concise.  Get straight to the point in the feedback whether it's written or said. Number nine says compliment in public and criticize in private. And for the last guideline, it reminds the observer that the feedback is meant to help the group develop and grow. The feedback should be positive and constructive.

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