English for work
Giving and receiving feedback in English
Phrases to give feedback that lands and to receive it without getting defensive. Short lines, ready to use.
Book a trial classPhrases for every stage
Giving positive feedback
- You did a great job on this.
- One thing that really worked was the way you handled the client.
- Keep doing what you're doing with the reports, they're much clearer now.
Giving constructive feedback
- One area to work on is...
- Something to think about for next time is...
- It would help if you could send this a day earlier.
Softening criticism
- Overall this is strong, and one thing I'd change is...
- Can I flag something? Is now a good time?
- I don't want this to come across as harsh, but...
Receiving feedback well
- Thanks for the feedback, let me make sure I understood.
- Could you give me an example?
- That's fair, I'll work on that.
Responding without getting defensive
- I see what you mean.
- I hadn't thought about it that way.
- Fair point, let me take another look.
- I agree with the point, let's talk about how it came across.
Direct to softened
| Direct | Softened |
|---|---|
| This is wrong. | This isn't quite there yet. |
| You need to fix this. | It would help if you could take another look at this. |
| I don't like this. | I think this could go further. |
| You did this wrong. | This part didn't quite land, here's why. |
Directive vs interactive
Directive feedback tells the person what to do. Interactive feedback asks a question and lets them get there themselves. Neither is better, pick interactive when the relationship allows it, it tends to land as coaching rather than correction.
| Directive | Interactive |
|---|---|
| Send this a day earlier from now on. | What would help you get this out a day earlier? |
| Here's what to do differently next time. | What do you think you'd change next time? |
| Use shorter sentences in the summary. | How could the summary be easier to scan? |
Watch out if you speak Spanish
- Tenes que translates directly to you have to, which sounds like an order in English feedback. Soften it: it would help if you could, or one thing to try is.
- English feedback often starts with something positive before the issue, even one line. Spanish feedback can go straight to the problem, which reads as harsh in English.
- Esta mal becomes it's wrong, which is blunt. Try this isn't quite there yet or this could be stronger.
- When you receive feedback, repeating it back (so you're saying that...) shows you listened and buys you a second to respond calmly.
- You can agree with the content of feedback without agreeing with how it was delivered. Separating the two keeps you from either accepting everything or getting defensive: I agree with the point, let's talk about how it came across.
Practice
Open cloze
Write one word in each gap to complete the feedback phrase.
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Questions
- How do I give feedback to someone more senior than me?
- Frame it as a question or an observation: Would it help if... or I noticed that... It keeps the tone respectful while still saying what you mean.
- Can I practise giving feedback in class?
- Yes, role play is part of an English for work class, so you say the real lines before you need them.
Keep going
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