--- title: The 4-Step Formula for Giving Good Feedback description: Focus on being constructive canonical: https://time.com/4185886/giving-feedback/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-19T21:31:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:16.105Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The 4-Step Formula for Giving Good Feedback og:description: Focus on being constructive og:url: https://time.com/4185886/giving-feedback/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d7093a22d1e3a0e/698879afcd1bba66556ff01b/business-man-talking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5500 og:image:height: 3094 og:image:alt: business-man-talking og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 4-Step Formula for Giving Good Feedback twitter:description: Focus on being constructive twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3d7093a22d1e3a0e/698879afcd1bba66556ff01b/business-man-talking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 4-Step Formula for Giving Good Feedback > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=3b370c8f-7e2b-45aa-8984-e6a6700b42b8&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Tony Robbins: How to be a better person [Watch (HLS stream): Tony Robbins: How to be a better person](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/pwTCW5Bo.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2015-03-11. Tony Robbins talks about his 37-year long career as a life coach._ by [Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. / LinkedIn](https://time.com/author/linkedin/) ## Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. / LinkedIn Contributor Jan 19, 2016 9:31 PM UTC  Businessman in discussion in office Businessman in discussion in office Getty Images by [Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. / LinkedIn](https://time.com/author/linkedin/) ## Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. / LinkedIn Contributor Jan 19, 2016 9:31 PM UTC I love the New Year and the opportunity it brings to take stock of what one can do better. And there’s _always_ something one can do better. As Benjamin Franklin said: “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” One business skill I will work on in 2016 is giving feedback. Like many folks, I find that this does not come naturally to me – but I also know how important it is, not just to the individual receiving the feedback but also to the health of the organization. When it comes to giving feedback, the formal review process is certainly important — but it’s far better for managers to provide regular, real-time feedback all year long. The fact that many do not is partly psychological: they fear the feedback will be poorly received. But the truth is that employees want to know how they are doing — and how they can do better. I know that’s been true for me over the course of my career. One study, highlighted by [Harvard Business Review](https://hbr.org/2014/01/your-employees-want-the-negative-feedback-you-hate-to-give/?referral=00060) found that people actually _preferred “_corrective” feedback over positive feedback — by a wide margin. “Corrective” in this case was defined as making suggestions for improvement, exploring new and better ways to do things, and pointing out something that was done in a less-than-optimal way. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said this kind of constructive criticism improves performance — and helps careers. There was an important qualifier though: the preference was for corrective feedback that was “_delivered appropriately_.” That’s a key distinction, because there’s certainly a right way — and a wrong way — to deliver feedback. Good feedback should be: * **Specific.** It should refer to an actual behavior. “You did not attend our team meeting” is more effective than “You do not contribute to the team.” * **Timely.** It should be provided as soon as possible after the specific behavior occurs. * **Relevant.** It should be aimed at helping the employee do his/her job, and it should be based on outcomes over which the employee actually has control. * **Constructive.** It should be phrased as an opportunity for improvement by providing suggestions for a specific action to take. Giving feedback is like a muscle — it gets stronger with use. So in 2016, in the spirit of Ben Franklin’s ideal of continuous improvement, I’m resolved to working that muscle more. Happy New Year! _This_ [_article_](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mind-skills-gap-giving-feedback-why-its-my-new-years-ferguson-jr-?trk=prof-post) _originally appeared on_ [_LinkedIn_](http://www.linkedin.com) ## Transcript Started out really just for the passion of human beings. I grew up in a really tough environment. I experienced suffering, so I hate to see other people suffer. I'm here because I believe emotion is the force of life. I really got addicted to seeing people light up, and frankly, the love that I got from helping people. And that led to 37, almost a 38 year obsession now, with finding answers for people. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] Everybody has desires and goals that are different, but we have the same needs. We have a need for certainty, we have a need for uncertainty, surprise, variety, to feel alive. We have a need to feel significant, we have a need to contribute beyond ourself. Some people, their problem meets their needs. And so they're not about, it doesn't matter what you do for them or with them. It's not gonna change. So you have to figure out, what's the leverage? Everybody has something that'll push them over the edge, that'll make change a must, and not a should. Cuz when you should change, you try, and it doesn't work, and you give up. We've all had time when you, for years, you said you're gonna do something, well, one day, finally something happens. You say, not another day, not another moment, this is changing now, and you did it, and you followed through, and you never went back. I'm hungry to always know the road ahead and I really think that is a huge advantage in life. If you know the road ahead, you're not reacting so much. I always told people success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure. You know, achieving what you thought was the ultimate dream and then saying, is this all there is? This happens too often to people. It's cuz they know what they want but they don't know what they need. 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