--- title: How To Ensure Your Feedback Actually Says Something description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. canonical: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6142812/feedback-says-something/ author: Annaliese Griffin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2022-01-26T20:56:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-28T07:07:10.362Z article:section: Charter og:title: How To Ensure Your Feedback Actually Says Something og:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. og:url: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6142812/feedback-says-something/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5fddaa20b210833/698a21e109208f5e2d418c96/GettyImages-1342833111.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3895 og:image:height: 2191 og:image:alt: GettyImages-1342833111.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How To Ensure Your Feedback Actually Says Something twitter:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5fddaa20b210833/698a21e109208f5e2d418c96/GettyImages-1342833111.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- The information presented here is created by Charter, independently from the TIME editorial staff.  Time charter * [feedback](/partner-content/charter/tag/feedback/) ## feedback # How To Ensure Your Feedback Actually Says Something > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Subscription: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923, reporting on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world. A TIME subscription provides full access to that journalism in print and digital, from $20 a year, and can be cancelled at any time. 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Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=3d4f30d0-f6c4-41af-9e3b-f411439c2907&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=3d4f30d0-f6c4-41af-9e3b-f411439c2907&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [Annaliese Griffin](https://time.com/author/annaliese-griffin/) Jan 26, 2022 8:56 PM UTC  Make sure your message is getting through loud and clear. Make sure your message is getting through loud and clear. Sam Wasson/Getty Images by [Annaliese Griffin](https://time.com/author/annaliese-griffin/) Jan 26, 2022 8:56 PM UTC It’s time to stop giving “blurry” feedback. “Most people, when they're giving feedback, might say something blurry like 'I really liked how helpful you were during that conversation,'” says [Tania Luna](https://lifelabslearning.com/faculty/tania-luna/). She is the co-founder of [LifeLabs Learning](https://lifelabslearning.com/), a management-training company, and co-author of the book [_The Leader Lab_](https://amzn.to/3a0uDzL)_:_[ _Core Skills to Become a Great Manager, Faster_](https://amzn.to/3a0uDzL). “That doesn't really help me learn, because what is helpful? What specifically did I do? How can I learn from something if I don't understand the specific behavior in question?” Luna’s research shows that the best feedback is specific and designed to help the person receiving it understand what they did well and why it matters. In an [interview with Charter](https://www.charterworks.com/why-the-best-managers-ask-more-questions/) she described what that looks like. When feedback is blurry–vague, either simple praise for a job well done or a request for a better effort in the future, without identifying the actions and steps that made something successful, it doesn’t help people grow. Identifying what you’re giving feedback for is the crucial first step that often gets left out, Luna says. Sign up for Charter's newsletter to get the handbook for the future of work delivered to your inbox. Email Address You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our [Terms of Service](https://www.charterworks.com/terms-of-service/) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.charterworks.com/privacy-policy/). “\[W\]hat's the intention of it? What are the outcomes? Then, what are some of the inputs?” she asks. “\[T\]he outcome of feedback is being able to allow someone to calibrate, allow teams to calibrate to the same expectations. The most important piece of feedback is to catalyze development, to allow the person through feedback become better or keep being really good at something that they're doing.” She refers to the process of crafting specific, actionable, truly excellent feedback as “de-blurring.” Here’s what that looks like. **Deblurring, deblurred** Start with your initial observation and drill down to figure out the strategies or behaviors you are recognizing as successful. Rather than just telling someone that they were helpful, “A de-blurred version of that might be something like, 'I really liked how you asked questions during that conversation,' or 'I really liked how you provided external context or the history of the organization in that conversation,'” Luna says. **The bigger picture** Providing specific feedback helps to reinforce or improve behavior. Giving those actions context, whether within the organization, on a specific project or team, or for individual career goals, makes people feel more connected. “The second really important piece that so many people miss out on is the link up to why it matters, the impact statement,” says Luna. That might sound like, “I really liked that you asked questions during the conversation. And I mentioned that because I noticed that it allowed us to come to a really creative solution versus feeling stuck with the two solutions we had before.' Or 'I really appreciated that you shared the organizational history, because it allowed us to make a better decision quicker without recreating mistakes from the past.’” **Giving good feedback is associated with other crucial skills** Getting really good at giving feedback is one of the most important skills for managers who want to help the people they lead to thrive as teams and individuals. Luna and her team at LifeLabs have spent a lot of time researching what managers need to be effective leaders. Coaching, feedback, and helping your team be as productive as possible are the top three skills that make for great managers, she says. What’s more, being good at them is strongly associated with other important qualities. “\[M\]anagers who were really strong at having feedback conversations are also strong in conflict resolution, in negotiating, and even things like interviewing skills, in creating development plans,” she says. Getting better at giving feedback, by being specific and providing context that helps your team understand why they, and their actions, matter, isn’t just a way to help other people grow, it actively makes you an even-better manager. --- ## Read more from Charter [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/) [Open article: The Best Questions to Ask (and Answer) in Performance Reviews](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6172833/best-questions-to-ask-performance-reviews/)  ### The Best Questions to Ask (and Answer) in Performance Reviews [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6172833/best-questions-to-ask-performance-reviews/) [Open article: Abbott Elementary's Lessons for Our Own Workplaces](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6159517/abbott/)  ### Abbott Elementary's Lessons for Our Own Workplaces [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6159517/abbott/) [Open article: How to Fix Your Performance Reviews and Address Bias in Feedback](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6120304/fix-performance-reviews-bias-feedback/)  ### How to Fix Your Performance Reviews and Address Bias in Feedback [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6120304/fix-performance-reviews-bias-feedback/) --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6142812/feedback-says-something/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6142812/feedback-says-something/"},"headline":"How To Ensure Your Feedback Actually Says Something","datePublished":"2022-01-26T20:56:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T07:07:10.362Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6142812/feedback-says-something/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5fddaa20b210833/698a21e109208f5e2d418c96/GettyImages-1342833111.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Annaliese Griffin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/annaliese-griffin/"}],"articleSection":"Charter","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5fddaa20b210833/698a21e109208f5e2d418c96/GettyImages-1342833111.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-1342833111.jpg","caption":"A photo of a cheerleader with a large megaphone.","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/6142812/feedback-says-something/","name":"How To Ensure Your Feedback Actually Says Something"}}]}] ```