Consulting 6.3 評価する：口頭でのフィードバック コミュニケーション

口頭における親切なフィードバックを会話形式で行うことで、文書上とは異なるフレーズや、相手に対して失礼のない表現方法についてのレッスンを行います。

Introduction

Giving feedback in your day-to-day work can be tricky because you don't want to offend people and because spoken English often uses different phrases from written English. 

In this lesson, the student will practice

  • Padding phrases that are used with colleagues and team members
  • Using some direct spoken idioms that consultants like 
  • Reminding people of the importance of praise, too. 
Warm Up

Read this short exchange from a presentation: 

Client: That's an interesting point about tier-1 suppliers, can you tell me a little more about it?
Consultant: Yea, um, right... well... so um, this is something I learned from an expert just a few days ago, and um, he said that some clients don't realize how much competition there can be with tier-1 suppliers, um, he said it's possible to cut costs that way.

What feedback would you have for your colleague after the presentation?

Here is a quick diagram showing where tier-1 suppliers fit in supply-chain management.

Some feedback you might give to your colleague: 

  1. Specific: Don't say that the information is from the expert. You have to own that information. The client needs to trust you.
  2. General: Work on confidence and professionalism. Relax. You are a good consultant and you have the right answers. Be confident. 
  3. Specific: You need to avoid non-word sounds. Those ums and uhs are distracting. Just don't say them.

To introduce the Language section, you can say, 

"You said the problems with the answer really well.
But honestly, it was pretty direct.
Let's work on spoken feedback in a way that builds the team spirit." 

Language

A. It is a good idea to start any spoken correction with some praise. It softens any criticism and it is honest since most of what your colleagues do is good. 

Take some time to think of things that your colleagues have done well, and complete each phrase.

  1. Great job with...
  2. Really nice...
  3. I really thought the ____ was excellent/impressive/memorable/spot-on.
  4. You nailed the ____ . 

B. Next, you can pad your spoken feedback to soften the criticism. 

What are some issues you can think of? Take some time to imagine them and complete each phrase.

  1. Moving forward, I think it would be a good idea to work on... 

  2. If I could add a comment on something to work on, I'd practice... 

  3. This is just from my view, but if I was in your shoes, I'd focus on... 

  4. To take the next step forward, I recommend that you think about...

  5. Back when I had a little less experience, I also had trouble with this. I found it useful to...

C. Some consultants prefer to be more direct, especially if you are the senior staff and speaking to someone your junior. You can also use a variety of idioms to explain your point. Discuss the following feedback and think of other ways to say each phrase.

  1. This is directionally correct, but it's time to sweat the details. 
  2. Let's peel the onion. What's the next layer? What's under that? Don't just stay surface-level.
  3. Hold on, you're trying to boil the ocean here. Let's focus on the maximum value-added, rather than doing too much.
  4. I'm glad you came to me, but you should've asked as soon as you hit the roadblock, rather than wasting half a day.

A. Notice this padded language (padded language is extra words or phrases to soften language). 

Take some time to think of things that your colleagues have done well, and complete each phrase.

  1. Great job with the overall story
  2. Really nice deck, it was clear and easy to follow. 
  3. I really thought the essence of the answer was spot-on.
    • the beginning was excellent
    • the insight you came up with was impressive
    • the client interaction was great, you were friendly and personable. 
  4. ​​You nailed the first half.

B. You can pad your spoken feedback to soften the criticism. 

What are some issues you can think of? Take some time to imagine them and complete each phrase.

Examples:

  1. Moving forward, I think it would be a good idea to work on... 
    your professionalism.
  2. If I could add a comment on something to work on, I'd practice... 
    your pace. 
  3. This is just from my view, but if I was in your shoes, I'd focus on... 
    sticking to the main goal. Try not to lose sight of that.
  4. To take the next step forward, I recommend that you think about...
    your audience. Be friendly with lower levels, and formal with higher levels. 
  5. Back when I had a little less experience, I also had trouble with this. I found it useful to...
    get advice from senior staff. Ask us, we are here to help. It's not a bother, it actually saves time in the long run.

C. This is consulting language from this consulting glossary. 

We are looking for an explanation of the idiom, and an example of it. Your student should be able to give examples. 

Good idea: play dumb and get your student to explain when this might be used. 

  1. This is directionally correct
    —you know the right direction/the big picture. 
    but it's time to sweat the details. 
    —you have to focus on the data. Don't make any small mistakes. 

    • Opposite: right path but heading the wrong direction
      —this is a super serious problem. You understand the issue, but not the solution!  
  2. Let's peel the onion. (What's the next layer? What's under that?)
    —deep dive into this topic. 
  3. Boil the ocean—do way too much work for very little.
    eg: If you need a cup of hot water, just boil that. Don't boil the ocean. 
    so: Don't analyze every part of the data! Just focus on the hypothesis: does the data confirm it, yes or no?
  4. I'm glad you came to me, but you should have asked as soon as you hit the roadblock, rather than wasting half a day.
    —when you have trouble, don't spend too long trying to solve it yourself. Get help!

Another phrase for higher-level students:

  1. The smell test—it just seems strange or wrong. “This analysis doesn't pass the smell test. If it is accurate, then it means that this division accounts for over 200% of our client’s market capitalization!” 

Extra info for keen students: 

Feedback should not always be negative, in fact, if you only give negative feedback then it may reflect poorly on you. Think of positive things that your colleagues do well, and just say those. 

Some idiomatic example phrases: 

  1. That deck is awesome. You are right on the money.
  2. Yep, you hit the mark. Perfect. 
  3. Yes, bull's eye. You got it.
  4. Way to go. Nice one. 
Practice

A. Take some time to think about tough feedback you have given. 

  1. Who did you have to give it to?
  2. What did you say?
  3. How was it received? 
  4. If you could go back and do it again, would you do anything differently?

B. Now, think about surprising feedback you have received.

  1. What was it?
  2. Are you happy with how you reacted?
  3. If you could change something about how it was delivered, what would you change?