Coaches are responsible for helping their teams “fine-tune” their messages to clients. Many sales coaches are untrained in how to give crisp, productive, forward-looking performance feedback to those on their teams. So as a first step schedule coaching conversations into every interaction. You need to adjust your mindset to think of feedback as a practice. It’s something that you do over and over again as part of daily business. Giving performance feedback can be difficult.  But the widespread adoption of virtual calls has lowered this barrier.

Set Up a Feedback System

You can’t be in eight places at once, but I bet as a leader you have eight more opportunities a week to give your team feedback because you can Zoom in and Zoom out

Before launching into concrete feedback, it is important to check in as human beings. A simple check-in like "Hey, how are you?" opens the conversation to the possibility of real feedback. Opening with empathy also means acknowledging the uncertainty and stress that your team may be experiencing. If your team members are worried about job security, it is important to both address their fears and clarify the focus of your feedback. It is also important to make clear that the feedback you are giving is specific to their performance.

Open with Empathy

‘Did Well’ and ‘Do Differently' You can’t build competence without confidence, so begin by asking their input on what they did well. Add your own observations, addressing specific knowledge, skills, or disciplines. Then, shift the conversation to ask what they think they should do differently, before adding your recommendations on what they can do differently. Coach on the granular skills and disciplines required to show up and stand out online. For instance, a salesperson who is used to sitting at a desk may now need to stand on video calls to project more positive energy in those calls

Focus on Two Questions

Everyone is still learning what optimal business performance looks like during a pandemic The key for sales coaches is to collaborate with their salespeople to get the most out of what they have, taking into account changes in people’s situations and shifts in the business landscape. If a parent of young children confides that he’s struggling to give only 40 percent effort this week, then his sales leader needs to mine that 40 percent for gold, You’ll have to define what ‘great’ looks like now and revisit it again next week.

Collaborate on Redefining Excellence

The founder of the Kellogg Sales Institute offers tips for adapting to this high-stakes moment.

Sep 27 - Oct 3rd

How to Coach Your Sales Team through the Pandemic (and Beyond)

For leaders at any level, the single best way to grow is to lead and then get feedback. It is to act and interact with your team and learn what can be improved upon through feedback.&nbsp;But there’s a problem with receiving feedback once you reach a more senior role. The nature of feedback changes — people tend to minimize any unpleasant or less-than-positive feedback or don’t want to offer you any constructive criticism at all.

The single best way to grow 

<ul><li>The very first response to give when someone gives you feedback should be a response of gratitude. Don’t get defensive.&nbsp;</li><li>Whether it’s praise, criticism or some other type of feedback, take the time to restate to the person giving it what you heard them say. Just a quick “What I hear you saying is _____” can have a powerful effect on your conversation.</li><li>Listening to feedback alone doesn’t bring about growth; it’s only when feedback is used to figure how to act differently (or start or stop acting) that growth actually happens.&nbsp;</li><li>Feedback isn’t a one-and-done intervention; it’s a process. You’re growing, changing and improving all the time — and to do that you’ll need more feedback.</li></ul>

How to get better at receiving feedback 

For leaders at any level, the single best way to grow is to lead and then get feedback. But you also need to respond wisely, and organizational psychologist David Burkus PhD explains how.

Stashed ideas

How to get better at receiving feedback 

"I think that's where we get it wrong, is that we think any bit of information is meaning that we are less than as a person or that we are unworthy or unfit or incapable. When really, feedback is just information, and you have the power to decide what you do with it."

Remember that you don't have to use every bit of feedback that comes to you.So if you get some feedback that you don't think is relevant? You don't have to take it in.

The power is yours

Consider the source, impact, frequency, and trends of the feedback so that you can make a decision about how you want to incorporate it (or ignore it.)

Remember the acronym SIFT

Ask for time if you need it so you can process the feedback you're getting.&nbsp;And take notes, or ask the other person for notes so that you can revisit the feedback later on.

Ask for time and take notes to review later

Check in as the feedback is coming by repeating back and affirming what you've heard.Active listening gives you a break to process so that you can hear the truth that might be in the feedback without getting so defensive.

Practice active listening

<ul><li>Observe, probe, express how you feel, and then decide on the next steps.&nbsp;</li><li>Check in on how your body is feeling.&nbsp;</li><li>Ask follow-up questions that can clarify the path forward.&nbsp;</li><li>Express how you genuinely feel.</li><li>Then, decide what the next steps are for you.</li></ul>

Stay OPEN

Receiving feedback doesn't necessarily have to be terrifying, according to Shanita Williams, a feedback coach, professor and author of Feedback Mentality.In this episode, Williams and Stacy-Marie Ishmael, a writer and editor, provide five tips to make receiving feedback a little less scary and something that's just part of doing the work.

Receiving Feedback Doesn't Have To Be Scary. Here's How You Can Get Most Out Of It : Life Kit

The act of giving someone feedback at work can feel terrifying, even though the end result might mean better understanding. People go into a fight-or-flight mode because they feel they need to protect themselves. There are some ways to give good feedback.

Giving feedback is scary

<ul><li>Before giving feedback, question your own biases and don't project your biases onto other people. Feedback rooted in ableism, sexism, or racism isn't feedback.</li><li>Feedback is a dialogue. Ensure the other person has space to respond.</li><li>Ensure you know the why so that the other person understands the impact of what you're trying to say.</li><li>Feedback should be specific and direct. It is not vague or general.</li><li>Feedback is worth it, even if you feel uncomfortable, as both parties can grow and learn from it.</li></ul>

Tips on how to give good feedback

Massella Dukuly understands that the simple act of giving somebody feedback can be terrifying. But her job as director of learning and development at LifeLabs Learning is to teach people how to give good feedback.In this episode, Dukuly shares five things to keep in mind as you're giving feedback to another person.

5 Tips To Help You Give Good Feedback : Life Kit

Good feedback is necessary to grow one in a career. But too many of us receive unhelpful and meaningless advice.
Bad feedback falls into two categories, namely empty praise and vague criticism. People need specific feedback so that they know what they should continue doing because it&#39;s working, or what they should adjust because it&#39;s not working.

Unhelpful feedback

<ul><li>"Great job" is not helpful, because it is not tied to a specific outcome. A person needs to know how their great job had an impact. Managers should give a specific example of what the person did well.</li><li>"I don't like that." Good criticism will let them know what specifically went wrong and how they can improve.</li><li>"You need to work on your attitude." Feedback focused on the person or the person's personality, and not the work, is problematic.</li></ul>

Meaningless criticism

How the message is delivered is essential as not everyone likes to hear it the same way. Managers should be sensitive to where they do it. For example, you may feel it's wonderful to recognise a person publicly, but they may hate it because they feel embarrassed. It's also a mistake to publicly criticise a group when the message is intended for one person.

Feedback can be right, but still be wrong

These three phrases should be banned from performance reviews forever.