Feedback is scary!

It’s easy to be scared to give it. And it can be scary to receive it.

But, feedback helps us to change and get better. With enough practice, it can be something that you learn to crave. That fast feedback loop of improving is exhilarating. All those people with egos will have a tough time catching up.

Give Constructive Feedback Often

Give feedback, and give it often.

There’s no number to put on it (yet), but if you’re not giving feedback once or twice a week, it’s probably not enough.

If you’re not receiving feedback at least once or twice a week, something’s wrong.

Give Feedback Publicly

In almost all cases, one should give feedback publicly using the ‣ collector. This does go against most common sense (where it’s suggested that one gives feedback privately, so as to not hurt someone’s feelings). But, there are a few reasons we do feedback publicly.

1. We try to be as transparent as possible, and part of that is making feedback transparent as well.
2. We can see what others are working on and offer help.
3. Making feedback public inside Tofugu helps people to get over feeling bad about getting feedback more quickly.
4. We can see if there isn’t enough feedback being given overall.
5. We can give feedback across time zones, because it is asynchronous.
6. We can see if someone isn’t getting enough feedback, and check in to figure out why.
7. It helps make feedback a part of the everyday culture, encouraging directness in communication.

It’s an odd system when compared to other companies and their cultures, and it’s not for everyone. But, for those who want to improve as fast and as much as possible, this can supercharge your change.

That said, there are some times when you shouldn’t give feedback publicly. Anything that could be a medical or Mental Health issue should be brought up privately at first, and then you should get the right people involved. Aside from that, you can use your judgement on what feedback you give privately, but in general, we default to public feedback.

Give Feedback in Real-Time

Feedback is most useful when it is given as close to real-time as possible. Use the ‣ collector, and get in the habit of giving feedback as close as possible to when something happened.