User Guides

How to Give and Receive Feedback

The objective of feedback is to help your mentee learn and improve, and not to criticize them. Done well, feedback can:

Enhance communication and trust.
Clarify expectations, and help partners be more open and honest about what each expects of the other.
Increase engagement and commitment, so both mentoring partners feel they have a stake in the journey.
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Feedback needs to be consistent and constructive. Here are some tips on how to give productive feedback.

Permission: Ask permission before giving feedback.
Intention: Question your intentions. Why are you giving this feedback? Will it help your mentoring partner learn?
Be specific: Provide tangible examples of behavior you have observed. Discuss its impact.
Frequency: Give feedback frequently when it is still actionable.
Positive: Also focus on positive feedback. What’s going well?
Two-way discussion: Allow your mentoring partner to respond and think about what they are saying. Discuss ways to move forward and potential solutions.
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How you receive feedback is also important. Be sure to listen and think carefully about feedback. Here are some suggestions:

Listen: Listen attentively to what is being said. Don’t begin to plan how you will respond, and tuning out what is being said.
Be open to feedback: Try to have an open mind, and be willing to change your behavior if necessary.
Reflect: Reflect back to your mentoring partner what you have heard to ensure you understand it clearly. Ask any questions.
Two-way discussion: Together, discuss potential solutions so you can move things forward.
Appreciate: Thank or recognize your mentoring partner for what they have shared with you.

Mentoring partners have expectations for each other. The better they are understood, the more likely the journey will be successful.

Confidentiality: Confidentiality is the cornerstone of a mentoring relationship and is expected of both partners. Nothing can be shared outside of the meeting unless it is mutually agreed to ahead of time. You can write private messages by going into a current Mentorship and clicking on the Messages tab – other mentors and mentees can’t see these interactions.
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Be Prepared: Both Mentees and Mentors are expected to come to meetings prepared, on time, and committed to the process. Unless it’s an emergency, don’t change or cancel meetings. When you set up a Session with your mentor, you can select up a date, time, topic and set an agenda for your session.
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Show Initiative: Mentees are responsible for reaching out to their mentor, arranging the meetings and sending the agenda. They are responsible for their own learning with the mentor acting as a guide. The Goals & Tasks sections under Mentorship will help you set and document a goal to accomplish during the relationship, create tasks that need to be done to achieve the goal, and review your progress. Mentees must follow through on action plans and do what they have committed to. They also understand things can change and stay flexible.
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Remain open to being challenged: Mentees ask for feedback and are open to receiving it. They understand feedback is an essential part of the mentoring process and provides an opportunity to learn and grow.