Soft Skills Soft Skills - Communication Giving and Receiving Feedback Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A manager notices that an employee becomes defensive whenever receiving constructive criticism. What is the most effective approach to address this?
- Avoid giving the employee any negative feedback in the future
- Use the SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) model to frame observations objectively (Correct answer)
- Wait until the annual review to address all issues at once
- Send the feedback via email so the employee can process it alone
Correct answer: Use the SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) model to frame observations objectively
The SBI model separates observable behavior from personal judgment, reducing defensiveness by focusing on specific situations, behaviors, and their measurable impact.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'feedforward' as opposed to traditional feedback?
- Providing feedback before a task is completed
- Offering suggestions focused on future improvement rather than past mistakes (Correct answer)
- Giving feedback only to senior employees who can handle it
- Delivering criticism in a forward-facing, public setting
Correct answer: Offering suggestions focused on future improvement rather than past mistakes
Feedforward focuses on actionable suggestions for future behavior rather than evaluating past performance, which helps recipients feel empowered rather than criticized.
Question 3: During a peer feedback session, a colleague shares work that has significant errors. What is the most professional way to respond?
- Point out every error immediately so nothing is missed
- Acknowledge the effort and strengths first, then address specific areas for improvement with examples (Correct answer)
- Say the work looks fine to avoid conflict
- Redirect the conversation and mention the errors to your manager instead
Correct answer: Acknowledge the effort and strengths first, then address specific areas for improvement with examples
Leading with genuine positive observations before addressing specific improvements creates psychological safety and makes the recipient more receptive to constructive points.
Question 4: An employee receives feedback they believe is inaccurate. What is the most appropriate initial response?
- Immediately explain why the feedback is wrong
- Thank the person for the feedback, ask clarifying questions, and reflect before responding further (Correct answer)
- File a formal complaint with HR
- Ignore the feedback entirely since it is inaccurate
Correct answer: Thank the person for the feedback, ask clarifying questions, and reflect before responding further
Pausing to ask clarifying questions and reflect demonstrates professionalism and may reveal valid points or misunderstandings that can be resolved through dialogue.
Question 5: Which barrier most commonly prevents effective upward feedback from employees to managers?
- Lack of appropriate vocabulary
- Fear of retaliation or negative consequences (Correct answer)
- Absence of written feedback forms
- Insufficient training in grammar and writing
Correct answer: Fear of retaliation or negative consequences
Power dynamics create fear of retaliation, which is the primary reason employees withhold honest feedback from supervisors even when invited to share it.
Question 6: A team lead wants to create a culture of continuous feedback. Which practice would be LEAST effective?
- Scheduling regular one-on-one check-ins with each team member
- Saving all feedback for quarterly performance reviews (Correct answer)
- Modeling vulnerability by asking for feedback on their own leadership
- Establishing team norms that normalize giving and receiving feedback
Correct answer: Saving all feedback for quarterly performance reviews
Saving feedback for quarterly reviews delays actionable insights, prevents timely course correction, and often leads to information overload during review periods.
