Giving Immediate Positive Feedback
Part 1

Dave DeJohn
All That Media

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

Feedback MUST be an integral part of the observation process and must be immediate. Some BBS systems separate the "filling out the data sheet" part and the "feedback" part. Once you start doing that, workers will begin to think of observations as a "secret, police-like" strategy. Observers must provide feedback every time they observe. And it must be positive. But what do we mean by "positive" feedback?

First of all, feedback is simply information about behavior. The behavior can be safe, or it can be behavior that concerns you. Some think positive feedback is only about only focusing on safe behaviors. But if an observer saw you wearing your safety glasses and said, "It's about time you started wearing those," that's negative.

Additionally, if you’re told, "You did a good job" or "You were safe," that means little and doesn't positively reinforce anything. On the other hand, if a worker is not following a safe lockout action and you focus only on the positive aspect of the worker wearing safety glasses, that's negative in a different way.

Positive feedback is given to encourage safe behavior. Feedback on concerns is given to encourage a change to a safer behavior.

So how do we put that in action? Two-way communication. That can be difficult to generate in a positive manner. The best way to do it is easy in that it should be a normal every day conversation.

Most importantly, you must practice giving positive feedback regularly. We've been raised in a culture where we seem to get feedback only if something is bad. You married people know what I'm talking about. Seriously, it takes practice, practice, practice.

IMMEDIATE FEEDBACK

Immediate feedback is simply more effective, and helps us to ensure that the feedback remains an integral part of the observations. Not giving someone immediate feedback is like a golfing coach seeing a problem with your swing, then calling you a week later to explain the problem. You will either have no idea what he’s telling you or you won't know how to fix it. It’s too late.

You've heard the old saying, "No News is Good News." Well, in BBS that never applies to feedback. If someone stands and watches you do something, jots notes on a clipboard, and then walks into an office, what might be going through that person’s mind? I assure you, you probably won’t think it’s positive. So if as an observer you say nothing to your coworker, you likely won’t be seen as positive, and that defeats the purpose of BBS.

Also, choose a natural time to stop the work to give feedback. For example, if a worker is rewinding material, don't interrupt the process. Wait for a logical point where the worker can pause for feedback.

Exceptions to the "immediate" part are rare but would include any occasion in which stopping to discuss an observation would create a hazard, any time an observation is conducted in an ultra-high noise environment, or during such other special situations such as in a paint booth where workers and the observer are likely to wear breathing apparatus that would make it difficult to talk. So, always, always, always provide feedback immediately, or as soon as practical.

Dave DeJohn represents All That Media, QSE's media production partner, which produced: