Techniques for Encouraging Peer-to-Peer Feedback

On kindness in peer review: 9 better ways to say “This paper needs work" Every so often, I come across a reviewer comment that calls a contribution trivial or says it “does not rise to the level expected” at a journal. When I see that language, I wince. Even if the critique has merit, it often overshadows otherwise valuable points in the review. Why? Because it makes the authors feel like the entire review team—not just one reviewer—didn’t see any merit in their work. So, what can we do instead? To help authors actually use your feedback? Soften your tone—not your standards. Use language that clearly signals concern about the contribution without shutting down the possibility for improvement. Rather than making the author angry, use language that engages the author with your comments and encourages them to improve their work. Here are nine thoughtful phrases I’ve seen good reviewers use this past year, that encourage engagement. They’re especially useful in peer review, mentorship, or conference feedback: 1. "The core argument feels underdeveloped, and I had trouble fully engaging with it." This gently signals the paper didn’t land, while pointing to a fixable issue. 2. "I struggled to connect with the contribution—perhaps more framing or positioning could clarify its relevance." Invites the author to sharpen the positioning of their work. 3. "The paper raises important questions, but the current structure makes it difficult to appreciate its full impact." Encourages authors to revise the structure for better clarity. 4. "I found myself wanting more clarity on how this piece fits into the broader conversation." Suggests adding context. Consider: “It doesn’t resonate with me because the context is missing.” 5. "This may reflect my own disciplinary perspective, but I had difficulty connecting with the theoretical framing." Acknowledges your own lens and invites the author to strengthen their framing for a wider audience. 6. "The writing is thoughtful, but I had trouble seeing how the pieces come together to form a cohesive narrative." Encourages a shift from listing elements to telling a coherent story. 7. "The manuscript feels preliminary—there’s potential here, but it’s not fully realized yet." Flags underdevelopment without sounding dismissive or harsh. 8. "The contribution may benefit from more grounding in empirical or theoretical detail to fully resonate with readers." Only use this if you can specify what detail is needed. 9. "This version didn’t quite land for me, but I believe with revision and sharper focus, it could really shine." Provides an honest, hopeful invitation to revise. Never forget. Reviewing is about stewardship. It’s about helping authors make their work stronger—even when it’s not there yet. So rather than tearing down papers, offer a well-phrased critique, that encourages authors to keep working. #PeerReview #AcademicWriting #AcademicJourney #AcademicCulture

"Just give honest feedback" is dangerous advice. (and it almost derailed my career 👇) You can't bluntly call out flaws without context You can't use "honesty" as an excuse to be harsh You can't expect people to appreciate unsolicited advice So before giving feedback, build trust with your peers by showing them you believe in their potential and care about their success. ✅ Understand their goals 💬 Ask if they are open to your thoughts ⏳ Time it right—don’t drop criticism at the worst moment This will help protect your relationships and keep office dynamics from backfiring. Once you're on the same page, here's how to give feedback: 1) Be clear, not cruel. Say what needs to be said but with respect. 2) Keep it about the actions, not their identity. "This approach could be stronger" hits differently than "You're not good at this." 3) Criticism without direction is just complaining. Give suggestions and help them see a path forward. ________ Bad feedback burns bridges. Good feedback builds them. How do you give feedback to your peers? ⤵

Thrilled to share insights from our latest research on high-performing teams. In a time-crunched world, leaders often lack the bandwidth to coach their teams effectively. What's the solution? A shift towards peer-to-peer coaching and accountability. We found two powerful practices for fostering this coaching culture: 1️⃣ Open 360 - where team members provide transparent, oral feedback in a team setting, leading to actions based on the feedback received. 2️⃣ Dial Up/Dial Down - an exercise in self-reflection to identify behaviors to increase or decrease, driving personal and professional growth. Regular team meetings present an ideal venue for these practices, fostering resilience, growth, and a culture of mutual support. Want to dive deeper? I invite you to check out the full article. Link below: https://lnkd.in/dTGfWiWH #Leadership #Coaching #PeerToPeer #Teamwork #Growth

✨ Feedback, but make it FUN & MEANINGFUL! ✨ As an Individuals and Societies teacher, I’m always on the lookout for ways to make feedback more engaging and impactful for my students. That’s when I decided to create graphic organizers based on 7 powerful feedback strategies like TAG, STAR, and more! 🎨📚 Here’s a quick snapshot of these strategies (Designed using my very favourite Canva ): 1️⃣ TAG: Tell, Ask, Give 2️⃣ STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result 3️⃣ EARS: Empathy, Ask, Recommend, Strengthen 4️⃣ POM: Praise, Observe, Motivate 5️⃣ GROW: Goal, Reality, Options, Will 6️⃣ FUEL: Feelings, Understand, Explore, Learn 7️⃣ ABC: Acknowledge, Build, Challenge These graphic organizers are versatile tools that can: 🌟 Simplify peer feedback during group projects 🌟 Encourage structured reflections in class activities 🌟 Help students give thoughtful and constructive suggestions 🌟 Foster a culture of collaboration and meaningful dialogue Whether it’s for group work, self-assessment, or creative brainstorming, these organizers are designed to inspire students to dig deeper and make their feedback truly matter! 💡✍️ And yes, the best part? They work for all subjects and all grade levels��just tweak and adapt them to your needs! 🚀 I’d love to share these resources and hear how YOU are creating meaningful learning experiences in your classrooms. Let’s connect, collaborate, and co-create more tools for empowered learners! 🔗💬 For more such resources, feel free to reach out—I’d be thrilled to exchange ideas and learn from YOU! 🌍✨ #Education #TeachingTools #GraphicOrganizers #FeedbackMatters #CreativeLearning #Collaboration

As an EY Partner, I gave feedback to thousands. Master the art of feedback - skyrocket your leadership: Bad feedback creates confusion. Good feedback sparks growth. Use the CSS (Clear, Specific, Supportive) framework to make your feedback land without friction. No more awkward silences or sugarcoating disasters: 1. Give positive feedback that actually feels valuable. ❌ Don’t say: “Great job!��� ✅ Instead say: “Hey [Name], I really liked how you [specific action]. It made a real impact on [outcome]. Keep doing this—it’s a game-changer.” Why it matters: → Reinforces what actually works 2 Address underperformance without demotivating. ❌ Don’t say: “You need to improve.” ✅ Instead say: “I appreciate your effort on [project]. One area to refine is [specific issue]. A great way to improve would be [solution or resource]. Let’s check in next [timeframe] to see how it’s going.” Why it works: → Pinpoints the issue without personal criticism 3. Redirect someone without crushing their confidence. ❌ Don’t say: “This isn’t what I wanted.” ✅ Instead say: “I see where you were going with [work]. One way to make it even stronger is [specific suggestion]. What do you think about this approach?” Why it works: → Keeps feedback constructive, not critical 4. Push back on an idea (without sounding like a jerk). ❌ Don’t say: “I don’t think this will work.” ✅ Instead say: “I see the thinking behind [idea]. One challenge I foresee is [issue]. Have you considered [alternative approach]? Let’s explore what works best.” Why it works: → Keeps it a discussion, not a shutdown 5. Handle conflict without escalating it. ❌ Don’t say: “You’re wrong.” ✅ Instead say: “I see it differently—here’s why. Can we walk through both perspectives and find common ground?” Why it works: → Creates space for solutions, not arguments 6. Help someone level up their leadership. ❌ Don’t say: “You need to be more of a leader.” ✅ Instead say: “I see a lot of leadership potential in you. One way to step up is by [specific behavior]. I’d love to support you in growing here—what do you think?” Why it works: → Focuses on potential, not deficits 7. Coach someone who is struggling. ❌ Don’t say: “You need to step up.” ✅ Instead say: “I’ve noticed [specific challenge]. What’s getting in the way? Let’s find a way to make this easier for you.” Why it works: → Focuses on support, not blame 8. Give feedback to a peer without sounding like a boss. ❌ Don’t say: “You should have done it this way.” ✅ Instead say: “I had a thought—what if we tried [alternative]? I think it could help with [goal]. What do you think?” Why it works: → Encourages shared ownership of improvement 9. Close feedback on a high note. ❌ Don’t say: “Just fix it.” ✅ Instead say: “I appreciate the work you put in. With these adjustments, I know it’ll be even better. Looking forward to seeing how it evolves!” Why it works: → Ends on a motivating note — ♻️ Repost it to help others grow.

Here’s a counterintuitive career growth tip 👇 You should spar with your colleagues—regularly. 🥊 Why? Because it’s one of the best ways to get feedback and improve your work without making anyone feel uncomfortable or hurt. But “sparring” doesn’t have to be aggressive. Or require boxing gloves. Here are five tips I follow for ✨ effective ✨ sparring in the workplace: 1️⃣ Align your sparring team and create a central collaboration document. (The templates I use are in the comments!) 2️⃣ Your sparring team ≠ your day-to-day team. Invite a mix of people familiar with your work and those who aren’t. Outsiders bring fresh perspectives! 3️⃣ Send prep work & background materials in advance. Sparring sessions are intentionally kept short so you can get a lot of peer feedback quickly. Send over the following ahead of time: 🥊 Anything you want feedback on 🥊 Context for attendees to read up on 🥊 Past examples that illustrate the kind of feedback you’re looking for   4️⃣ Set the spar timer for 10 minutes. This leaves 10 minutes for discussion afterward. Have attendees give feedback on: 🥊 Things they like 🥊 Things they’d change or get rid of 🥊 Questions they have   5️⃣ Make sparring a routine. Setup a weekly sparring session for team members to present their work and foster a culture of continuous feedback. ✨ Remember ✨ The best feedback happens in a two-way conversation, not a one-way lecture. When you make sparring a habit, you create a culture where feedback feels energizing—not intimidating. Have you ever tried a structured sparring session at work? If not, what’s one thing holding you back? Let’s discuss! 👇

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗿-𝘁𝗼-𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 🌟 Tired of the limitations of traditional top-down training methods? You’re not alone. Many organizations are finding that conventional training approaches don’t fully leverage the collective knowledge and experience within their teams. Missing out on peer insights can limit the effectiveness and relevance of your learning programs, leaving your team underprepared and less competitive. peer to peer learning Here’s how you can flip the script by encouraging peer-to-peer learning, creating a more dynamic, engaging, and effective learning environment: 📌 Create Collaborative Platforms: Implement tools like intranet forums, Slack channels, or dedicated learning management systems (LMS) that facilitate knowledge sharing. These platforms should be user-friendly and accessible, allowing team members to easily share insights, resources, and feedback. 📌 Structured Knowledge-Sharing Sessions: Organize regular sessions where team members can present on topics they are knowledgeable about. These sessions could be in the form of lunch-and-learns, webinars, or workshops. This not only empowers employees to share their expertise but also fosters a culture of continuous learning. 📌 Peer Mentorship Programs: Pair up employees with different levels of experience for mentorship. This encourages the transfer of knowledge and skills in a more informal, yet impactful way. Mentorship programs can be structured with clear goals and timelines, ensuring both mentors and mentees benefit from the experience. 📌 Encourage Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Facilitate opportunities for team members from different departments to work together on projects or problem-solving exercises. This breaks down silos and promotes a broader understanding of the organization’s operations. 📌 Reward Knowledge Sharing: Recognize and reward employees who actively contribute to peer-to-peer learning. 📌 Leverage Social Learning: Use social media groups or internal social networks to create communities of practice. 📌 Integrate Peer Reviews: Incorporate peer reviews into your regular workflow processes. This not only provides valuable feedback but also encourages employees to learn from each other’s work. 📌 Utilize Gamification: Introduce gamification elements such as quizzes, leaderboards, and badges to make peer-to-peer learning more engaging and fun. By implementing these strategies, you can harness the collective intelligence of your team, making learning more relevant and impactful. Peer-to-peer learning not only enhances skill development but also strengthens team cohesion and collaboration. Have any other tips for effective peer-to-peer learning? Share your thoughts below! ⬇️ #PeerLearning #TeamDevelopment #ContinuousLearning #KnowledgeSharing #EmployeeEngagement #BusinessGrowth

Most people are terrible at writing peer feedback. Which is a shame, because it can be so valuable if a tiny bit of effort is put into it. Here are a few examples, which are almost word for word what employees of mine wrote for their peers: * "Her code is high quality. Maybe she could go faster. But she might be ok." * "His documents are good. Can't think of an area of improvement." * "His memory usage in the primary function was good. He shouldn't have included the function call in the get method, it was not following conventions." Nothing in this feedback is useful. It was a waste of time. I charitably assumed that employees didn't have a clue how to write feedback, so I wrote up instructions for everyone, and asked them to try again. Here's a brief version of what I explained. Why is peer feedback useful? If you work for a manager for 3 years, you've probably heard what their opinion is year after year. But you work daily with 7+ peers. You could have literally 7x the amount of feedback if they'd take a few moments and share their opinions! You also learn while writing. Just as Amazon has a document culture which clarifies your thinking about your tech or product, writing feedback helps clarify your thoughts around performance. What makes for good performance? What makes for bad performance? What is it about Victor which drives you crazy and makes you want to shut his fingers in a door by accident? Ok, then how do I write peer feedback better? So you'd prefer not to write horribly useless, lame feedback which only embarrasses you and your parents? Let's talk about what good feedback looks like. 1. Outcome oriented and actionable. Feedback is given to improve someone’s performance. You want their outcomes to be better than they were before you gave feedback. This might be social outcomes (people like them more), or work product outcomes (their work is better). 2. Related to a current pattern. If you've written feedback about something someone has already fixed, you're wasting time. If you’re writing feedback about a one-time event, there’s no action to be taken. Write about a current pattern of behavior which should change (or stay the same). 3. Includes both "Keep doing…" and "Change this…". If you only write bad things, we know you're biased against us, so we ignore you. If you only write good things, we know you're biased towards us (like my wonderful mom), so we unfortunately ignore that as well. We need unbiased feedback, which means the good and the bad. 4. Includes specifics. It's hard to take in feedback when you only reference broad patterns. Use examples. "As one example, during last week's meeting, when you stood up on the table..." - and that helps illustrate your points. Writing good peer feedback isn't trivial, but it's not rocket science either. And it helps everyone involved. For much more sarcasm and jokes and examples, read on! https://lnkd.in/da9UHsap

**Fostering Growth Through Open and Transparent Feedback** 🚀 Today, I want to dive into a topic that's close to my heart: the power of open and transparent feedback in grooming talent. 🌱 In the fast-paced world we navigate, it's crucial to create an environment where feedback isn't just a formality, but a catalyst for growth. 💡 Transparent communication lays the foundation for a culture that nurtures talent, fosters collaboration, and propels individuals to reach their full potential. **1. Honesty breeds excellence:** Let's face it—constructive criticism isn't always easy to deliver or receive. However, it's the cornerstone of improvement. Embracing honesty in our feedback, whether it's positive or points out areas for development, is key to helping our colleagues evolve and excel in their roles. **2. Two-way street of communication:** Feedback isn't a monologue; it's a dialogue. Encouraging open conversations empowers team members to share their perspectives and insights. This two-way street not only promotes a sense of belonging but also ensures that feedback is a collaborative effort aimed at continuous improvement. **3. Specificity is the key:** Vague feedback often leads to confusion. Being specific about what worked well and what could be enhanced provides actionable insights. Whether it's acknowledging a job well done or pinpointing areas that require attention, specificity is the compass that guides individuals toward their professional best. **4. Timely feedback fuels progress:** Timing is everything. Providing feedback in real-time allows individuals to apply insights immediately, preventing the entrenchment of habits that may hinder their growth. Timely feedback is a catalyst for ongoing improvement and ensures that the learning curve remains dynamic. **5. Cultivating a growth mindset:** Open feedback culture is synonymous with cultivating a growth mindset. Encouraging team members to see challenges as opportunities for learning fosters resilience, adaptability, and a hunger for continuous development. In conclusion, a workplace that values open and transparent feedback is a breeding ground for talent development. It's not just about critiquing—it's about nurturing, guiding, and cheering on each other's success. Let's create environments where feedback isn't feared but embraced, where every comment is a stepping stone toward greatness. Together, we can elevate not just our individual careers but the collective success of our teams. #FeedbackCulture #TalentDevelopment #GrowthMindset #Collaboration #ProfessionalDevelopment #learninganddevelopment #feedbackculture #feedbackmatters #talentdevelopment

Passionate problem solvers are easy to label as "too negative" or "having an agenda". Here's a good approach to bringing people on the journey: 1. Start with what you see and hear Describe specific behaviors, patterns, or outcomes as objectively as possible (knowing that we can never be truly objective). Be mindful of your potential biases. Are your emotions and perspective narrowing what you bring up? Avoid using loaded or triggering language. Keep it neutral and clear. 2. Invite others to share what they see and hear By starting with your own observations, you are setting an example for the rest of the team. Invite the team to share their perspectives and observations in ways that focus on understanding, rather than labeling or jumping to conclusions. In the right context, it might be better to start here. 3. Look inwards, observe, and listen Just as you describe outward behaviors, turn inward and notice how you feel about what you’re seeing and hearing. Instead of saying, “This place is a pressure cooker,” try, “I feel a lot of pressure.” Avoid jumping to conclusions or ascribing blame. Again, invite other people to do the same. 4. Spot areas to explore With observations and emotions on the table, identify areas worth examining. Avoid rushing to label them as problems or opportunities. Instead, frame them as questions or areas to look into. This keeps the tone open and focused on discovery. 5. Explore and go deeper As potential areas emerge, repeat the earlier steps: describe what you see, invite others to share, and observe how you feel. It is a recursive/iterative process—moving up and down levels of detail. 6. Look for alignment and patterns Notice where people are starting to align on what they’d like to see more—or less—of. Pay attention to areas where there’s consistent divergence—these are opportunities as well. Ask, “What might it take to narrow the divide?” 7. Frame clear opportunities Once patterns emerge, focus on turning them into clear opportunities. These are not solutions—they’re starting points for exploration. For example: “We could improve this handoff process” or “We’re not all on the same page about priorities.” Keep it actionable and forward-looking. 8. Brainstorm small experiments Use opportunities as a springboard to brainstorm simple, manageable experiments. Think of these as ways to test and learn, not perfect fixes. For example: “What if we tried a weekly check-in for this process?” Keep the ideas practical and easy to implement. 9. Stay grounded and flexible Be mindful of how the group is feeling and responding as you brainstorm. Are people rushing to solutions or becoming stuck? If so, take a step back and revisit earlier steps to re-center the group. 10. Step back. Let the group own it Once there’s momentum, step back and hand over ownership to the group. Avoid holding onto the issue as “your problem.” Trust the process you’ve built and the team’s ability to move things forward collectively.