All too often when an employee is called into a managers office, they immediately think to themselves, "What did I do wrong?" and a panic sets in about what's to follow. It is an uncomfortable situation for the employee to be in, which then makes it an uncomfortable situation for the manager. Do you think that any feedback given in this type of situation and environment will be received and utilized? Employees will dread being called into their managers office and instead of thinking about the feedback they were given and how they can apply it to their work, they will be thinking about how to not get called back to the managers office. 

The 70/30 rule can help with this type of situation. The 70/30 rule says that if 70% of the time when you interact with an employee you have a positive interaction, employees will be more accepting of the more constructive, 30% of interactions. If an employee is expecting positive feedback most of the time, when they get constructive feedback, they will be more likely to receive it well and use it to better themselves and their work. 

When giving constructive feedback, its important that you emphasize the benefits of the changes you are suggesting, instead of criticizing what the employee did  or didn't do. Here are a few tips

1. Give feedback right away, this way the problem won't happen again, and you won't get frustrated.
2. Keep emotions out of your feedback. When an employee hears an emotional reaction, they focus on the emotion and not on the area where they have the opportunity to improve. 
3. Use words that are neutral and inviting such as...
   1. Opportunity
   2. Perspective
   3. We
   4. Share
   5. Benefit
4. Be specific
5. Communicate with respect. 

Following these tips and the 70/30 rule can help you coach your employees to receive and accept all feedback in a positive and constructive manner. 

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