I was recently facilitating a conference where Marshall Goldsmith was explaining his “Feed-Forward” Exercise. I have seen him do this before, but I forgot just how powerful it is. In fact, I was working with a client this past week during their strategic planning session. We had finished putting the plan together, and then we did this activity to help each other with a skill or behavior they needed to change in order to execute the plan better. Worked like a charm!
So here’s how you Feed-Forward:
- Pick one behavior that you would like to change, such as “I want to be a better listener.”
- Stand up and share the behavior with a teammate and ask for Feed Forward – one or two suggestions to achieve a positive change in the selected behavior – with no feedback about the past. (nobody cares – it’s in the past!)
- Actively listen to the suggestions and take notes – without commenting. Just say, “Thank you” after receiving the suggestions. (You can ask questions to get clarification, but that’s all!)
- Now ask the other person what they would like to change.
- Provide Feed-Forward suggestions aimed at helping the other person change.
- Find another teammate and repeat the process until time is called.
Feed Forward is a fun and collaborative way to identify ways to get better!
If you like this activity, check out my book, Team Energizers, for 49 other team activities!
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Active Listening: The Key to Enhance Teamwork
