What’s the ideal praise-to-criticism ratio to keep your newbie motivated?

What’s the ideal praise-to-criticism ratio to keep your newbie motivated?

🥪 We’ve all head of the *ahem* sandwich metaphor for delivering feedback, which is a 2-1 ratio of praise-to-criticism –

💡 However studies have shown that for every feedback that could be perceived as negative or an area of improvement, we need to give 5 positive comments to the receiver:

💪🏼 This 5-1 ratio has been proven to lead to high-performing teams, keeps people motivated & gives them a positive outlook towards their work and their ability to achieve it.

❓ You might be thinking, wow, how am I supposed to do that practically? And it’s a good question.

🗣️ The best way is to offer regular, informal praise; whenever you hear them handle a tricky call well, write a well-crafted email, bring a positive vibe to the office, help a team member, pick up a new process quickly… praise them for it there and then.

💖 We notice people doing well & so often we talk about it behind closed doors to others, but the person who needs to hear it the most is the person who’s trying something new, giving it a go, & who’s totally unsure if they’re on the right track.

⬆️ Of course, there is still the 1 in a 5-1 ratio, so it’s equally important to give the ‘areas of improvement’ feedback:

🪴 Feedback is a gift that helps us grow, so even if its awkward, say what needs to be said with kindness and empathy, and use the 5-1 to support you.

Written by: Vanessa Cole