One phrase that will help any manager deliver better feedback

by Christian Schappel

The most important part of being in a leadership position is providing great feedback. And there’s a phrase that’s been scientifically proven to help you — and your managers — provide better feedback. 
Here it is:

“I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations, and I know that you can reach them.”

It comes from a team of psychologists from institutions like Stanford, Yale and Columbia who were looking into what it takes to present great feedback. The team studied middle school teachers’ feedback strategies with their students and found that students who received this feedback revised their work at a much higher rate than those who didn’t. The phrase also helped improve student performance significantly.
The results of the study were detailed by Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How. and The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills. A tip of the hat goes to Jeff Haden who found this little nugget in Coyle’s work and shared it over at Inc.

Why it works

So the million-dollar question is: Why is this phrase so effective?
According to Coyle, it accomplishes one very important thing before you even begin to present the details of your actual feedback: It forms a connection with the recipient and lets him or her know they’re part of a team.

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