1. Informal Peer-to-Peer Feedback Guide
Informal peer-to-peer feedback is ongoing, in-the-moment development advice that employees give to their coworkers.
Effective informal feedback between peers can create a supportive work environment, enable personal professional development, and improve team performance.
Six Key Characteristics of Informal Peer-to-Peer Feedback
Listed below are six elements of effective informal feedback. Each element is necessary in order to give, seek, and receive
feedback that is clear, useful, and motivating to your peers.
Specific
Feedback should reference specific actions the peer took or specific pieces of their work.
Timely
Give feedback as soon as possible after the action or event.
Constructive
Feedback should be framed as an opportunity to improve performance rather than as a “weakness.”
Relevant
Feedback should help the peer do their job better and be within the peer’s power to improve.
Proactive
Provide feedback proactively, not just when peers request it.
Reciprocal
Be receptive to feedback your peers provide to you by seeking it out when you need information about your performance.
Four Steps to Delivering Informal Peer-to-Peer Feedback
Because peers only have influence, not formal authority, over each other, the method of delivering peer feedback is important.
To get your peers to listen and to motivate them to implement your advice, use this non-confrontational approach to deliver
informal peer-to-peer feedback.
Step 1: State your observation of peer’s behavior.
Example: I noticed that you forgot about our team brainstorming session.
Step 2: State the impact of the behavior on the team, the project, the department, or the organization.
Example: When you skip brainstorming sessions, you miss out on important details and the team loses your valuable insights.
Step 3: Suggest actions the peer could take that would improve the outcome next time.
Example: I’ve been thinking that putting these brainstorming sessions on your calendar might help you remember next time.
Step 4: Obtain agreement on a plan of action from your peer.
Example: What do you think? Do you think this will help you manage your schedule better?
Source: International Association of Fire Chiefs, Crew Resource Management: A Positive Change For the Fire Service, 2002
© 2011 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. CLC PRO

2. Informal Peer-to-Peer Feedback Guide
Do’s and Don’ts
Common Informal Feedback Mistakes:
Don’t…
Guidelines for Informal Feedback:
Do…
Don’ts
Do’s
Give developmental feedback in public
Present many issues at once
Use generalized language or characterizations
Use value judgments or insert your opinion or feelings
State your interpretations of your observations
Example: “I noticed you don’t like creating quarterly reports.”
Focus only on negative feedback
Provide feedback on non-work related personal characteristics such as religion, gender, or nationality; this is inappropriate and could also be illegal
Talk down to the feedback recipient
Become defensive or argumentative when receiving feedback from a peer
Give developmental feedback in private; some people also prefer to receive positive feedback in private
Focus feedback on one or two issues at a time
Focus on specific behaviors that the peer displayed
Remain objective; describe the behavior in terms of its impact on the team, project, or organization
State only your observations of the behavior; your interpretations could be incorrect
Example: “I noticed you’ve been leaving your quarterly reports until the last minute.” (There could be many reasons they are starting the reports late.)
Provide positive feedback as well as negative; if you tell your peers what went well, they will know what to do more of in the future
Focus only on the behaviors that will help your peers to perform their jobs better
Involve the feedback recipient in the process and treat them as an equal
Treat the feedback as a low-risk opportunity for you to learn about yourself and improve your performance.
Feedback Topics that Should Come from Managers, Not Peers
Violations of company policy
Illegal activity that occurs at work or is affecting work relationships
Extremely negative feedback
Chronic behavior or work problems
Anything you feel particularly uncomfortable with or if you fear an extreme reaction from the feedback recipient
Anything that is unrelated to a project in which you are involved
© 2011 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. CLC PRO