Archived Posts

Posts written in March 2009

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March 25th, 2009

Good feedback, bad feedback

Posted by Ben Dattner, a workplace consultant, an industrial and organizational psychologist, and an adjunct professor at New York University.

2 comments

In the current economic environment, it is crucial for individuals, teams and organizations to continuously improve their performance. Getting and giving useful performance feedback, whether through a formal performance appraisal system, or through less formal, more ad-hoc tools like Rypple, can help greatly. Regardless of whether you are providing feedback in a formal annual review, a brief Rypple survey, or at the water cooler, here are some tips to keep in mind when providing feedback:

Feedback is least useful when it is:

Inaccurate or untrue: if the feedback recipient doubts the accuracy of the feedback, it is unlikely he or she will be able to learn from it

Biased due to favoritism or politics: although nothing in human affairs in general or the workplace in particular is ever “objective”, the more the feedback can stand on its own rather than being seen as part of some personal or political agenda, the better.

Insensitive and unduly critical: this kind of feedback is unlikely to be “heard”- the recipient will be too upset to process what you are saying

Not specific or actionable: anything vague or out of the person’s control is not going to help him or her do anything differently

Constituted by orders or ultimatums: this kind of feedback is likely to raise hackles rather than willingness or ability to improve.

Feedback is most useful when it is:

Candid and honest: this kind of feedback is credible and although it can be painful, is your best bet for helping the person get his or her game up

Specific and actionable: the more behaviorally-based the feedback is, rather than character-based, the more able the recipient will be to implement what you suggest

Based on more than one incident or example: without trying to “build a case”, it is still helpful to bring multiple examples into your feedback so that the person can see patterns as they appear to others

Based on more than one person’s view: this can be tricky- on one hand, if multiple people share a perception, it is likely to be more valid and credible. At the same time, you don’t want the person to whom you’re giving feedback to feel ganged up on

Framed positively and constructively: this is the opposite of being unduly critical- people are more likely to hear and act on feedback if you use a “carrot” rather than a “stick” in describing to them the potential benefits of doing something better or differently

Summarized and integrated into key themes: it is helpful to provide some thematic linkages between feedback in order to give the person a big picture view and then also provide detailed feedback in that larger context

For more information about how to design a performance appraisal system, here’s a presentation on that topic.

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March 19th, 2009

Good vs. Bad Questions

Posted by Jamie Resker, Founder and President: Employee Performance Solutions. Jamie is recognized as an established thought leader and innovator in the area of performance management. She is the originator of the Performance Continuum Feedback Method®, a tool for systematically diagnosing employee performance issues and development opportunities and crafting messages about even the most sensitive behavior based issues.

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Interested in writing better Rypples? Check out Dan Erwin’s post on How to Avoid “Dead End” Questions.

The entire focus of my work is on feedback in the workplace.  I had been more focused on the manager being the prime vehicle for being the feedback provider.  Over the last year I’ve found evidence that the process works much better if the employee initiates the request for feedback, essentially giving others permission to share their thoughts.

Long story short I’ve been running a lot of sessions for employees on feedback:  what is it?  why do you want it? and how to get it!? It’s key to ask the RIGHT question to make the feedback provider feel comfortable in responding and to also provide helpful/useful information to the requester.

I recently ran a manager’s workshop on how to give feedback and followed up with a Rypple, both to show them the tool and get feedback. My question was “What did you like about last Friday’s session? What one thing would have made it more effective?” Asking for one thing helps the adviser narrow down just the one thought they have (key word being “one”).  Notice how asking, what would have made it more effective is different than what didn’t go well- I’m asking for what could have happened rather than pointing out a problem- it then feels likes advise as opposed to criticism.

Some questions can invite criticism. Let’s compare and contrast two questions:

Bad Question: If I ask “what are my strengths and what weaknesses do you notice about me?” I’m asking for criticism. It’s almost like asking, “Tell me the one thing that really sucks about me”. It’s just not that helpful to give or get that kind of feedback.

Good/Better Question: “What do you consider one of my strengths and what one thing would help me be more effective in my role”? Phrasing the question this way asks the adviser to think forward as opposed to focusing on what’s wrong with the person requesting the feedback.  After all who wants to hear about their weaknesses? How we ask the question dictates the quality and helpfulness of the information we receive back.

It’s great to see Rypple catching on.  Finally a tool for answering an age old problem that has yet to be solved- how do I know what I’m doing well and what I need to be working on?  Gee, I hope someone around here tells me and gives me the feedback and direction I need to reach my potential….  Here’s the tool- now it’s all about socializing the idea and having it catch on so that everyone who wants feedback and direction doesn’t have to wait around for someone else to enlighten them.

You might be able to tell I’m pretty passionate about feedback.  I like to fancy myself as the Dr. Phil of feedback :) and consider Rypple to be the new BFF of anyone who values feedback in the workplace.

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March 16th, 2009

Rypple Feature Sale – 3 for the Price of 1!

Posted by David Priemer, Product & Community

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At Rypple we pride ourselves on being able to deliver piping hot features to your door in 30 minutes or less!  In fact, it’s not uncommon for me to be chatting about a feature with one of our users one day, and have that feature live in Rypple less than a week later (did I mention that new features are released at least EVERY WEEK?).  Hey, if we hear of a feature that we feel most of our users will find valuable…we think there is no time like the present to make it happen!

Still, every now and then a feature comes along that significantly expands the way people can use Rypple to get valuable feedback…and as luck would have it, I have THREE such features to share with you today, so read on!

1. Feedback URL

What it is: Feedback URL provides the ability to request feedback from a group of advisers by simply directing them to a specific URL which contains your question (i.e. no need to know their email addresses).

Why the heck would I use it?: Its easy to ask for feedback by sending a Rypple via email…but, sometimes you just don’t know the addresses of the people you want feedback from! For example, when you give a a large presentation at a conference or webinar to a large audience and want to get their feedback.   Or, you’d like some feedback from anyone with access to your website, blog, or even Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter page.

Awesome! Tell me how to use it!: Easy! When composing your feedback request, simply select the “You post or send a URL” option from the How do you want to ask section. Once you click the “Create Feedback Request” button, your unique URL button will be displayed (you can always retrieve your URL by navigating to the question you asked under the Review my Feedback page).

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But we’re not done yet! Soon you’ll be able to make the URLs Rypple provides even more personal and easier to use! e.g. www.rypple.com/dpriemer/my_feedback.

P.S. – want to suggest a hip, catchy name for this feature? We want to hear it! Click HERE to have your say.

2. Suggested Questions

What it is: a forum of top rated questions submitted by Rypple users just like you, categorized by key attributes

Why the heck would I use it?: Does this sound familiar:

“I want to get feedback on [INSERT TOPIC HERE] but I’m not quite sure what to ask?”

We at Rypple completely appreciate the importance of asking a good, focused question and this is your cure for question-block! Get access to dozens of questions suggested by other users and feedback gurus! Want to know what types of questions people are asking around leadership, teamwork, or communication skills? Look no further!

Awesome! Tell me how to use it!: Just click on the Suggested Questions link in the header (or the Help me find a good question link on the Get Feedback page).

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Like a question? Vote it up by clicking the voting buttons next to the question.

Want to ask that question yourself? Just click the text of the question to populate it in the Get Feedback form.

Want to know more about the person who suggested it? Just click on the user’s picture to see.

Want to add your own question to the list? Coming VERY soon, so stay tuned!

3. Facebook Connect

Austin Tam, one of our star developers, already wrote a great blog post on this feature so check it out HERE.

What it is: a super-easy way to setup and login to your Rypple account using your Facebook credentials!

Why the heck would I use it?: First off, it’s an easy way to get started using Rypple. Just click, and go! Very soon you’ll be able to request Rypple feedback directly from your Facebook friends and even post your Rypple’s to your Facebook feed if you choose!

Awesome! Tell me how to use it!: Just click the Facebook Connect button on the sign-up or login pages. If you’re a new user, a Rypple account will be created for you using your Facebook credentials. If you’re an existing user and the email address you use in Rypple is one of the email addresses you’ve specified in Facebook, your existing Rypple account will be linked.

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So are we done yet? Absolutely NOT! We’re going to continue to listen to you and refine these features quickly, but to do that, we REALLY NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!

Click HERE to give it to us (done using Feedback URL…pretty cool eh?!?)

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March 12th, 2009

Rypple Meets Facebook, Part 2

Posted by Austin Tam, Development

2 comments

A little while ago, Jay introduced you to the Rypple NOW! Facebook Pages.   Now the Rypple Team is excited to announce that we’ve just added Facebook Connect to Rypple.

Facebook Connect will allow you to login to Rypple using your Facebook password, and to bring your social context to Rypple.

Now, you’ll have one less credential to remember. Don’t you wish that it was this easy for all the sites you visit?

So how does this work?  And, what about privacy?

It’s simple:  when you click the Facebook Connect button, Facebook asks you to grant Rypple permission to link your Facebook account to Rypple. If the email address you use in Rypple is one of the email addresses you’ve specified in Facebook, your existing Rypple account will be linked. Otherwise, a new Rypple account will be created that’s linked to your Facebook account.

Now about privacy: Both Facebook and Rypple are very serious about your privacy. For example, Facebook doesn’t provide Rypple with your actual email address.  Instead Facebook provides Rypple with an obfuscated email address to identify who you are. Facebook also ensures that your information is always up to date and protected by your privacy settings. You can change what applications you use on Facebook here. Additionally, if you haven’t already, you can check out Rypple’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Another important point:  your questions and answers will never be shared on Facebook (e.g. show up on your friends feeds) unless you explicitly provide permission for this to happen.

A single, trusted sign-on is great, but why else would you want to use Facebook Connect?

Facebook Connect is about “giving users the ability to take their identity and friends with them around the Web, while being able to trust that their information is always up to date and always protected by their privacy settings.” It allows you to “connect” your Facebook friends and feeds to Rypple, providing a personalized social context to your Rypple experience.

For example, when asking a question, you will be able to select which of your Facebook friends to ask – without having to import or setup contacts all over again in Rypple. You will be able to share insightful feedback with all your friends on Facebook, even those who aren’t on Rypple, but would love to be updated all the same. Best of all, when you ask a question, your friends know that it’s actually you who asked the question, so they’re more likely to respond!

Stayed tuned for more Facebook Connect features in the next couple of weeks. Welcome to the world of complete and total integration!

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March 2nd, 2009

How to do better in School

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

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A friend in university asked me what I was up to these days.   I told him about Rypple and how it works.  Since I’m a recent graduate, I thought I would help out all my university friends by offering  tips on how to use Rypple to do better in school.  Here is one tip.  There will be more to come.

Get your professor to Rypple the class!

why?

1.  Quick Feedback. Professors don’t need to wait until the end of the semester to find out what to change in the class.   The sooner they know, the sooner they can make the class more enjoyable and informative.

2. Focused, specific feedback. After a lecture covering a difficult topic the professor can quickly find out if students understood the concepts or if they need to spend more time explaining.

3. Improves learning.  The immediate feedback provided by Rypple means that the student see the benefits before the term is finished.

Steve Boese is an instructor at the Rochester Institute of Technology and uses Rypple in the class room. Check out what he said about Trying out Rypple in the class room.

Have you used Rypple at school? How did it help you?

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