When to Use Authoritative and Impact Feedback

Impact feedback works well when the receiver cares about the impact. That is, the receiver is likely to respect or appreciate the information and be predisposed to strive to do the best thing about it. That might mean hearing the feedback and then expressing appreciation, apologizing, initiating action without guidance, or asking for more information. If a receiver has a “that’s your problem,” “toughen up,” “that’s not my fault,” or “so what?” attitude, impact feedback does not help and may make things worse. Fortunately, people often do care, and when they do, impact feedback triggers receptivity for more information or opens a dialogue. Often a receiver will request guidance and suggestions, opening the door for authoritative feedback.

Combining impact feedback with authoritative feedback is very effective. Impact feedback is a great tool for creating interest or receptivity. Impact feedback alerts the receiver to why something is important. Hopefully, it will have the effect of eliciting a response inside the receiver along the lines of “If my behavior had that impact, maybe I should keep doing it” or “If what I did can have that sort of impact, maybe I should do less of it or do something different.” In either case, the receiver might then be interested in knowing more about the specifics of what he or she did, the nature of the impact, and options for future behavior. The impact has thus engaged the receiver in discussion and perhaps problem solving. And because impact feedback is not prescriptive or judgmental, the receiver’s engagement is voluntary, and further conversation is at the receiver’s initiative as much as the feedback giver’s. Receptivity has been encouraged. The receiver may now want your guidance, which you can give in the form of one of the authoritative types of feedback.

Keep this in mind if you plan to combine types of feedback: Trust impact to do the job in most cases. You will be amazed by what constructive things people will do with well-delivered impact feedback. They may ask for guidance. They may suggest a new course of behavior. Give the feedback receiver an opportunity to digest the impact and respond to it before you offer authoritative input. Feedback receivers may then ask for suggestions or offer suggestions themselves. If not, ask if they want a suggestion before offering one.

Pausing after giving impact feedback may be the hardest part of this process. Leaders and managers often say that they feel they have not done enough when they “just give impact.” Certainly, in many cases, more information will be needed. But develop the self-discipline to wait after giving brief, crisp impact feedback. Wait for the receiver to respond in some way, and that will tell you your next step. Consider these examples to an impact statement like “I am frustrated by [something the receiver did].”