Make the subject, “Project Proposal Feedback - Great Start!”
Write a phrase like, “I hope you’re having a great week!”
You could say something like, “Thank you for the work you’ve put into this proposal so far. You’ve got a lot here. ”
Say, “This is another strong proposal. You’ve put together a terrific set of objectives, and I can see a lot of development in your methodology. ”
You could write, “I would switch sections 1 and 2, and then expand section 3 to include a budget,” or “I would cut the second paragraph but then add a review of ongoing projects to the end of the section. ”
Say something like, “We’re making a company-wide shift to more detailed proposals, so we’ll need to see some expansion in a few sections. I’ve outlined where we need more information. ” If your feedback concerns behaviors that the person is doing, always provide examples of what you mean. For example, if you are addressing unprofessional dress at client meetings, then you should give examples of what they have done wrong. You could say, “Last time we met with the client, you wore flip-flops, and the time before you wore a t-shirt. This type of casual dress doesn’t convey the professional image we want to represent our company. "
You could provide examples of ways that they can fix the issues. This is a great option for when you have a specific fix in mind. You could say, “For your next presentation, stick to neutral colors and avoid using transitions. Since clients attend these meetings, you should also avoid using company-speak. " Alternatively, you could ask them questions that will help them think of ways to fix them. This option is a great way to address issues that could have multiple acceptable solutions. For example, “What are some ways that you could improve documentation moving forward?” or “What changes do you plan to implement in your next presentation?”
For example, tell them about concerns that your business could lose clients due to paperwork errors. Alternatively, let them know if they could be left off a new project if they don’t improve their documentation efforts.
Write a phrase like, “Please let me know if you have any follow-up questions or need clarification about an issue. ”
For example, are you focusing on employee improvement? Are you doing a company-wide assessment to determine what kind of professional development your company would benefit from most? Are you performing a quarterly review? Tell the employee the objective when you provide them with the feedback. You could say, “The company plans to offer professional development sessions based on employee needs, so I’m conducting performance reviews for each employee. "
If they acted on past feedback, then this could be included as a positive in this review. If they didn’t address past feedback, you can discuss both the original issue and the lack of initiative in not addressing the feedback.
Give examples, such as “You showed initiative when you volunteered to take the project lead, and you’ve shown great leadership skills by coordinating your team, incorporating suggestions from others, and delegating work tasks. ” Praise behavior that you want to see continued.
Make your examples specific. For example, “In your past 3 presentations, you’ve left off the budget projections, slowing the project,” or “The average number of accounts gained last quarter was 6, but you only secured 2. This is considered under-performance. ”
Objectives should be short and specific. For example, “Employee will average 4 sales per day,” “Employee will increase communication with clients,” or “Employee will complete leadership training. " Make sure that the next evaluation that you do for this employee focuses on these performance objectives, since that is what your employee will expect.
Be open to changing these suggestions after you discuss the review with the employee. For example, your employee may request professional development that you hadn’t considered. You should also consider the employment goals of your employee. For example, if your employee wants to move to a management position, you might choose leadership training as a professional development option. Alternatively, if your employee is interested in graphic design, you may allow them to attend training courses so that they can use those skills for your organization.
Say something like, “Last quarter had some unexpected hiccups, but you’ve done a great job adjusting your workload. We like what we’ve been seeing and hope to see more good stuff this quarter. ”
Ask the person to offer their own feedback on the feedback you provided. For example, “If you could improve one thing about how I provided feedback, what would it be?” and “Was the feedback clear and useful?”
You may provide written feedback on different types of student assignments, including written assignments, presentations, and projects.
If you are giving the feedback on an oral presentation or project, be sure to provide feedback on each part of the assignment. For example, an oral presentation would include feedback on both content and public speaking skills, while a project may receive feedback on content, creativity, and execution.
Write something like, “Your thesis is clear, well-written, and uses the format we practiced. On the other hand, your topic sentences could use some work because they don’t connect back to your thesis. ” Suggest, “Your ideas are well-developed, but I’d recommend you come to tutoring so that we can work on your comma splices and sentence fragments. ” Include a mix of positive comments and constructive criticism.
For example, “You have overused commas throughout your essay. I suggest reviewing the rules about commas and how to avoid comma splices. If you come in for tutoring, we can work through a paragraph together.
Say, “Right now, I want you to focus on using active voice and avoiding choppy sentences. ”
You may want to highlight or mark the section where you are providing feedback. Before giving the students their assignments back, let them know that you only provided feedback on part of the assignment. You could also allow students to choose which skill or section they want feedback on.
For example, you could begin by focusing on avoiding sentence fragments and looking up words you don’t know how to spell. You could also focus on just the learning objective that the assignment is addressing.
Write something like, “After seeing how well your writing has developed this year, I know you will do a terrific job with these suggestions. I look forward to reading your next essay!”
