Feedback is the process in which one person contributes to the development of another person based on their own perceptions, whether positive or negative. In this context, constructive feedback allows other professionals to improve points that need improvement, so that their work offers better results.

Carlos Brito, CEO, AB InBev, states that "when I am asked what was important in my career, I always answer that it was harsh and constructive feedback. I always had bosses who were genuinely interested in my success and therefore gave tough and constructive feedback, without pity, when necessary. Never destructive. Honest, saying what I needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear."

Giving feedback is a matter of training. With that in mind, we have prepared this material for you to learn a very simple technique that can significantly improve the quality of your feedback. Keep reading!

The “CBCS framework”

CBCS means that your feedback should have context, behavior, and consequence and suggestion:

Context

The situation in which the behavior took place. It is important to be specific in the situation in which the behavior occurred. Not limiting your feedback to a situation in which the behavior was observed can leave a feeling in the recipient that they are receiving a personal "attack". Delimiting the behavior to a specific situation helps to focus the conversation on actions.

Behavior

The course of action chosen by the person. Often, the person may not even be aware that they had a choice between possible courses of action.

Consequence

The impact that the course of action has on the performance of the colleague, the team and the company. This is fundamental, as it makes it clear that feedback is not a whim of the giver, but a practical improvement with a practical impact on performance.

Suggestion

The suggestion for improvement is what makes feedback useful, actionable and constructive: it is when you point out a better way forward to the person, which shows them that you are not there just to criticize them and that you are genuinely interested in their development.

You may also be interested in:

👉 Examples of written feedback: check out the main ones!

👉 Employee feedback software: know the differentials!

👉 Kilimo Case: how the partnership with Qulture.Rocks contributed to the company

Practical example

Here's a practical example of constructive feedback: "In yesterday's meeting, where we introduced the new customer help center for company X, you made some comments that were not pertinent to the topic being discussed (such as when you talked about your experience as a bartender). When this happens, you run the risk of sounding more inexperienced than you actually are and losing credibility, or worse, taking the meeting off track, which would be bad because it could hurt the adoption of the tool. My suggestion is that you wait to feel more confident that you are making relevant contributions before you do so."

In this example, the context would be "In yesterday's meeting, where we introduced the new customer help center to company X". The behavior follows: "you made some comments that were not pertinent to the topic being discussed (such as when you talked about your experience as a bartender)".

And the consequence, finally, is that "When this happens, you run the risk of sounding more inexperienced than you actually are and losing credibility, or worse, taking the meeting off track, which would be bad because it could hurt the adoption of the tool". The suggestion concludes the feedback.

This is why you can use tags in the feedback you offer, which represent values and/or competencies predetermined by your company to support your feedback. When selecting the tag, you can also define whether it is being used as an example of something the feedback receiver "can improve" or something they are "doing well" at.

Important note

Remember: using a "can improve" tag does not mean labeling the person as "bad", "below expectations", or anything of the sort. It's just a way to identify a strength or improvement in your colleague. Similarly, choosing a "doing well" tag doesn't mean they are "excellent" or "above expectations". Great talents may receive a lot of "can improve" feedback simply because everyone's expectations of them are high.

---

If you want to know more about how our Feedback platform can help your company, contact us and clear your doubts!