Feedforward is a process that allows a team to strengthen itself together for the future. Compared to classical feedback, feedforward offers several advantages. In feedback, a feedback giver projects his observation of a past action onto a receiver, to which the receiver reacts subjectively, based on his own assumptions. The effect is therefore unclear, especially since people tend to give much more weight to negative feedback than to positive feedback.
Feedforward involves all parties equally in the development process. In feedforward, the sender decides for him/herself what he/she wants to be measured on and builds the process together with people he/she trusts. In feedforward, one makes one's own wish for improvement known: I therefore tell other people what I would like to have observed about myself in the future and ask for suggestions for improvement. I thank them for their response and ask them what they can contribute to my development.
Make your own wish for change for yourself with the people you trust. You will see what kind of group dynamics you will ignite! And if you do this, you may of course expect the same from others.
| Feedback (by the observer) | Feedforward (by the observee) |
| Clarifying readiness with the person observed | A person declares his/her own wish to progress |
| Making sure that it’s confident | Asking others for help, ideas etc. |
| No judgement | Listening carefully |
| Formulating your own perception | Giving thanks to the supporters |
| „I“-messages | |
| As precise as possible | |
| It’s about the past | It’s about the future |
| The person observed can’t influence it any more | The person observed can influence it |
| The observer projects his perception onto another person | The person wants to progress him/herself and asks a third person for help |
| Development is delegated to the person to be observed | The development is achieved with the help of the people who contribute the ideas |
| The accountability for the progress is transferred to the person observed | The accountability is shared |
| Impact: ? | Impact: positive |
| Attitude: often + / – | Attitude: + / + |
Getting from feedback to feedforward
