Tips for effectively asking for feedback on your work
This note details how to ask for feedback on your work, and shares corresponding tips for feedback givers:
Set the right context by outlining the purpose of the work and its audience
Highlight why this person is giving feedback, such as their expertise or your general reverence for their opinion
Establish feedback expectations by asking for it at the right time, sharing how you want it, and setting a deadline
Define the type of feedback needed, like whether you want approval vs. input, specific advice vs. general reaction, and suggestions on substance vs. form
Effective feedback starts with effective asks
There’s a trope that most of what PMs do is write docs. It’s not entirely wrong! A lot of what we do is write out ideas, solicit feedback on them, and share thoughts on others’ work. In sum, we trade in feedback. The quality of this feedback varies a lot. But it’s not usually because of who’s giving the feedback; rather, it’s because of how well it’s asked for.
The more effectively you ask for feedback, the better the feedback you receive will be.
Asking for feedback with insufficient context or expectation setting is not only unproductive, but also selfish: it places the burden on the feedback giver to infer what the feedback is for.
So, if you’re asking for a lot of feedback – here’s how to maximize its value:
1. Set the right context
Feedback will be more nuanced if shared in the broader context of the work. Often, it’s useful to share this context at the top of the doc. If that’s not feasible because the doc’s audience is already too broad, share this directly. Important context includes:
What is the purpose of the doc: Clarify the true purpose of the doc, and then ask whether it achieves that purpose. Consider a doc called “Defining success metrics for our team.” Ostensibly, the purpose of the doc is to define success. But there’s more to it than that. Is the purpose persuasion (i.e. convincing your reader that your definition is the right one) or clarity (i.e. ensuring your reader knows how to operationalize the strategy)?
Who is the audience: Explain who the doc written for, and which person or people are the most important stakeholders. Share the preconceptions they may bring to reading the doc, like their context or biases.
Tip for feedback givers: Solicit this context if it’s not provided. Answers to these questions should underpin the feedback, so view them as must-knows, not nice-to-knows.
2. Highlight why this person is giving feedback
If you’re asking for someone’s time, they should know why. Explain why you’ve engaged them, personally. You may need their alignment. They may have relevant expertise, either in the domain or problem space, type of work, or even the audience you’re sharing with. Or perhaps, they’re just really smart! No matter the rationale, make sure they know it.
This simple step is often the difference in getting feedback or having your request ignored. Personalized context is flattering, empowering, and useful.
Tip for feedback givers: Lean into your expertise. Your skills and experiences give you a unique perspective. You may know a ton about the relevant problem space, possess unique context, or are an expert on this type of work. When you share feedback based on your area of expertise, it’s not only likely to be higher quality, but also you may be the only one evaluating the content from this lens.
3. Establish expectations on when and how to give feedback
Feedback is only as effective as your ability to take it. To maximize its utility, define all the logistics up front — the timing, the form factor. You should:
Ask for feedback at the right time: If you’re looking for people to review your thinking, share it early. If all you want is suggestions on framing, late in the game is probably okay. When you want earlier feedback, deliver it in a form factor (e.g. outline) accordingly. Then, let the feedback giver know how early you are (“this is just a draft” vs. “this is 98% finished”).
Share how you want feedback: Edit directly? Comment in line? Ping you on chat or email? Remove ambiguity by sharing your preference.
Set a deadline and signal the priority: You should share when you need the feedback by. If you foresee a tight turnaround, give the person a heads up that the request is coming. On the other hand, if the feedback is a nice-to-have, relay it accordingly.
Tip for feedback givers: If the person is targeting a specific date, be forthright around whether the timeline is realistic for you. And when you share feedback, consider the audience: Very critical feedback is best delivered via private channels, not spotlighted in a doc’s comment section.
4. Define the type of feedback needed
The more specific the feedback ask, the easier it will be for the person providing it to focus. Asking someone, “Does this look good?” will get you vaguer responses than, “Are you aligned with my recommendation? If so, how might I make it more convincing?” Specify whether you want:
Approval vs. input: Feedback givers should know if their feedback will be blocking or not. In particular, if you intend to represent that this person is “aligned” to what you’ve written, you should be clear about that fact and ask for explicit rather than tacit confirmation. Conversely, if you may ignore the person’s feedback, they should have this expectation going in.
Scoped vs. general: Is there a specific topic or question you want feedback on? If the person has particular fluency in one area you cover, direct them to focus on it. If there is a particular part of what you’ve written that you think is weak or controversial, flag it.
Substance vs. form: While feedback on substance is typically most important, it can be useful to hear perspective on the form – either the framing, or the styling (especially if it’s a deck). Make sure to clarify which you want.
Tip for feedback givers: Prioritize feedback within the constraints of the ask. Of note, you may have feedback beyond the scope of the original ask. As a principle, it’s better to err on the side of honesty; if you have a constructive opinion, it’s likely others may share it and the person will benefit from hearing it earlier and more tactfully than when it’s truly too late.
Moreover, consider your intentions. When offering feedback, you should have an objective. The most common one will be to help the person make their work better. But this isn’t always the case! If you’re asked whether you’re aligned on something, your feedback should represent your opinion and failing to convey it is a mistake.
Oh, and a quick tip: Regardless of the feedback type, if you see typos, correct them. Its always helpful to fix them, like adding in missing apostrophes ;)