Many people find giving feedback a daunting task. The fear of upsetting the person receiving your feedback can lead to a reluctance to act. However, given in the right way and structured effectively, feedback should not cause offence.

Ask permission. As a pharmacist, whether you’re an owner, manager or locum, you will need to give feedback to team members when they are doing something incorrectly to avoid the recurrence of errors. You might also want to give feedback to someone who doesn’t report to you, such as a colleague, another pharmacist with whom you work, or someone working at a local doctor’s surgery.

It is important that people feel feedback is not being ‘done to them’, and is something over which they have some control. If they don’t feel this, they are more likely to become defensive rather than listen and learn from it. Giving some control to when feedback is given will demonstrate that you want someone to be a willing participant in the feedback process. ‘I would like to give you some feedback about the advice you have given customers who have purchased this medicine. Can we do this now or would you prefer to do it later today?’

Of course, people who don’t report to you don’t have to listen to your feedback, and asking their permission to offer feedback gives them the option to decline. If they accept your offer, however, it sets up a psychological contract between you both that means they are willing to learn from the feedback you want to give. 

When asking permission, you should explain how you think the receiver will benefit from the feedback, thus giving them a reason to accept. ‘I would like to give you some feedback about the way you communicate with me in LPC meetings because I think this will allow us to work more effectively together in the meetings and get the results we need. Would you like me to do that?’

People have the right to choose not to accept an offer of feedback. When this happens, you need to decide whether the impact they have on you is sufficient to warrant you insisting that they listen. This will vary from situation to situation. ‘I know you are not keen about receiving feedback, but I need to explain how your inaction is preventing me achieving what I have been asked to do. I need to arrange a time when we can discuss this properly. When would be good for you?’