Coaching practices for Giving Feedforward

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Giving Feedforward, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • We’re about to kick off something new and everyone has private hunches about what it’ll take to pull off
  • When I try to help someone get better I either go vague and cheerlead
  • Whenever I ask how I’m doing, the answer comes back as a verdict on what I already screwed up, and I spend the whole conversation defending myself instead of actually learning anything I could use next time.
  • The second someone suggests something, I’m already arguing back in my head
  • Every time my partner and I try to swap ideas it slides into scoring points

Practices that may help

  1. Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
    Feedforward, developed by executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, replaces backward-looking critique with forward-looking suggestions — asking "what ideas do you have for the future?" rather than "what did I do wrong?" The core claim is that people are more receptive to ideas about what they could do than to judgments about what they did. Evidence is primarily clinical and practitioner-based rather than from controlled trials.
  2. Use feedforward to align team members on goals before projects begin
    At the start of a project, invite feedforward on how to succeed — before any performance to critique.
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  3. Give feedforward as specific, actionable ideas — not generic encouragement
    When giving feedforward, offer two concrete behavioral ideas, not praise or abstract advice.
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  4. Ask for ideas about the future, not assessments of the past
    Replace "how did I do?" with "what ideas do you have for how I could do better?"
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  5. Receive every suggestion with only "thank you"
    Accept all feedforward without debate, justification, or even agreement — just acknowledge and note.
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  6. Establish a no-argument rule in feedforward exchanges
    In structured feedforward exchanges, neither party evaluates or debates the suggestions — only listens and notes.
    Feedforward: Future-Focused Feedback That Actually Changes Behavior
  7. Give feedback in the moment, not stockpiled for reviews
    Feedback accumulated for a periodic review arrives late and in bulk — neither helps.
    The Feedback Sandwich: Why It Doesn’t Work and What to Do Instead
  8. Invite a response after delivering SBI
    Close SBI by asking what the other person makes of it — not with a verdict.
    The SBI Feedback Model, Made Practical
  9. Add a forward-looking request to SBI
    Pair the impact statement with a specific, doable request for next time.
    The SBI Feedback Model, Made Practical
  10. Choose the right moment and setting for feedback
    Feedback lands in proportion to how safe and ready the receiver feels — timing and privacy matter.
    The SBI Feedback Model, Made Practical

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