Giving and receiving feedback

What's in the lesson

1. 1Warm-up
2. 2In this lesson
3. 3Guess the words (1)Vocabulary exercise
4. 4Guess the words (2)Vocabulary exercise
5. 5Check the wordsVocabulary
6. 6Useful phrases for feedbackVocabulary
7. 7Check your understandingReading comprehension
8. 8Listen: Ethan's voice messageListening comprehension
9. 9Use the new wordsVocabulary exercise
10. 10What does it mean?Grammar exercise
11. 11Notice: Rania's commentsGrammar exercise
12. 12Softer feedback: could have, might have, needn't haveGrammar rule
13. 13Choose the right formGrammar exercise
14. 14Ethan's reply to MarioGrammar exercise
15. 15Make it softerSpeaking practice
16. 16Say it naturallySpeaking practice
17. 17Role-play: feedback between colleaguesSpeaking practice
18. 18Let's discussDiscussion
19. 19Wrap-up

Homework

1. 1Homework: closest meaningVocabulary exercise
2. 2Homework: your sentencesVocabulary exercise
3. 3Homework: find the mistakeGrammar exercise
4. 4Homework: a feedback messageDiscussion

Words

• constructive/kənˈstrʌktɪv/

  helpful, because it shows how something could be better (constructive feedback, constructive criticism)

• praise/preɪz/

  words that say someone has done well (also a verb: praise someone for something)

• impact/ˈɪmpækt/

  the effect that something has on a person, a situation or a result (have an impact on)

• point out/ˌpɔɪnt ˈaʊt/

  to tell someone about something they had not noticed or thought about

• come across/ˌkʌm əˈkrɔːs/

  to seem a certain way to other people (come across as rude, come across well)

• defensive/dɪˈfensɪv/

  reacting to criticism as if you were being attacked

• take it personally/ˌteɪk ɪt ˈpɜːrsənəli/

  to feel hurt by a comment because you think it is about you as a person, not about your work

• blunt/blʌnt/

  saying what you think directly, without trying to be polite

• sugarcoat/ˈʃʊɡərkoʊt/

  to make bad news sound better than it really is

• debrief/ˌdiːˈbriːf/

  to talk about how something went after it has finished (also a noun: a debrief)

Two slides from the lesson

Warm-up

Let's talk about feedback at work.

1. Think of the last time someone commented on your work. Was it helpful? Why, or why not?
2. How do people usually criticize each other's work where you work or study: directly, or very politely?
3. Do you prefer to get comments on your work in person, on a call or in writing?

Grammar rule

Softer feedback: could have, might have, needn't have

Form	What it says	Example
could have + past participle	there was a better option, and it wasn't taken	You could have copied the legal team on that email.
might have + past participle	the same, a little softer; often It might have been better / easier to…	It might have been easier to show the chart first.
needn't have + past participle · didn't need to + verb	you did it, but it wasn't necessary	You needn't have stayed so late. You didn't need to rent a projector.
should have + past participle (unit 7)	the right thing didn't happen: direct, and it can sound like blame	You should have told the client first.
might want to + verb · it might be worth + -ing	soft advice for next time	You might want to practice the demo once more. It might be worth recording the call.

• needn't have is more common in British English, and you will hear it from British colleagues. Americans usually say didn't need to or didn't have to: You didn't need to apologize. Careful: didn't need to can also mean that you didn't do it, because it wasn't necessary. The situation tells you which; needn't have always means you did it.

• After could, might and needn't: have + past participle. Not could have send, and never could of in writing. In speech, have is weak: could have sounds like could've, and might have like might've.

• could have and might have are also used to guess about the past: Ethan might have missed his train. The situation tells you which meaning it is.

• To soften it even more, add maybe, I think or I wonder if: Maybe you could have… I wonder if it might be worth…

With colleagues, choose could have, might have and might want to rather than should have. Keep should have for serious problems, and say them clearly.