Feedback Sandwiches: More Filling Than Effective?

It's a commonly recommended approach, but does it actually work?

As a manager or leader, you've likely heard of the "feedback sandwich" technique for delivering constructive criticism - starting and ending with positive comments while sandwiching the critique in the middle.

It's a commonly recommended approach, but does it actually work? A team of researchers from the University of New Mexico recently put the feedback sandwich under the microscope to find out.

The researchers conducted two studies with medical students to investigate how feedback sandwiches are perceived and whether they impact future performance.

Study 1: Student Perceptions

In the first study, they surveyed 20 students about the feedback they received, asking them to rate factors like how complimented, respected, and clear they felt.

What they found

Interestingly, the students felt that full feedback sandwiches (positive comments on both ends) were more useful than open-faced ones (positive comment on one end only) or no sandwich at all.

However, the substance of the positive comments didn't seem to matter.

Study 2: Feedback Sandwiches and Performance

In the second, larger study, the researchers analyzed the feedback given to 350 students over 5 years. They looked at whether receiving different types of feedback sandwiches on one assignment related to the students' performance on a subsequent assignment.

What they found

The results? Neither full nor open-faced feedback sandwiches predicted any of the performance outcomes.

What does this mean for you as a leader?

While students may perceive feedback sandwiches as helpful, the evidence suggests they don't actually improve performance. The researchers propose that the positive comments may dilute the main message of the feedback, causing recipients to overlook or downplay the constructive criticism.

This doesn't mean you should start serving up harsh, critique-only feedback. The key is to be direct, specific, and sincere.

Focus on providing clear, actionable feedback tied to the recipient's goals and growth areas. And don't feel obligated to "sandwich" developmental feedback between praise - if recognition is warranted, great, but make sure it's genuine and substantive.

At the end of the day, effective feedback is about helping your team members grow and succeed. By being transparent and targeted in your feedback, you can cut through the fluff and give them the insights they need to keep raising the bar.

So the next time you need to deliver some constructive criticism, consider skipping the white bread and getting straight to the meat of the matter!

This research analysis and more are part of Voohy Insights. Become a Voohy member to gain access to a growing library of research insights on topics relevant to modern leadership. These include leadership, communication, feedback, team dynamics, emotional intelligence and more.