How do you give feedforward effectively? Rather than listing past mistakes, effective feedforward offers practical suggestions for achieving better results in the future. Also known as feedforward, this approach supports employee development, strengthens communication, and contributes to building a culture of continuous learning.
When giving feedforward, follow three fundamental principles: focus on the future rather than the past, address behaviors rather than personality, and offer actionable suggestions instead of criticism. Instead of asking, “What did you do wrong?” ask, “What could you do differently next time?”
In this guide, we explore what feedforward is, how it differs from feedback, how to give it effectively, examples of useful phrases, and how to embed this approach into organizational culture.
What Is Feedforward?
Feedforward is a communication approach that provides practical suggestions to improve a person’s future behaviors and outcomes rather than evaluating past performance. Its primary purpose is not to make people defensive about what has already happened, but to support them in achieving better results in the future.
For example, saying, “Your presentation was very confusing” evaluates past performance. Saying, “If you focus on one key message in your next presentation, your delivery could be more effective” is an example of feedforward.
It is important to ensure that suggestions are clear, actionable, and development-oriented. Feedforward can help employees build on their strengths, try new behaviors, and improve work outcomes.
What Is the Difference Between Feedforward and Feedback?
Feedback focuses on evaluating a behavior or outcome that has already occurred. Feedforward, on the other hand, emphasizes potential improvements and actionable steps for the future.
The two approaches are not alternatives to one another. When used together, they can create a more effective development dialogue.
- Feedback: What happened, what was the outcome, and what did we learn?
- Feedforward: What can we do differently next time?
- Focus of feedback: Past behaviors and outcomes.
- Focus of feedforward: Future behaviors and development opportunities.
During a development-focused conversation, you can begin by sharing a specific observation and then offer a suggestion for the future. This allows you to learn from the past while creating a clear path for future development.
To explore the conceptual differences between feedback and feedforward in more detail, read our guide to the difference between feedback and feedforward.
How to Give Feedforward: A 5-Step Approach
You do not need a complicated meeting process to give feedforward. With the right intention, behavior-focused language, practical suggestions, and regular follow-up, you can establish a communication habit that supports development.
1. Clarify Your Development Intent
Before giving feedforward, define your purpose. Are you trying to point out someone’s past mistakes, or are you trying to help them succeed in the future?
Conversations driven by a genuine intention to support development can make it easier for the other person to consider suggestions and try new behaviors. Before starting the conversation, clarify what you want to help improve.
Example: “My goal in this conversation is to explore options together that will help you communicate your message more effectively in your next presentation.”
2. Focus on Observable Behaviors, Not Personality
Focus on specific behaviors instead of using personality labels. Statements such as “You’re careless” are judgments about the person. By contrast, “Three pieces of data were missing from the final section of the report” describes an observable situation.
Discussing behaviors makes it easier to identify development opportunities without turning the conversation into a personal dispute.
Example: “The presentation included several key messages. In your next presentation, you could try building your narrative around one central message.”
3. Direct the Conversation Toward the Future
The defining characteristic of feedforward is its focus on changes that can be made in the future. Instead of repeatedly discussing what happened in the past, explore which approach might produce better results in a similar situation.
Example: Instead of saying, “You were late to the last meeting,” you could say, “If you arrive five minutes before the next meeting, we can review the agenda together and get started better prepared.”
This approach turns evaluation into an opportunity for future development.
4. Offer Specific and Actionable Suggestions
General statements such as “Communicate better” or “Be more careful” do not explain what the person should actually do. Effective feedforward describes a specific behavior that can be put into practice.
Examples:
- “Run the data through three verification steps before sending the report.”
- “Share the agenda with the team one day before the meeting.”
- “Add a short section at the beginning of the presentation that summarizes the main message.”
- “Share project progress with the team on a weekly basis.”
Make sure your suggestions are realistic, clear, and appropriate to the person’s circumstances. Whenever possible, encourage the other person to contribute to finding a solution.
5. Follow Up on Suggestions and Make Progress Visible
Feedforward does not end when the conversation is over. Suggestions need to be tested, the results evaluated, and new steps identified when necessary.
For example, you could ask two weeks later, “Have you had a chance to try the approach we discussed? How did it work?”
Follow-up conversations help ensure that development is not merely discussed but applied in everyday work. Making progress visible and recognizing effort are also important parts of the development process.
Feedforward Examples: What Should You Say?
Feedforward examples make it easier to translate theory into everyday workplace practices. The following statements demonstrate how to turn retrospective evaluations into practical suggestions for the future.
| Retrospective statement | Feedforward example |
|---|---|
| “Your presentation was very confusing.” | “If you focus on one key message in your next presentation, your delivery could be more effective.” |
| “You didn’t say anything during the meeting.” | “We can prepare together so that you feel ready to introduce a topic at the next meeting.” |
| “There were errors in the report.” | “You could try using a short checklist to verify the data and sources before sending the report.” |
| “Your communication with the team is weak.” | “You could make information sharing more consistent by organizing a short weekly team meeting.” |
| “You didn’t achieve your goals.” | “If we break the goal down into smaller actions in the next cycle, we can track progress more consistently.” |
3 Sentence Structures You Can Use When Giving Feedforward
1. “Next time, if you try …, you may …”
This connects a suggestion to a future behavior.
Example: “Next time, if you start your presentation with a brief summary, your audience may find it easier to follow your main message.”
2. “If you …, you can achieve …”
This connects a behavior with its expected outcome.
Example: “If you share project updates weekly, you can strengthen coordination within the team.”
3. “How can we improve this together?”
This creates space for the other person’s perspective and encourages collaborative problem-solving.
Example: “Let’s look at where you encountered difficulties in reaching the goal and explore how we can strengthen the next step.”
Be careful when using expressions such as “You did a great job, but…” when giving feedforward. These statements can cause the criticism that follows to overshadow the positive opening. Share your observations and development suggestions clearly, constructively, and in a balanced way.
When Should You Give Feedforward?
Feedforward can be used before someone starts a new task, while planning a goal, or when they want to develop a particular skill. Sharing a suggestion before the relevant behavior takes place increases the opportunity to put it into practice.
Key situations in which feedforward can be useful include:
- When starting a new project or assignment
- Before a presentation, meeting, or important conversation
- During goal-setting and OKR planning processes
- In regular one-on-one manager–employee meetings
- During performance development and career conversations
- When planning the next steps after a team project
Do not reserve feedforward exclusively for annual performance reviews. Short, regular development conversations can help make learning part of the everyday workflow.
To explore an approach that takes performance management beyond annual forms, read our approach to moving beyond traditional performance reviews.
What Mistakes Should Managers Avoid When Giving Feedforward?
Feedforward is not simply about phrasing a sentence in the future tense. Suggestions should support development, be specific, and leave room for the other person’s perspective.
Key mistakes to avoid:
- Giving vague suggestions: Instead of saying, “Be more proactive,” explain the specific behavior you would like to see.
- Giving orders: Offer options and invite the other person’s input rather than listing instructions.
- Offering too many suggestions at once: Start by identifying one priority development area.
- Focusing only on shortcomings: Discuss how effective behaviors and strengths can be further developed.
- Failing to follow up: Evaluate whether the suggestion was implemented and what results it produced.
- Turning feedforward into a control mechanism: Remember that the goal is to support employee development, not to monitor or control employees.
Feedforward can become a more meaningful development dialogue in environments that encourage psychological safety and mutual learning.
How Can You Embed Feedforward into Organizational Culture?
For feedforward to become sustainable, it must go beyond an individual communication skill and become part of the organization’s everyday working practices. This requires leaders to embrace the approach, employees to feel safe sharing suggestions, and development to be followed up on regularly.
Myliba approaches this transformation through its People + Technology + Academy framework.
People: Strengthen Leaders’ Development-Oriented Communication Skills
It is important for leaders not only to set goals but also to have conversations that support employee development. Coaching-oriented communication helps leaders develop the skills needed to ask effective questions, listen actively, and identify development opportunities together with their teams.
The Myliba OKR & Culture Coaching Certificate Program provides a learning environment for developing leadership and coaching skills. Explore Myliba Academy resources for information about the program’s scope and current terms.
Technology: Integrate Feedforward into Everyday Workflows
Feedforward does not always require a separate meeting. Development suggestions can also be shared during goal-tracking activities, one-on-one meetings, and regular team communications.
Myliba’s performance and organizational culture platform aims to support OKRs, continuous feedback, and employee development within a shared working environment. This can make it easier to track the connection between goals and daily actions and to establish regular development conversations.
Data: Make Development Measurable
Evaluating whether a feedforward culture is developing requires more than simply counting the number of conversations held. Indicators such as goal progress, action completion, employees’ perceptions of their own development, and team communication can be considered together.
Data should be used to identify development opportunities and support fairer decisions, not to label or surveil employees. In this way, feedforward can become an integral part of an organization’s approach to performance and culture.
Frequently Asked Questions About Feedforward
Can Feedforward Be Used in Negative Situations?
Yes. After an unfavorable outcome, you can discuss what could be done differently in the future rather than limiting the conversation to who made a mistake in the past. For example, asking “Which two steps could we approach differently next time?” can initiate a development-focused dialogue.
Does Feedforward Replace Feedback?
No. Feedback helps us understand past behaviors and outcomes, while feedforward focuses on future development opportunities. Using both approaches together supports the learning process.
Can Employees Give Feedforward to Their Managers?
Yes. Feedforward should not flow only from managers to employees. When employees can offer respectful, specific, and development-oriented suggestions to their managers and colleagues, they help foster a culture of mutual learning.
How Often Should Feedforward Be Given?
There is no single ideal frequency. Feedforward should be shared regularly according to the individual’s needs and the work context. Weekly one-on-one meetings, project kickoffs, and goal-setting meetings are all opportunities to put this approach into practice.
Conclusion: Make Development Part of Everyday Work with Feedforward
Giving feedforward is not just about using more constructive language; it is about changing how we approach development. Alongside discussing what went wrong in the past, we need to focus on what can be done better in the future.
Follow these five steps to give effective feedforward: clarify your intention, focus on observable behaviors, direct the conversation toward the future, offer actionable suggestions, and follow up on development.
This approach begins as an individual skill. When practiced consistently, it supports teams in developing their learning and communication habits. By bringing performance and organizational culture processes together with Myliba, you can integrate development-focused conversations into your everyday work.
Discover an approach that enhances performance and culture: Myliba.