Giving Feedback with CSAW

Below is a worksheet for using CSAW, our framework for giving feedback. For a more in-depth overview of CSAW, read this article.

I want to give ________________ feedback on ________________.

✦ Connect over a shared value or goal

Talk about a shared value or experience (“I can see how hard you’ve been working on planning a successful kickoff event”):

👀 Share a specific observation or concrete example

Explain the impact/why it matters:

Share a concrete request if you have one:

💬 Ask questions to better understand their perspective

Some questions I will ask or ways I will probe are:

Sample Probing Questions

Remember: ask questions to better understand, not to seek the answer you think you already know!

How did you think that went? Are there things I’m missing?
What do you think might be causing this?
How could you approach it differently next time?
Why do you think that went so well?
What are the takeaways from what you did that worked?
Do you have thoughts on how you might put that into practice?
What do you need to be able to implement these?
What other options did you consider?
What makes you say that?

⇶ Wrap up with next steps

Make sure everyone is aligned on expectations (“Can you recap what we’re doing moving forward?”)
How will you follow up on this area in the future? (Put on your list to check back in X time or schedule a meeting to follow up after next event: “Here’s how I plan on following up with you…”)