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One of the most popular and effective ways to give feedback is the Start, Stop, Continue model. This feedback model involves identifying what someone needs to start doing (start), what they need to stop doing (stop), and what they need to continue doing (continue).
Start, Stop, and Continue is popular because it is concise and makes it easy to give – and receive – feedback when working with a team, business, or project. It is also effective because it guides the person giving the feedback to focus on the positive (start) and the areas for improvement (stop and continue) separately. This can help prevent the person receiving the feedback from feeling overwhelmed or defensive.
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Start, Stop, Continue feedback is a simple but effective tool for reflection, constructive feedback, and improvement. The basic premise is that you take a step back and reflect on what you are to start doing (start), what you should stop doing (stop), and what you should continue doing (continue). It's also a great framework for formulating start-stop-continue questions to guide discussions and gain insights.
The Start, Stop, Continue retrospective addresses three critical areas for optimum performance.
As a team member, you need to focus on or begin these behaviors immediately to improve performance on assigned tasks.
Examples of questions to guide you:
"What do I need to start doing to hit my deadlines?"
"What should I do to better contribute in team meetings?"
As a team member, you also need to focus on actions or behaviors that need to be eliminated as they negatively impact performance or do not add any value to your work.
Examples of questions to guide you:
"What do I need to stop to better align with the company values?"
"Which behavior do I need to cut to better connect with my team members?
These are the behaviors and actions that you have implemented and need to keep up with as the adds value to your work performance.
Examples of questions to guide you:
"At the team level, where do I shine the best?"
"Is there a sales technique that brings in customers?"
The Start, Stop, Continue brainchild is Dr. Phil Daniels, a psychology professor.
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Feedback is important in a workplace because it lets employees know what they are doing well and what needs improvement. It also allows managers to see how their employees perform their responsibilities and identify areas where they may need additional training or support.
Many managers struggle with giving feedback because they feel uncomfortable, despite knowing this can improve a team's performance. This may be due to a leadership weakness, not wanting to pass along negative feedback, or simply a lack of proper training on how t offer feedback in a way that helps direct reports take concrete action.
However, great feedback improves communication, builds trust, nurtures new ideas, increases performance, offers actionable insights, and can be a great tool for problem-solving.
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The Start, Stop Continue is meant for teams. This is because it requires the input of more than one team member to get actionable feedback. Whereas there is no upper limit on the number of team members who can engage in this exercise, a team leader needs to limit the amount of feedback or the number of people involved to something manageable to increase performance.
Unlike 360-degree feedback, this feedback is not anonymous, and query answers are known to all participants.
The most important point is this: it's essential to come up with start, stop, and continue ideas that foster open communication and drive team improvement.
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Since it is used to provide feedback, it is best used by managers, business leaders, performance evaluators, and teams. That said, individuals can also deploy it to continuously improve.
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When incorporated as part of a team's core activities, it has the following benefits:
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There are a few disadvantages to using the Start, Stop, Continue change model.
First, deciding which behavior to target for change can be difficult. This is because human behavior is not linear.
Second, getting people to start or stop doing a behavior can be difficult, even when a behavior is targeted. This is because changing human behavior is difficult and often takes time.
Finally, this model does not always lead to sustained changes in behavior over time.
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This feedback model can be used in several different situations, including:
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As a manager, you can use the Start, Stop, Continue template to offer actionable feedback to a team and avoid a negative impact. For best results, do the following:
Once you have laid the groundwork, use a whiteboard and create three columns: Start, Stop, and Continue. Ask team members to write down what needs to start, stop, and continue, and then place a sticky note in the appropriate column.
For best results, ensure that each team member has three votes. Once team members have placed their sticky notes on the appropriate column, review what's in each. You can then discuss the results with the team.
Once an agreement is reached, assign responsibilities and deadlines to implement resolutions on time.
As an employee, you can request Start, Stop, and Continue feedback from your managers. To do so effectively, do the following:
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There are several good Start, Stop, Continue examples, but ut in this article we want to focus on sustaining a positive work environment and achieving personal goals. Here are examples of Start, Stop, Continue exercises to use, especially when providing start-stop-continue feedback examples for employees:
As a manager, creating a positive work environment means maintaining an action-oriented team. This is because team members feel safe exercising their creativity. A feedback template can look as below:
Assuming that you want to improve your Google Sheet skills over a six-month period, you can create your own Start, Stop, Continue feedback to streamline the process.
For example, rather than go on a crash course that might overwhelm you, your Start, Stop, Continue template can look like this:
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There's no one answer to this question – it depends on the company, its culture, and what's happening. However, Start, Stop, and Continue feedback should be given relatively frequently – perhaps quarterly, annually, or when you complete a project.
This way, employees receive timely feedback that can help them improve continuously.
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Do you struggle with carrying out a feedback exercise?
If so, you are not alone. A survey done by the Harvard Business Review established that up to 44% of managers struggle with giving feedback.
Reasons may range from a lack of confidence, avoiding confrontation, not wanting to give negative feedback, or simply a lack of training.
Coaching for executives and leaders will be helpful if your goal is to improve your team's success; reach out today for a solution.
Good Start, Stop, Continue examples for teams focus on enhancing collaboration and efficiency. Teams should start implementing regular team-building exercises and using effective communication tools. They should stop working in isolation and overlooking team feedback. It's essential to continue with practices like weekly meetings and celebrating achievements.
I'd want my peers to continue their practice of open communication and consistently sharing feedback and insights, which fosters a collaborative and transparent work environment.
Your company should start embracing new technologies and continuous training. Continue upholding employee feedback and teamwork. Stop practices that limit open communication or curb innovation.
Start scheduling regular one-on-one meetings.
Start providing real-time feedback on tasks.
Start offering tailored professional development opportunities.
Start promoting open-door policies for spontaneous discussions.
Start recognizing individual achievements in team meetings.
