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Deliver Incisive Feedback – What Yoga Can Teach Us

One of the most useful skills in business is the ability to give feedback to another person in such a way that it offers them a useful perspective about something they have said or done. Based on the raised awareness delivered through the feedback, they have the opportunity to make different choices about what they might say or do in the future, in order to get a more consistent, or a different, outcome. In this article we explore the component parts of what makes for really incisive feedback.

A few weeks ago I joined a new yoga class that was recommended by a friend. I went along initially because the timings suited me better than the class I had been attending (on a sporadic basis!) for several months. I was interested in my reaction when a friend asked me which class I preferred. I have thought about it for a few weeks. See if you can work out what my response would be now ...

I have been attending my old class for a number of months now.

It lasts an hour and takes place in a rather grand room in an old abbey building. We’re a small group – usually only three or four, and often the same folk, yet I don’t think the instructor knows my name. I can’t remember hers either! It feels transitory for me, as if, should I stop going, nobody would notice or care. That hour passes quickly, and I often feel within my body that I would like it to go on longer.

We focus a great deal on breathing in this class, and the instructor is excellent at telling us when to inhale, and when to exhale. She incorporates these instructions into every pose, which I find incredibly useful. There is no doubt in my mind that, when I get the breathing right, I am able to work deeper into each movement, stretching further and maintaining stronger balance. I like the way she creates sequences of poses that flow into each other, especially when the moves are more dynamic, because it helps me keep the momentum going. It is important to me to feel as if my yoga session is offering a ‘workout’ as well as a stretch. By this, I mean that I want to be able to know the next morning that I practised yoga the day before ... to feel a pleasant ache in a particular part of my body that tells me I worked beyond what I would get from normal day-to-day activities such as walking, or climbing stairs.

I enjoy some of the phrases this instructor uses.

For example, when we do a twist around to one side, or a back bend, ‘try to get something new in your view’ is a graphic way of telling me how I can measure the extent to which I am twisting or bending. It encourages me to push gently further and challenge myself just a little more. It is important to me to feel that I am progressing, for example that this week I can hold the ‘tree’ position for more than a few seconds, whereas last week I couldn’t make it work and chose the ‘softer’ option.

My new class is a bigger group.

Usually 12-15 people, and the instructor knows all our names. The poses do not always flow into each other, but we spend a good deal of time on each one, making small adjustments until we all get it right. I find it makes a huge difference when I know I am in precisely the correct position – I can feel it’s right. I pay a lot of attention to that detail in these classes, because I know Margaret will correct me, calling out my name and telling me exactly what I need to do! Furthermore, she encourages us to find these adjustments and distinctions for ourselves because then we are more likely to remember them in future. She knows and uses anatomical terms (I sometimes have to think hard about what is connected to what, and after the first session I had to remind myself where my sacrum is!). She also weaves in appropriate phrases that tell me what I need to do when I’m in the pose (although they may not make sense otherwise) ‘Roll the thighs from the outside in’.

I would value from Margaret more consistent direction about breathing

I like to be told when to exhale and inhale during the sessions. Otherwise I tend to forget about it, and I wonder how that affects my ability to get the most from each pose. It has made me realise how much I rely on the instructor for this, because it still doesn’t feel intuitive for me.

Margaret practises yoga every day for a couple of hours in the morning, as well as the classes she takes and it shows in her command of the postures and extreme suppleness! I feel very safe in her instruction. She clearly offers these classes out of a love and extreme dedication to the practice of yoga.

The Structure of Incisive Feedback

If I were to give feedback to each of these instructors, there would be some key components I would include:

Presuppose my opinion is valid, and that what I have to say has the potential to help them make different or more consistent choices (if they want to) about how they conduct the class.
Share my specific observations about what works for me and what does not. It’s not very helpful to say that was a good class or I really enjoyed that. In order to take action (which includes being more consistent at what they already do well) the instructor will need to know specifically what makes the difference for me.
Give examples, where appropriate. This reinforces the point above about being specific.
Link it back to what is important to me. This gives the instructor an opportunity to consider whether what is important to me fits with what they want to deliver for the class. For example, it’s important to me to be told when to inhale and exhale. The instructor might take the view that if I am struggling with that, then others may be too. This may cause them to include more instruction. Or they may be of the opinion that this is something we should discover by experimenting for ourselves, with minimal instruction. Or they may make a different choice entirely. The key thing here is that it offers the instructor new options and more choice about how to teach the class.
Retain ownership of my observations and comments, without being too wed to them. I aim to be true to myself when I share feedback, and respectful of whether or not my comments resonate with the person I share them with. What I share is with good intent, and it’s entirely up to the recipient what they do with it.

So finally, on the subject of which class do I prefer? Well, it’s impossible for me to choose, and I shall continue to attend both because they each give me something of value.

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