The Magic Ratio of Positive & Negative Feedback. As Supervisors & Managers, we always want to help our teams to improve by giving help & advice. However, the way we give feedback can actually have the opposite effect. According to Nobel Prize-winning scientist Daniel Kahneman, humans experience approximately 20,000 moments everyday, defined as a few seconds which our brain records as an experience. Scientists have proposed that our brains keep track of positive & negative moments & that a running tally in our mind determines our overall mood.

1. The Magic Ratio of Positive &
Negative Feedback
As Supervisors & Managers, we always want to help our teams to improve by
giving help & advice. However, the way we give feedback can actually have the
opposite effect.
According to Nobel Prize-winning scientist Daniel Kahneman, humans
experience approximately 20,000 moments everyday, defined as a few seconds
which our brain records as an experience. Scientists have proposed that our
brains keep track of positive & negative moments & that a running tally in our
mind determines our overall mood.
Researcher John Gottman showed that in order to overcome a negative
interaction or comment, humans need at least 5 positive interactions. He called
this the Magic Ratio of 5:1.
What does all this mean for Supervisors & Managers? Teams need positive
encouragement & feedback to keep them motivated & connected before they
receive a critique of their work.
5 Tips for Giving Improvement Feedback:
1. Avoid giving feedback when emotions are running high
2. Use if … then … statements
3. Ask for permission to give feedback
4. Give any critical comments privately

2. 5. Surround people with encouraging feedback to cushion the improvement
feedback & maintain motivation
How Full Is Your Bucket?
Donald O. Clifton & Tom Rath proposed a bucket and dipper metaphor of looking
at positive & negative interactions in their book How Full Is Your Bucket. Imagine
that you have a bucket that gets filled with positive experiences, such as
recognition or praise. On the other hand, when you are negative towards others,
you are using a dipper to remove positive experiences from their bucket. When
you treat others in a positive way, you fill not only their buckets, but your own as
well.
What Can You Do to Be a Bucket-Filler?
1. Stop bucket dipping. Think about whether you are giving positive or negative
feedback & work toward a ratio of five positives to one negative
2. Focus on the positive & reinforce good behavior. Focus on the strengths of
your team & what they are doing right, rather than where they need to make
improvements
3. Make good connections with the team. People with strong work-based
relationships are generally more positive & perform at a higher level
4. Give unexpectedly. Most people prefer rewards or a gift that is a surprise
5. Reverse the Golden Rule. Instead of Do unto others as you would have them
do unto you, try Do unto others as they would have you do unto them
Get Your Team Involved
Encourage your team to be bucket fillers! Team members can praise each other
& give compliments, & help each other out. Even better if you help out a
colleague without being asked first!