There is such a thing as 'too much' feedback
There is such a thing as 'too much' feedback
It's not helpful to hear all the things you're doing wrong, all at once.
Over the weekend, I listened to an interview with the photographer Heather Hazzan. Known for her portraits of celebrities like Kieran Culkin, Billie Eilish and Pamela Anderson, Hazzan’s images are characterized by a casual intimacy that belies the scale and complexity of commercial photography.
On a typical shoot, there will usually be multiple people on set, including lighting directors, stylists, and make-up artists. On advertising assignments, there may also be several representatives from the brand or creative agency.
Using digital displays that are ‘tethered’ to the photographer’s camera, these people can review every shot and provide in-the-moment feedback: ‘Could we try a different angle?’; ‘What if we cropped a little closer?’; ‘Should we try a different lighting setup?’
This approach is great for giving the client a sense of control, but terrible for putting Hazzan’s subject at ease.
For this reason, Hazzan generally prefers to shoot with film, where this level of granular, instantaneous feedback is technically impossible:
‘What’s great about [shooting on film] is the PR can go away. Everybody can go away, and you’re left to have some actual intimate, connected moment with this person. […] They’re not seeing every single change that they make on the computer, and I think it allows for these people to really let down.’
What Hazzan is saying here is that too much feedback can hinder performance: it makes the model self-conscious; it disrupts the flow of what they’re doing; and it makes it harder to build a meaningful, personal connection.
I found this part of the interview striking because, in learning design, it’s widely held that more frequent feedback is always better.
Of course, the feedback in Hazzan’s case isn’t designed to facilitate learning, but to support performance. But it still got me wondering: is there such a thing as too much feedback in learning design?
A 2011 paper, published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, suggests that there might be. In the paper, the authors theorize that:
‘[…] feedback frequency will have a positive effect on learning and performance up to a certain point, but once feedback frequency reaches high levels, the cognitive demand on individuals to respond to and process feedback information becomes overwhelming. At high levels of feedback frequency, individuals’ cognitive resources are directed away from the task, thereby reducing task effort and ultimately interfering with learning and task performance.’
Like Hazzan’s subjects, who can feel overwhelmed by seeing their every pose reflected on screen, learners can only process so much feedback at a time. Check out Ross G’s deep dive on Cognitive Load for more on this.
For now though, here’s something to think about if you’re constructing feedback this week: how can you structure feedback to support meaningful improvement, without the learner feeling like they’re being judged by a committee?
Want to share your feedback on this issue? 😉
Then get in touch by contacting: custom@mindtools.com (or hit reply if you’re reading this in your inbox!)
🎧 On the podcast
In a first for The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, this week we handed hosting duties over to one of our clients! Matt Pleger, Organizational Development Consultant at UMass Memorial Health, asked us how we got started in L&D, why we do the podcast, and what our ‘L&D Hot Takes’ are.
In this instance, we’re describing a ‘Hot Take’ as something that is provocative and maybe has some truth to it.
Here’s Ross G’s ‘L&D Hot Take’:
‘Our industry is obsessed with creating ever more innovative ways to connect users to content, while giving almost no thought to the content itself. The reason for this is that content’s really expensive to create, whereas selling a learning platform offers high margins and infinite scalability.’
Do you agree?
‘L&D Hot Takes’ was one of the names we kicked about for this newsletter, and we’re thinking of doing something with this concept in the near future. If you have any to share, drop us a line!
You can hear the full show here:
You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify or the podcast page of our website. Want to share your thoughts? Get in touch @RossDickieMT, @RossGarnerMT or #MindToolsPodcast
📖 Deep dive
Last week, my L&D Dispatch colleague Ross Garner and Mind Tools Head of Research Gent Ahmetaj wrote an article for TrainingIndustry.com, outlining five ways that you can get closer to the needs of your learners.
Write Ross G and Gent:
‘Although it’s tempting to jump to training as a one-size-fits-all solution, the best way to maximize the impact of your learning intervention is to understand your employees’ performance needs: What do they need to perform in their roles, and what is currently getting in their way?’
Methods include surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations and what’s-known-as ‘digital exhausts’ (the data left behind when we click around the internet).
Ross G and Gent have spent two years working together to formalize Mind Tools’ approach to measuring impact, and this article reflects the lessons they’ve learned - both from those projects where measurement went well, and also those where it proved more difficult.
If you’re responsible for designing learning interventions, check it out and let the team know what you think!
Garner, R. and Ahmetaj, G. (2023). Your Learners Are Speaking: Are You Listening? TrainingIndustry.com.
👹 Missing links
🕵️ Can diversity intiatives get in the way of equity and inclusion?
In this LinkedIn post, Rob Briner gives his take on a paper from Hellerstedt, Uman and Wennberg (2022), arguing that focusing on one thing (diversity) can cause harm to other things (equity and inclusion). It’s a timely reminder that learning interventions can make things worse, not just better, and that not doing something is a reasonable outcome when we kick off the discovery phase of a new workplace learning project.
🦹🏻♀️ Disinformation isn’t a game… until now!
Ever looked at a misleading headline, manipulated image or antagonistic meme and thought: 'Hey, I could do that!'? Well now you can! The game Cat Park, funded by the US Government, gives you a 15-minute window into life as a disinformation specialist. It's a fun way to learn how disinformation spreads, and what we can all do to prevent it. Or it might be Government propoganda to manipulate the minds of children, depending on your political leanings.
🤖 Meet Robby the Robot, your friend-and-colleague
Back in 2013, researchers Carl Frey and Michael Osborne predicted that 47% of jobs in the United States were at 'high risk' of automation. But what we've seen in the UK, since then, is rising employment and the creation of new jobs - suggesting we should focus less on defeating the robots, and more on re-training for a robot-filled world.
And finally…
Here’s something to keep you focused this week: ASMR, the Blade Runner edition! Seven hours of beautiful looping sci-fi noise. Enjoy!
👍 Thanks!
Thanks for reading The L&D Dispatch from Mind Tools! If you’d like to speak to us, work with us, or make a suggestion, you can get in touch @RossDickieMT, @RossGarnerMT or email custom@mindtools.com.
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