Feedback is a juxtapositional paradigm:
One-on-one feedback is one of the most sought after, yet least desired communications from athletes.
Studies demonstrate that the vast majority of adults & professionals do not actually want to be critiqued.
Feedback is a powerful tool when it is appropriated by a genuinely vested coach for a genuinely vested athlete.
Feedback is effective and productive when it is administrated within a Growth Mindset environment.
It is common by leaders to claim "Growth Mindset" and to actually implement & carry out "Fixed Mindset". 
CLICK ME TO LEARN MORE ON KEYS TO 1-on-1 FEEDBACK
TWO-WAY INFORMATION FLOW - The athlete participates, and the meeting is a conversation with both coach & athlete listening & speaking. 

ACTIONABLE DELIVERABLES - The end of the feedback is some process for proceeding to help coach and/or athlete improve.  This is typically the Individualized Development Action Plan (IDAP).

SAFE & COMFORTABLE ENVIRONMENT - Receiving and providing feedback can be innately uncomfortable.  It is important that safe environment is set that advocates for honesty, support, and empowerment.  Do not be "soft" in your approach, but if you abuse your authoritative power as coach to intentionally intimidate - you are WRONG.

PERSPECTIVE & HUMILITY - The coach may be wrong, is likely wrong in his/her assessment and the coach should point this out and acknowledge this to the athlete.  The coach assessment should NOT DEFINE the player.  The athlete should be aware of this.

​This humility is regarded as a starting point for assessing athletes.  Regardless of if the coach is right or wrong, our PERSPECTIVE (Club pillar of The WSA Way) requires us to consider that an important part of our Servant Character is Respecting feedback and leadership.  The athlete is required to maintain a perspective of openness towards feedback.  While the coach assessment may be off, a coach genuinely vested in helping an athlete produce their vision for themselves, will not deter an athlete's success. 

LISTEN, PROCESS, UNDERSTAND, LISTEN MORE - The most important component of a coach feedback might be the understanding the coach gains of the athlete through listening, and then trying to understand after processing the information.

AGREEMENT TO BECOME OFFENDED and TO NOT BE OFFENSIVE - Feedback cannot be construed honestly, in truth, unless all parties agree to become offended offended in process.  And inside this agreement all parties must remain unoffensive, never using intentional insult to construct a point.   The feedback meeting canNOT become an argument to win or be "right".  It can be a debate of ideas that do not agree.  And both perspectives require respect genuine effort to try to understand. 

HONEST & TRUTHFUL - Honesty is key to effective feedback.  Respecting and dignifying "Each Other" is the WSA Way.  Growth requires friction (WSA Core Value: Always Becoming).  Athlete and coach must enter the environment willing to grow, possibly to be offended, with an understanding they will not intentionally become offensive or insulting.   Likewise, the coach or athlete should not confer praise that is superficial or used to placate a difficult delivery of truth. 

FOLLOW UP - A feedback meeting should not be "the end" but a means towards a constant evolution of both player and coach.  One of the deliverables should be a timetable for a next "follow up" or a "checkpoint".  The process of Always Becoming (WSA Core Value), is ongoing. 

ACCOUNTABILITY AGREEMENT - Reach an understanding of the deliverables, through an agreement process. If no agreement can be made within the time allotted, then create a follow up to work towards an agreement.  Then WRITE THIS DOWN (can be a text, email, in the player app, or on a piece of paper).   
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NOTE: Even if there is not an understood agreement, write this down.  Record the outcome of the meeting, with hopefully an "action plan".  But even without an agreed to action plan, create some accountability to the effort made by athlete and coach.  This is a powerful tool that may be applied to future decisions, action plans, or thoughtfulness.  Ultimately the time invested is an effort to understand (hopefully agree) on a plan to advocate for the athlete's vision of who they want to become.  This is an important moment - record it.  
CLICK ME TO LEARN DESIRED OUTCOMES OF 1-on-1 FEEDBACK
The ideal outcomes for a 1-on-1 feedback meeting are:

BETTER UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN ATHLETE & COACH
LAUNCHING PAD FOR NEXT STEPS IN PROCESS OF BECOMING
IMPROVED FOCUS ON IDENTIFIED DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES
INSPIRED TO ACCEPT CHALLENGE TOWARDS CHASING YOUR BEST VERSION 

When the ideal outcomes are not rendered, this is OK and part of a process.  It is rare for the first of these meetings to produce the ideal outcomes listed above.  

WHAT IS DIGESTIVE TIME? 

The human body must take large clumps of food to break into smaller and smaller micronutrients before it can realize and absorb the effective nutrients so that they can be used.  The digestion process is not immediate. 

Similarly the coach or athlete must be allotted "digestive time" to realize the nuggets of shared information, possibly to process anything that might have offended, and to break down the information before it can be absorbed and processed.  

Leaving a feedback meeting without ideal outcomes does not render the meeting a wasted effort.  Failure is not fatal unless you quit.  The next steps might be a follow up meeting after both coach and athlete have had "digestion time". 
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