Why 'Giving and Receive Feedback' is Trending (and Courses to Help You Upskill)

Online learning continues to surge globally with 3X the number of professionals using LinkedIn Learning in April versus February. When we looked into the skills our members were learning, we saw an interesting one rise in popularity: Feedback -- how to give and receive it.

Now, it’s no secret that this is an important skill to have in order to be successful in your career. In fact, when managers provide performance feedback to employees, those employees are 2x more likely to believe that they can meet their personal career goals, according to recently released Glint data. 

Why might this skill be even more important to master now? Many of us are in a virtual workplace and have lost some of the natural interactions and feedback loops that tend to happen in the office. Giving and receiving both positive and constructive feedback in the right way can go a long way towards keeping people engaged and motivated.

Interestingly, we found that while first time managers are taking these courses at the highest rates, we also see a lot of individual contributors diving into this content. Giving and receiving feedback training is not exclusive to people managers -- all levels within an organization can benefit from it.

Here are four training courses that can help you give and receive feedback, free through June 30th: 

1. Giving and Receiving Feedback

All professionals are trying to get better at what they do. No matter where you work, or what your role, the only way to improve is with feedback. Giving—and receiving—feedback is a skill that's relevant to every member of an organization.

Watch this course to learn how to give and receive high-quality feedback. Whether it's with peers, managers, colleagues, team members, friends, or family, the same principles apply across the board. 

Author Gemma Leigh Roberts shows how to:

•  Give effective feedback

• Ask for feedback

• Use the responses you receive as a tool to improve personal performance

These tips will help lead you into a cycle of continuous development, and a growth mindset that can help propel your career and your relationships forward.

2. A Toolkit for Giving and Receiving Better Feedback

At every stage of your career and in every professional role, feedback is tricky. Giving it in such a way that it’s accurate, openly received, and effective. Taking it in without unnecessary anxiety or defensiveness. 

But regardless of your role, having a coach in your corner is an invaluable asset. This course teaches you how to give and receive feedback in ways that benefit the professional growth of the individual and the organization, leading to more creativity and innovation. 

Instructors like Tim Harford, the “Undercover Economist,” and Harvard Law lecturer Sheila Heen, explain how you can coach others effectively, give unbiased and useful feedback, and understand feedback as essential to growth. 

3. How to Give and Receive Useful Feedback Every Month

The current feedback model is broken. Most employees don’t feel that their annual review is fair or accurate. 

Craig Dowden exposes gaps in common performance review practices and presents an empowering alternative approach everybody can use–no matter where you work—in this course adapted from the podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job. In this course, you'll learn: 

• What not to do when delivering feedback

• How to transition from feedback provider to feedback facilitator

• How to do a monthly “do-it-yourself” performance review and its various fundamental benefits

• Why more progressive organizations are separating raises, promotions, and compensation from performance review conversations and are moving toward a check-in type of process

4. Delivering Employee Feedback

As a manager, you’re charged with helping your employees stretch and grow their skills. This is largely accomplished via the feedback you provide. 

In this course,  author Todd Dewett helps you learn how to:

• Create a culture driven by meaningful feedback 

• Deliver coaching and suggestions to help employees move forward

• Discover the characteristics of helpful feedback 

• Learn about different feedback types

• How to adequately prepare before delivering feedback

• How to refocus difficult employee reactions

Learn more about courses available to help you and your career—and stay tuned to find out the trending skill next week and the courses to help you learn them.