The value of being able to deliver effective feedback can’t be understated. It’s one of, if not the most important skills that you can develop and there are lots of feedback methods out there.
Unfortunately, one that has become most popularised is also one that can be very problematic and actually cause more harm than good.
It’s called the shit sandwich and even if you haven’t heard it called by that name, you almost certainly know about the methodology.
As a result, you may even be using it without realising because it’s rooted in making feedback easier to deliver for a manager, not in making it easier to receive.
The thing is, whilst it is generally a feedback method that you should avoid, there are some limited instances where it’s useful. We’ll explore these too.
What is the shit sandwich feedback method?
First things first, what is the shit sandwich method?
Here is a visualisation of how a conversation goes when you use it.
Essentially, you start the conversation by saying something positive to the individual.
Then you follow this up with the negative or not so positive feedback.
Finally, you finish up by saying something positive.
Sound or feel familiar? The chances are that you’ve either delivered feedback in this way or you’ve received feedback in this way.
Some managers aren’t even consciously aware that they are using this feedback method.
As mentioned earlier, it’s a method that favours the thoughts and feelings of the person delivering the feedback, rather than the one receiving it.
This is because by surrounding the difficult feedback with something positive, it can feel easier to deliver.
But as you may have guessed, there are a lot of problems with this method.
Problems with the shit sandwich feedback method
There are a fair few, but let’s take a look at the biggest ones.
Negativity bias means that the positive feedback is forgotten
The vast majority of us experience something called negativity bias which basically means that our brains are more likely to remember (and keep thinking about) negative things than positive things.
In this context, it means that we’re much more likely to remember and focus on the one piece of negative feedback than the two positive pieces of feedback.
As a result, the positive feedback pretty much becomes pointless. So whilst it may make you feel better about delivering the feedback, the way that it’s received is far from effective.
Over time, this can mean that an individual rarely remembers or thinks about the positive feedback that they receive because it’s always delivered alongside negative feedback which their minds can’t help but focus on the most.
It becomes obvious what you’re doing
It doesn’t take long for this feedback method to become pretty obvious because the structure is so consistent and clear to see.
As a result, when you start by saying something positive, the individual is likely to be thinking things along the lines of “okay here comes the negative feedback” or “just get on with it, I know something negative is coming.”
This not only makes the positive feedback ineffective, as mentioned earlier, but it can also mean that you lose credibility as a manager. It becomes obvious that you’re trying to sugar coat negative feedback with positive feedback and the whole conversation feels a bit performative.
Ultimately, this can also mean that the negative feedback isn’t processed effectively either.
It doesn’t allow for deeper, complex feedback to be delivered
The nature of the shit sandwich feedback method means that you deliver the negative feedback amongst a couple of bits of positive feedback. This means that the conversation has various parts to it, before finishing on something positive.
As a result, you will find it difficult to incorporate feedback that is quite complex or requires some back and forth conversation. If you do deliver this kind of feedback within the structure of the shit sandwich, it can feel a bit weird and even disingenuous to then “tag on” the positive feedback at the end.
The shit sandwich method means that the feedback delivered needs to be fairly specific, short and to the point. In which case, there are various other methods that can be used that are far more effective.
When is the shit sandwich feedback method appropriate to use?
Having said all of the above, I should be honest in that whilst it’s generally not a very effective method for delivering feedback, there are some limited times when it can be used.
Delivering simple feedback to less experienced team members
If you need to deliver some simple, but perhaps tricky feedback to someone who is early in their career and may need a bit of balance with positive feedback, then it can be useful.
I’d encourage you to limit how often you use it and perhaps not keep the structure of the conversation too rigid. For example, rather than starting and finishing with positive feedback, you just do one of each.
For a more junior team member, they may need a bit of positive feedback shared with negative feedback and are less likely to recognise that you’re using the shit sandwich method.
When you’re being open about what you’re doing (and the feedback is minor)
The other time when the shit sandwich method can be useful is when you’re actually very open about what you’re doing. This works best with more experienced team members who trust you and who you have a strong relationship with.
For example, you can be really open about the fact that you have some good feedback for them, along with some not so good feedback.
Instead of structuring the conversation in a way that tries to almost hide the mix of feedback, you can be open about it so that they know what to expect.
Experienced team members are more likely to be okay with this and will appreciate the honesty in the fact that you’re not trying to cover anything up.
At the same time, I still wouldn’t recommend using the method for complex or very serious feedback, even with experienced team members. It’s best for relatively simple and non-controversial feedback.
More effective feedback methods
So overall, despite the rare instances when the shit sandwich may be okay to use, I’d still steer you strongly towards other feedback methods that are on the whole, far more effective and likely to help you.
In summary, I’d recommend:
- SBIA feedback which is useful for feedback that is about specific, recent situations.
- 30% and 90% feedback which is useful for concrete projects and deliverables.
- Start, stop, continue feedback which is useful for delivering feedback on someone’s behaviours.
