Y05W31RC Kind Feedback Out Loud

This week, you are focusing on how to give feedback that is kind and useful. In this reading, you will see how people can notice strengths, offer one respectful suggestion and keep the conversation positive. Watch for the words that make the feedback feel helpful.

Practical / transactional — Email/letter thread

An email or letter thread is a set of written messages sent back and forth about one topic. Writers use this kind of text to communicate clearly, respond to ideas and keep track of what happens next. You will often see subject lines, greetings, message bodies, sign-offs and replies that build on earlier messages in order. In this kind of writing, both the information and the tone matter. As you read, you should follow who is writing to whom, notice how each reply responds to the last one and pay attention to how suggestions are expressed politely.

Before You Read

  • Read the subject line and notice that the messages will probably be about giving feedback on a piece of work.
  • Think about how feedback is easier to hear when it includes what is already working as well as one helpful next step.
  • Get ready to follow a short chain of messages where each email has a different job.

While You Read

  • Keep track of the order of the emails so you can see how the conversation develops from request to response to next step.
  • Pay attention to greetings, sign-offs and polite phrases, because they help show the tone of each message.
  • Notice where the writer gives two positives and where the one wish appears.
  • When you read the suggestion, look closely at how it is phrased so it sounds constructive rather than harsh.
  • Use the subject line and the changing messages as reading aids to see what stays the same and what moves forward.

Read With Purpose

  • Notice the words that make the feedback sound respectful and encouraging.
  • Pay attention to how the two positives and one wish are organised.
  • Watch for how helpful feedback leads to a clear next step.

Now read

The email thread

~3 min read · ~325 words

Subject: Feedback on the Poster Draft

Email 1

From: Maya

To: Eli

Hi Eli,

I have finished a first draft of our poster for the lunchtime clean-up campaign. Could you please read it and tell me what is working well and what I could improve before we print it?

I am trying to make it clear, friendly and easy to notice from a distance. I am not sure whether the heading is strong enough, and I wonder if the instructions are a bit crowded in the middle.

Thanks for helping.

From, Maya

Email 2

From: Eli

To: Maya

Hi Maya,

Thanks for sending your draft. I think you have already done some strong work on it.

My first positive is the heading. ‘Keep Our Playground Bright’ is short, clear and easy to remember. It gives the poster a positive feeling straight away.

My second positive is your colour choice. The blue title and green boxes match the clean-up idea, and the large bin icon helps the reader understand the topic quickly.

My wish is about the middle section. At the moment, the instructions are all close together, so a reader might miss one step. I suggest turning that part into three short points, such as where to meet, what to bring and when to start. That would make the poster easier to follow.

Overall, your message is kind and encouraging. It sounds like an invitation, not a demand, which suits a school poster very well.

From, Eli

Email 3

From: Maya

To: Eli

Hi Eli,

Thank you for the thoughtful feedback. Your two positives helped me see what to keep, and your wish was very specific, so I knew exactly what to revise.

I am going to keep the heading, leave the colours as they are and change the middle section into three short points. After that, I will print one new copy and show it to Ms Patel for a final check.

Thanks again for being so helpful.

From, Maya

Check your vocabulary knowledge

draft n.
an early version before the final copy
crowded adj.
packed too closely together
specific adj.
clear and exact
suggest v.
put forward an idea to help
revise v.
improve something by changing it