Micro-Feedback
Don’t save feedback for quarterly reviews. Small, continuous loops change behaviour faster.
Michael BatkoFramework · tested with 300+ foundersWhat it is
Micro-Feedback is the practice of giving small, specific, continuous feedback instead of saving it for formal reviews. A quick word after a meeting, a two-line Slack message, a five-minute debrief - tiny loops that keep people on track and growing in real time.
Why it matters
Formal feedback systems are broken. By the time quarterly review season arrives, you’ve forgotten half of what happened, the other person can’t remember the context, and the feedback feels stale. Worse, you’ve let weeks or months pass where someone was doing something wrong and nobody told them. Micro-Feedback makes feedback a daily habit, not a quarterly event.
How to use it
The format is deliberately simple. After any interaction worth commenting on, share your observation within 24 hours. Use this structure: “I noticed [specific thing]. The impact was [what happened]. Next time, you might try [suggestion].” Or for positive feedback: “I noticed [specific thing]. It was brilliant because [why it mattered].” Keep it under a minute. The speed and specificity are what make it land. Don’t wait for the “right moment” - the right moment is now.
My experience with it
I learnt this the hard way. Early in my leadership journey, I’d store up feedback and deliver it all at once in a big, formal conversation. It was overwhelming for the other person and ineffective for me. When I switched to micro-feedback - tiny, immediate, specific - the change was dramatic. People improved faster because they could connect the feedback to the moment. And because it was small and frequent, it never felt like a big deal. It was just how we worked.
Try this today
After your next meeting, send one piece of micro-feedback to someone who was in it. One thing they did well, or one thing they could try differently. Keep it to two sentences. Do this once a day for a week and watch how it changes the quality of your conversations.
