The Feedback Matrix

When giving feedback on someone’s work, most feedback falls into a simple two by two matrix.

One axis is agreement versus disagreement. The other axis is effort versus no effort.

Bottom left is the most common and mostly useless feedback. You agree and you suggest something that is missing. “This is good. Did you think about adding X?”

This kind of feedback feels helpful, but it usually is not. Ideas are cheap. You are pushing work back onto someone who has already done the work and probably already thought about that idea and decided not to include it. Sometimes it is fine, but most of the time it adds little value.

A step up is when you agree and you do the work. “This is good. Here is a sentence you can add.” Or a concrete image, sketch, calculation, or paragraph.

This is good feedback. You put in effort. You made the feedback actionable. You saved them time. If you are faster or better at a specific skill, design, math, writing, this can be genuinely helpful.

Another form of good feedback is when you disagree, but you do not do the work. “I think this part is wrong.” “I see a hole in this argument.” “I disagree with this assumption.”

This still has value. Disagreeing thoughtfully is harder than agreeing. If you are right, you are pointing out something important they may not have considered. You have not fixed it, but you have surfaced a real issue.

Great feedback is when you disagree and you do the work.

You point out what is wrong and you propose a better version. You rewrite the paragraph. You fix the logic. You sketch an alternative design. You show how you would approach the problem.

That is great feedback.

This framework applies to everything: Presentations. Writing. Code. Design. Math proofs. Data analysis. Product specs. Business strategy. Pricing models. Sales scripts. Marketing copy. Hiring decisions. UX flows. Architecture diagrams. Operating procedures. Checklists. Recipes. Photography composition. Sound mixing. Choreography. Yoga poses. Ballet movements. Weightlifting form. Climbing routes. Jiu jitsu positions. Parenting. Negotiation. Thinking.