Feedforward: Turning Future-Focused Feedback into Growth

When development conversations stall in defensiveness and past mistakes, the feedforward technique gives managers a structured way to redirect those conversa…

Topic: People Management

Why It Matters

How many performance conversations begin in the wrong place? A manager identifies a gap, a missed target, or a behaviour that needs to change, and the natural instinct is to explain what went wrong and why it should have been handled differently. The problem is that past events cannot be changed. What can be changed is what happens next, and that is precisely where most conversations fail to focus.

The result is a predictable dynamic. The manager talks; the recipient listens defensively. Explanations become justifications. Even when the conversation ends cordially, very little changes. The feedback cycle repeats itself, session after session, because it keeps pointing at the same wall.

Feedforward is a technique designed to break this pattern. Rather than reviewing past performance, it asks managers and colleagues to offer specific, future-focused suggestions. It replaces "here is what you did wrong" with "here is something you might try." The shift sounds modest. In practice, it fundamentally changes the quality of the conversation and the likelihood that something useful comes out of it.

Before reading further, consider whether any of these situations sound familiar. Do your development conversations tend to rehearse the same issues without producing lasting change? Do team members become visibly guarded when performance is raised, even in a coaching context? Have you noticed that the people most in need of development are often the least receptive when you try to address it directly? If any of these resonate, this technique is worth your attention.

Origin and Underlying Logic

The feedforward technique was developed by Marshall Goldsmith, an executive coach known for his work on leadership behaviour change. Goldsmith introduced the concept as a counterpoint to traditional feedback, which he observed was structurally biased toward the past and often generated more defensiveness than development. The principle is simple: people can change the future but cannot change the past, so the more useful conversation is the one focused on what could be done differently going forward.

The underlying logic draws on established principles from behavioural psychology and coaching practice. Feedback triggers a threat response in many recipients, particularly when the content touches on competence or identity. Feedforward sidesteps this by positioning suggestions as possibilities rather than verdicts. The receiver is not being told what they did wrong; they are being offered options for what they might try. This shift in framing reduces defensiveness, increases receptivity, and makes it significantly more likely that the suggestion will be acted upon.

Feedforward sits within a broader tradition of strengths-based and solution-focused approaches to development, and shares conceptual ground with frameworks such as appreciative enquiry and the GROW coaching model. It is not a replacement for all forms of feedback; it is a tool for the specific challenge of turning development conversations into productive forward movement.

Structure and Application

The basic structure of feedforward is deliberately simple. A manager or colleague identifies a skill, behaviour, or goal they want to develop, then asks one or more people for two specific suggestions they could try in the future to improve in that area. The person receiving the suggestions listens, says thank you, and does not comment, defend, or debate what has been offered. That is the entire exchange.

The no-debate rule is central to how the technique works. It removes the evaluative dynamic that typically derails development conversations. When a suggestion cannot be argued with or pushed back on, it can only be considered. This changes the cognitive posture of the recipient from defensive to reflective, which is the state in which learning is most likely to take hold.

Feedforward can be applied in a variety of formats. In one-to-one settings, a manager might use it to open a coaching conversation or to close a performance review by shifting the focus from assessment to forward planning. In group settings, Goldsmith's original format involves participants circulating around the room to collect suggestions from multiple colleagues in rapid succession, generating a rich set of ideas in a short time. It can also be embedded into team retrospectives, peer development sessions, or structured mentoring conversations.

The technique works at the individual and team level. It is most effective when the development goal is specific enough to generate actionable suggestions. Vague goals produce vague suggestions. The more clearly the individual can articulate what they are trying to improve, the more useful the feedforward they receive. Visually, feedforward is a conversation structure rather than a matrix or diagram. It can be supported with a simple one-page template capturing the development goal, the suggestions received, and the single action the recipient commits to taking.

As a quick-start step: identify one specific skill or behaviour you want to develop and ask two people whose judgement you trust for two concrete suggestions they would offer if they were in your position. Listen without responding, note what you hear, and choose one suggestion to act on before your next check-in. What you are likely to notice is that the act of listening without defending changes not just the conversation, but your relationship with the suggestion itself. What it will not yet tell you is how to structure the goal clearly enough to make the suggestions genuinely useful, or what to do when the people you ask do not know you well enough to offer meaningful input. Those questions are addressed in the deep dive.

FAQ

The following questions reflect what managers most commonly ask when they first encounter this technique.

Q: What is the feedforward technique?
A: Feedforward is a development technique created by executive coach Marshall Goldsmith. Instead of reviewing past performance, it focuses entirely on the future: participants identify a skill or behaviour they want to develop, then ask for specific suggestions about what they could try differently going forward. The no-debate rule means suggestions are listened to and thanked for, not argued with or discussed in the moment.

Q: How is feedforward different from feedback?
A: Feedback refers to past events and asks what happened and how it could have been handled better. Feedforward refers to the future and asks what could be tried next time. The distinction matters because past events cannot be changed, and evaluation of past performance often triggers defensiveness that blocks learning. Feedforward bypasses that defensiveness by framing suggestions as possibilities rather than verdicts.

Q: Does feedforward replace feedback altogether?
A: No. Feedforward is a complementary tool for specific situations, not a replacement for all forms of feedback. There are circumstances where a direct review of past performance is necessary, particularly in formal appraisals or when a serious issue needs to be addressed clearly. Feedforward works best when the goal is development and behaviour change, rather than accountability or documentation.

Q: How do I know if feedforward is right for my situation?
A: The technique is most useful when you are working toward a specific development goal, when previous feedback conversations have produced more defensiveness than change, or when you want to shift a team's culture toward more constructive, forward-focused dialogue. If you are handling a conduct issue, a formal performance process, or a situation that requires documented accountability, feedforward alone is not the right tool.

Q: Does feedforward work for experienced or senior people, or just for those earlier in their careers?
A: It works particularly well for senior and experienced people, for precisely the reason that makes feedback harder at that level. The more accomplished someone is, the more vulnerable they can feel to evaluation, and the more likely they are to have well-practised defences. Feedforward sidesteps this entirely, which is one reason Goldsmith developed it in the context of executive coaching rather than entry-level development programmes.