Feedback is super important. Giving and receiving feedback creates room for improvements and can clear the sky after a storm. Setting up regular 360 degree feedback cycles are even better as the feedback you receive gives you a complete pictures. Feedback from your boss, your colleagues and your team members might vary greatly.

Many organizations already use the 360 degree feedback tool. It’s usually set up once a year and although more would be better the HR department responsible for organizing it for every employee can’t handle more, especially in big organizations.

This is where the practice of 360 Degree Dinner steps in. It’s a shortcut to the standardized 360 degree feedback and can be made into a common practice for your team throughout the year.

How to apply the 360 Degree Dinner practice?

Invite your team to a nice dinner. Team dinners are always a good idea to strengthen ties and increase motivation. Let them know in advance this will be a special 360 Degree Feedback Dinner.

During the meal you will then give each other feedback. You, as the team lead, will start and invite everyone to evaluate your performance, your behavior and everything else they’d like to comment on. Make sure to thank everyone for their honest and valuable feedback. Keep in mind: Both, receiving but also giving feedback can be hard, especially if it’s uncomfortable feedback.

The 360 Degree Dinner is a beautiful practice to learn more about yourself and the people on your team. It brings up issues, which need to be discussed but leaves room for a better understanding as the person who is given feedback can ask for clarification.

Try out this practice in combination with the Feedback Wrap and let us know how your dinner experience went. To learn more read about the Better Feedback Module.

360 Dinner for distributed remote teams

Celebrating dinner parties with remote teams is easier than you think. Everyone just has to bring their own nibbles and drinks. Start with an icebreaker to get everyone in a great mood. Make sure everyone has their webcam switched on and shares their thoughts as they would do while sitting around a table together.