Most people freeze when they open a 360 feedback form. They want to be honest, but they do not want to be the reason someone has a bad week. So they default to vague, safe comments like "great teammate" or "could improve communication." That kind of feedback helps no one. The person reading it learns nothing, and the time you spent writing it is wasted.
The good news: being honest and being kind are not in conflict. You just need a better approach.
Start With What You Actually Observed
The biggest mistake people make in 360 feedback is writing about personality traits instead of behaviors. "She is disorganized" is a judgment. "In the last two project kickoffs, the requirements doc was not ready until two days after the meeting" is an observation. One puts someone on the defensive. The other gives them something they can actually change.
Before you write anything, think of two or three specific moments from the review period. What happened? What did the person do? What was the result? Ground every piece of feedback in a real situation.
Use the "What and So What" Formula
For every point you make, answer two questions: what did they do, and why did it matter?
Example of weak feedback: "Good at presentations."
Example of useful feedback: "Her quarterly business review presentations are consistently clear and well-structured. The sales team has started using her slide format as a template, which has improved the quality of client-facing decks across the department."
Example of weak feedback: "Needs to communicate better."
Example of useful feedback: "During the product launch in September, several stakeholders did not receive status updates until after deadlines had already passed. Setting up a weekly email update or a shared tracker would help the team stay aligned on timeline changes."
See the difference? The second version in each pair tells the person exactly what to keep doing or what to change, and explains the impact on the team.
Be Direct About Growth Areas
This is where most people pull their punches. You do not need to be harsh, but you do need to be clear. Burying critical feedback inside a wall of praise does not soften it. It hides it.
A useful structure for growth-area feedback:
- Describe the specific situation or pattern
- Explain the effect it had on you or the team
- Suggest a concrete change or alternative
Here is what that looks like: "When technical decisions are made in side conversations before the team meeting, it leaves the rest of the group feeling like their input does not matter. Bringing those discussions into the meeting, even as a quick five-minute review, would give everyone a chance to weigh in and would probably surface better ideas."
Notice that this is direct without being personal. It describes a pattern, names the impact, and offers a realistic path forward.
Avoid These Common Traps
The compliment sandwich. Praise-criticism-praise is so predictable that people tune out the middle. Just say what you need to say.
Vague positives. "Great team player" tells the reader nothing. What specifically did they do that made them great to work with?
Bringing up ancient history. Stick to the review period. Referencing something from 18 months ago signals that you have been holding onto it, which feels more like a grudge than feedback.
Making it about you. "I would have done it differently" is not feedback. Focus on outcomes and impact, not personal preferences.
Writing a novel. Two to four well-written paragraphs are more useful than two pages of rambling observations. Respect the reader's time and attention.
A Quick Template You Can Use
For each person you are reviewing, try writing three short paragraphs:
- One strength with a specific example. What do they do well, and what was a moment that demonstrated it?
- One growth area with a specific example. What pattern have you noticed, and what was its impact?
- One forward-looking suggestion. What would you like to see more of, less of, or different in the next six months?
That is it. Three paragraphs, grounded in real observations, written in plain language. If every reviewer followed this format, the person receiving the feedback would walk away with a clear, actionable picture of how they are perceived.
The Golden Rule of 360 Feedback
Before you hit submit, read your feedback out loud and ask yourself: "If this person knew I wrote this, would I be comfortable standing behind every word?" If the answer is yes, you have written good feedback. If you cringe at any part, edit it until you can say it to their face without flinching.
Honesty delivered with care is one of the best gifts you can give a colleague. Tools like Culture Wheel make the 360 process simple to manage, but the quality of the feedback is up to you. Take the extra ten minutes to write something real. The person reading it will notice the difference.