Hello and welcome to this lecture on negative feedback. At the end of this lecture, you'll be able to define negative feedback and identify appropriate situations where you can use it. During this lecture, you'll also see an example of someone named Elton Simmons who delivers feedback very, very well. Feedback, whether it is positive or negative, is the information that people receive about their performance and it answers the question, how well did I perform? Negative feedback is used when you want to change an undesirable behavior. For example, if your child crosses the street without looking in both directions or if your employee comes in late, day after day. Notice that negative feedback is often felt to be punishing or hurtful when you receive it just as positive feedback feels really good or rewarding, but we'll come back to this. Used wisely, negative feedback can be helpful. Two reasons that you might want to use negative feedback is that it directs and it motivates behavior. So, for example, let's say you tell an employee that they're lateness is unacceptable and that they need to be on time. In this situation, the employee is now motivated to be on time to avoid having another conversation with you just like this one. And so their behavior is also directed toward being on time. Perhaps the most important quality of negative feedback is that it speeds up learning. In study after study, we see that people learn faster if they're punished in comparison with rewards. This property of negative feedback can be useful. So why not use negative feedback all of the time? The answer is simple. All things being equal, people don't like getting punished. Stop now for a moment and think about a job or a task where it might be helpful to use negative feedback because you want someone to learn quickly. Let's try an example to illustrate. I'm gonna put a slide on the screen with four jobs in the airline industry. Your task is to select a job where you think learning quickly will be most important. Okay. We had four jobs. We had airline attendant, we had airline caterer, air traffic controller, and airline baggage handler. Which one of these are you most likely to want people to do their work correctly, immediately? Think about it. Think about an air traffic controller. They're watching a screen and there's two blips on it, and they're coming together like this. You'll probably agree that learning how to keep airplanes from crashing is very important. So fast learning may be important for you for lots of jobs. So for example hospital jobs, jobs where there is money handling or may be handling tigers at a zoo. It all depends on the nature of that work and what is most important for your business. Before we leave this topic let's watch a brief video about a traffic cop who's expert at giving negative feedback to people who are driving too fast. This story is important because it shows that negative feedback can be given successfully even in circumstances where people do not want to get it. When you watch this video ask yourself what is Elton Simmons, the cop, doing correctly when he gives negative feedback to speeding drivers? >> Nobody likes to see a motorcycle cop in the rear view mirror, but Steve Hartman happened to run into one who holds the record for civilian complaints. Where did he find him? On the road, of course. >> This is L.A. sheriff's deputy, Elton Simmons. And I bet you don't like him already, seeing him there, hiding in the shadows. Why can't he go catch some real criminals, you may be thinking. Or no wonder he has a record number of complaints. Who wouldn't complain about a guy who's sole purpose in life is to ruin your day? >> Go around the corner. >> By the very nature of the business, all L.A. County traffic cops can expect to get at least a few complaints every year. A lot of them are petty, people just mad because they got a ticket. But regardless, they all get documented and placed in the officer's personnel file. >> Which is why Captain Pat Maxwell was stunned when he started looking through Simmon's file. >> I just said that's not possible. >> Although he did see lots of commendations, looking back over the last 20 years, over the last 25,000 traffic stops, Captain Maxwell couldn't find one complaint. A record, zero. >> I mean, Vegas or MIT could not give you the odds of the statistical probability of that. >> Obviously Elton is doing something right. >> Something, yeah, it's gotta be something. >> Do you know what it is? >> No. No. >> No idea? >> No. >> Until the Captain told him Elton didn't even know he had such a record let alone how he got it. >> It's just how I do it every day. >> So we trailed him for a day to see if we can figure out how he does it. >> Yeah, what's going on? How are you doing today man? >> First thing I noticed was that he has this pitch perfect mix of authority. >> I need you to take care of that. >> And diplomacy. >> I don't want to keep pulling you over. >> With none of the attitude that sometimes comes with a cop. >> Sorry. >> Oh no, that's okay. That's okay, just be careful, all right? I'm here with you. I'm not up here, cuz one thing I hate is to be looked down at. I can't stand it. So I'm not gonna look down at you. That's why, in lieu of a lecture, he gives most people the benefit of the doubt. >> So, it happens. >> Of course, they still get a ticket. >> It happens. >> Just not the guilt trip. >> [LAUGH] >> And drivers seem to appreciate that. >> It's not that bad. So much so, that by the end, some are downright smitten. >> You know it is, it's your smile. >> Really? >> You've got a great smile. >> Really? [LAUGH] your giggling now. You just got a ticket. >> I just got a ticket. He's a nice guy. I mean, how can you be mad at that guy? Apparently you can't. >> Disarming? >> That's it, disarming, you know? >> Time after time. >> Time after time. >> It's very kind. >> Ticket after ticket. >> Never so happy to get a ticket in my life. >> We saw officer Elton Simmons melt away a polar icecap of preconceptions. >> [LAUGH] >> And his boss says there's a lesson in there for hard-nosed traffic cops everywhere. >> Their excuse is well, I give tickets all day long. I'm gonna get complaints. Well, that's not true. >> There's a way. >> There is a way to do it. And Elton Simmons is the way. >> Certainly no complaints here. Steve Hartman, on the road in Los Angeles. >> And that's the CBS Evening News for tonight. For all of us at CBS News all around the world, I'm Scott Pelley. I'll see you on Sunday on 60 Minutes for a conversation with both candidates for President of the United States. Goodnight. [MUSIC] >> Great! Now a quick quiz question for you. Elton Simmons is doing a lot of things correctly. Which one of the following things is he is not doing according to the video we just saw? That's right. He is not acting superior as an officer of the law. Now, an assignment for all of you. Use the discussion board to share your thoughts on why you think Elton Simmons is so successful. I think you'll find that there are a variety of opinions in the interpretation of his behavior, and that's interesting. In summary, negative feedback is used to change unwanted behaviors. It can direct and motivate behavior and it can be used most importantly to speed up learning. Thank you for taking the time to watch this video. In the next video, we will look more closely at why people resist negative feedback. [MUSIC]