
Today’s episode is my favorite.
My podcast guest is a cognitive scientist who literally wrote the book on how to give feedback.
Therese Huston is the author of three books. Her last book, How Women Decide, was named a summer reading title by Oprah.com and called “required reading on Wall Street” by the New York Times. In 2004, Therese founded the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Seattle University. She has also written for the Guardian, the New York Times, and Harvard Business Review
Today We’re diving into her latest book, “Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower”

In this episode, Therese shares actionable tips on:
- The difference between coaching, appreciation and evaluation
- How we can learn to side with the person.
- The role intentions play in feedback.
- How we can start to listen better.
- How we can give better praise.
- Tactics on giving feedback remotely.
Here’s what I love about this interview the most…
Therese shares actionable tips that you can apply today. All her advice is rooted in research and is practical.
Here is your highlight guide to this episode:
[2:50] – We share our most embarrassing feedback stories.
[10:29] –Therese talks about appreciation, coaching, and evaluation.
[14:34] – Therese teaches us how to “side with the person”.
[26:15] – We discuss the concept of “Intentions”
[36:17] – We talk about the importance of listening.
[40:37] – Therese shares how managers can offer praise.
[43:05] – Therese shares advice on giving feedback remotely.
Links mentioned in this episode:
→ Let’s Talk: Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower
→ Therese’s consulting practice
I’m also giving away five copies of Therese’s book “Let’s Talk. Make Effective Feedback Your Superpower”. All you need to do is listen to the episode and reply to ali@alimerchant.com with one thing you’ve learned.

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