Rückmeldungen

Rückmeldungen, in German literally “back reports,” denote information about the result of an action, process, or communication that is returned to the initiator. They serve to adjust behavior, improve performance, or inform decisions. The term combines zurück (back) and melden (to report). In practice, Rückmeldungen are equivalent to the English term feedback.

Rückmeldungen can be formative or summative: formative feedback supports learning and improvement during an activity, while summative feedback evaluates outcomes after a process. They can be positive, negative, or neutral, direct (explicit) or indirect (inferred from outcomes). Sources include self-assessment, peers, supervisors, customers, or users.

In education, Rückmeldungen help clarify understanding and guide study. In the workplace, they inform performance management, coaching, and process improvement. In product and service development, user feedback reveals usability issues and satisfaction, guiding iterations.

Quality Rückmeldungen are timely, specific, actionable, credible, and respectful. They should include context, concrete examples, and possible next steps, and respect privacy and data protection requirements. They may be delivered through conversation, written notes, surveys, or analytics.

Challenges include bias, misinterpretation, and feedback avoidance. Effective systems combine multiple sources, encourage openness, and balance critical input with recognition.