How Parents Can Use a Feedback Loop to Keep a Child Motivated
The concept of a feedback loop is something I like to use in almost everything I do. It’s particularly useful to drive motivation when coaching someone through the process of pursuing a goal. As a parent, I highly recommend trying to incorporate feedback loops into your parenting style.
As the name implies, the feedback loop is a cyclical process. The process begins with a goal and a plan to achieve that goal. The second part of the process is keeping track of data that relates to progress. Then the next step is to provide feedback as it relates to that data, and finally loop back to the goal and use the feedback to adjust the plan.
When it comes to motivation, research supports that progress amplifies motivation. As a result, a parent who learns how to shape how their child perceives progress using the concept of a feedback can also influence that child’s motivation.
In order to do this, the first step in the feedback loop must be done with meticulous planning. If you are haphazard as you create the goal and the plan to achieve that goal, then it’s possible your child won’t make progress and/or the feedback will be negative. That would be demotivating.
On the other hand, if you take the time to create a realistic goal progression by breaking down the goal into smaller more manageable goals that you can easily measure, then progress becomes inevitable. Moreover, each time you cycle through the feedback loop as your child makes progress their motivation to continue will increase.