Intrinsic and External feedback

In this next blog entry I am going to discuss feedback. In coaching there are two types of feedback, these are; Intrinsic and Extrinsic. The first of these forms of feedback occurs from our senses, This happens when we do anything such as reaching for a hold whilst climbing learning to climb, or swimming 50m freestyle with a perfect technique. Our senses inform us if we have doing it correctly or incorrectly and then we get negative or positive feedback. The second type of feedback in extrinsic. This is feedback which comes from an external source such as a teaching or a coach. External feedback can then be split into two. These are Knowledge of Results (KR) and Knowledge of performance (KP).

Knowledge of Results (KR) is used because the student can see the results of their performance, such as how accurate their bearing was whilst walking. This result then allows the student to adjust their performance and try again.

Knowledge of performance (KP) comes watching your own or another’s performance to see what you or they are doing correctly or incorrectly. With the advances in technology it is also possible to use technology to see muscle movements, heart rate, hydration levels and a lot more. However the role of a coach will always be the most effective way for beginner and intermediate students to receive feedback. There are a few main reasons for this;

è A coach is able to focus on specific points of what needs improving.

è  Coach is able to limit the information that is given to the student to just allow them to work on one issue at a time.

è A coach can use different methods to give feedback to student, such as verbal and visual feedback.

When helping a group of people or an individual on the mountain I have found feedback to be a vital tool to help them reach a higher level of performance. When teaching a group how to utilise dead reckoning the forms of feedback I used to start with were external, I verbally and visually showed the group their mistakes or successes. I did this by using methods such as group discussions about each members individual performance (Knowledge of performance) and also discussed with each member separately after they had finished an activity I had given them (Knowledge of results). After a while I would start to ask the student how they felt they were doing, was their bearing was accurate? Was their timings on? Was their pacing’s were correct? By asking them what they think of their performance it allows them to start receiving intrinsic feedback and therefore learn to recognise their own mistakes and correct them without my aid. By the end of the session I had used both forms of external feedback (KP and KR) and also taught the students in the group to give themselves internal feedback on their performance.