Which feedback statement best focuses on the action rather than the person?

• A. You did a great job today. Please do it again tomorrow.
• B. You were very good at choosing only the cages that needed changing today.
• C. You did so well today that I'm going to give you 3 more rooms tomorrow.
• D. You finished that room pretty quickly, didn't you?

Answer: (B)

Feedback should focus on the action, not the person. Saying that someone chose only the cages that needed changing today calls out a specific behavior and a decision made in the moment, and it notes that this action was good. This kind of comment helps the person repeat the correct behavior because it’s concrete, observable, and actionable—they know exactly what to do again.

The other statements center more on the person or on outcomes rather than the process. General praise like “you did a great job today” talks about the person rather than the specific action. Linking praise to future tasks or overall performance shifts attention away from the exact behavior that should be repeated. A remark about finishing quickly highlights speed rather than the quality of the decision-making, and a tag question can feel uncertain rather than providing clear guidance.

So the action-focused feedback is the clearest, most useful way to reinforce the desirable behavior.