Comments to students: why and how?

I. The factual summary

"During this appointment we covered the communication plan in its theoretical and practical aspects. The group presented their work in progress, and two areas for improvement emerged to work on for the next session: establishing a budget forecast, and a more precise definition of the target audience [...]"
The factual summary recaps the key points of the appointment: topics covered, issues raised, decisions and commitments made, etc. This approach serves several functions:

Ensuring pedagogical continuity: a guarantee of effectiveness and credibility

Thanks to factual summaries, you can be sure the next appointment will build on the previous one. If you alone conduct support appointments, it serves as an organised notebook where you can easily find your notes. If several facilitators take turns in the support programme, it allows notes to be shared from one facilitator to the next. In both cases, appointments will be more effective and you will gain credibility with students. This credibility gain is particularly noticeable with cross-interventions: in students' eyes you are no longer isolated facilitators but a coordinated teaching team.

B. Engaging students

If students say during the appointment, "We'll do that next time" or "we should dig into that question", it can be useful to note it in the summary. That anchors students' oral commitment in a written record, which is far more binding. And returning to pedagogical continuity, you or another facilitator will be able to ask students where they stand regarding their commitment.
More broadly, the simple fact that you note what was said shows them you listened carefully and are invested in their support. It's an encouragement to trust and for students to commit to their project.

C. Leading by example

The students you support may not be used to writing appointment summaries. Yet writing and sharing quality meeting summaries is a factor of effectiveness and a mark of professionalism. It's a skill often expected of them throughout their career. Sharing your appointment summaries with them is leading by example. Gradually, you can ask them to take charge of writing the factual summary. That will leave you more time for the other types of messages you can share with them.

II. The motivational message

The motivational message is direct encouragement that allows students to gauge your satisfaction with the work delivered. It can be recognition accompanied by an incentive to keep up their positive momentum:
"Well done on the work accomplished! Your file is solid and convincing! Final stretch before the defence: work on the oral presentation!"
or conversely a warning accompanied by instructions to change course:
"A lack of investment in the project that shows in the exchanges. You absolutely must pull yourselves together: the coming weeks will be crucial for the success of your team project."

A. Motivating students

Receiving positive feedback when you've invested yourself, feeling support from the people accompanying you, and seeing your efforts rewarded: that motivates!
Conversely, when our efforts are repeatedly met with indifference, we feel injustice; it's demoralising.
Positive motivational messages are an important part of support, but must be handled with care.

• Never giving positive feedback is frustrating and demotivating
• Always giving positive feedback, even when no effort was made, can create the same feeling of indifference, or the impression that nothing needs to be done

The middle ground, then: but how to judge? At Follow Lab, we think the best approach is to be sincere: when you're pleasantly surprised and perceive improvement compared to the previous session, let students know. And when you don't sense notable improvement since the last time you sent a motivational message, no need to fake one!
Why "compared to the previous session"? A student who is always excellent won't need to read 10 times what you think of their work, whereas a student in difficulty will appreciate that their efforts are noticed, even if it's not yet excellent.

B. Warning before sanctioning

When you sense a student or group is "letting go," "disengaging," and factual elements support that, a warning message may have a "wake-up call" effect and re-engage them. It's an opportunity to wake up and bounce back.
And when re-engagement doesn't happen, it will be important to have expressed warning messages before sanctioning with exclusion or a poor grade.
Without this prior notice, the sanction can be felt as unjust and finish off whatever engagement remained.
But also, in case of a complaint from the student or their parents, it will be easier to respond if you can assert with evidence that warnings had been given.

III. Advice, resources, tasks to complete

"Your topic is currently too broad; you should rework your research question and find a more precise angle [...]"
With this type of message, you add advice you didn't give orally: either because you didn't think of it at the time, or because it wasn't the purpose of the appointment. Typically, following an interim evaluation, you may want to share advice. It can also be a way to clarify a point that was briefly addressed and add resources.
"[...] Start by reading the article I've just uploaded to your Workspace; it will help you refine your research question [...]"
Finally, advice can become an instruction when you feel additional structure is needed:
"[...] For our next appointment, prepare 3 research question proposals and a rough outline for these 3 questions."

A. Guiding

Guiding is a fundamental part of support. That doesn't necessarily mean giving the right direction or the right answer. Rather, it means helping them identify blocking points or areas to improve, indicating the approach to follow, and ensuring they have the resources needed to move forward.

B. Supporting, even framing

In support relationships, students are captains of their ship: they make the choices and will have to defend them. This position is quite unusual in traditional teaching, and many may feel lost, overwhelmed with doubts, or at a loss. The feeling of being supported is then essential. Receiving advice is reassuring and securing. Receiving instructions is even more so, and it can help move forward when you feel paralysed or don't know where to start.

C. Pedagogical continuity

Once again, writing this advice and these instructions in a shared, easily accessible place facilitates pedagogical continuity. You find all the advice given to them, by you and by others. Nothing is more disorienting and frustrating for a student than receiving contradictory advice! If you assign them a task, it's important that the person who follows you in their support is aware. That will prevent them from giving opposite instructions without realising it, and allow them to hold students accountable for the task you assigned.
These different message types have been separated here to identify and analyse them. But it's of course possible (and often natural) to combine these approaches, depending on the nature of the appointment, the perceived dynamic, and your communication style!