Feedback In Employee Training

Most feedback feels like an attack. That’s why people shut down instead of grow. Not because people don’t care. But because it’s delivered poorly. ↳ Too vague ↳ Too harsh ↳ Too late Here’s how to give feedback that actually lands: (and makes people better, not bitter) 1. Don’t ambush, set the stage → No one likes being caught off guard → Say: “Can we talk about something I noticed?” → Giving a heads-up lowers defensiveness 2. Focus on behaviors, not personality → Don’t say: “You’re careless with deadlines” → Say: “This report was late, which caused delays” → It keeps the conversation objective, not personal 3. Use the “win-win” frame → Feedback should feel like support, not punishment → Say: “I share this as I want to see you succeed” → It shows you care about them beyond results 4. Go small, go early → Don’t wait for a pattern to get worse → Correct small things early with care → Light guidance >>> heavy correction 5. Ask, don’t preach → Say: “How did you feel that went?” or → “What do you think could’ve been better?” → Feedback is a conversation. Not a monologue 6. End with belief → Say: “I know you can turn this around.” → “You’ve done great work before, I believe in you” → People remember how you made them feel 7. Don’t wait for a reason, make feedback normal → Create a culture where feedback is regular, not rare → Give it when things go right too → This makes your team stronger, faster Feedback isn’t about being right. It’s about helping people grow. Feedback is a tool for performance. Not a source of fear. ♻️ Repost it to help leaders grow their people And follow Andrea Petrone for more.

Every proposal I've reviewed promises "community participation in monitoring." Almost none deliver it. The language is everywhere. "Beneficiaries will be actively involved in the M&E process." "Community feedback will inform program adaptation." "Participatory approaches will ensure accountability to affected populations." Then implementation starts. And here's what actually happens: The M&E team designs the tools. The M&E team defines the indicators. The M&E team collects the data. Communities answer the questions they're given. The results go to the donor. At no point did a community member influence what was measured, how it was interpreted, or what changed because of it. After 20 years in this field, I've come to an uncomfortable conclusion: most participatory M&E in development is participation in name only. Here are 5 signs your participatory M&E is actually extractive: 1️⃣ Communities provide data but never see the results. If the findings travel upward to the donor but never travel back to the people who provided them, that's extraction. 2️⃣ The indicators were set before any community consultation. If communities are asked to provide data against definitions they had no role in shaping, they're data sources, not participants. 3️⃣ No program decision has changed because of community input. Participation without influence is theater. If community feedback sits in an annex and never reaches a decision-maker, the process serves the report, not the people. 4️⃣ The same questions are asked quarter after quarter with no visible response. Communities are perceptive. When they see that nothing changes despite their input, participation fatigue sets in. Attendance drops. Trust erodes. 5️⃣ There's no budget line for feedback to communities. Translation, accessible summaries, community meetings to share findings, if these aren't budgeted, participation was never the real intention. Here's what programs that do it well look like: ✅ They share findings with communities within 30 days. ✅ They track which decisions changed because of community feedback. ✅ They let communities define what "success" means in their context. ✅ And they treat downward accountability as seriously as upward reporting. Participatory M&E was designed to shift power. In most programs, it hasn't shifted anything except the workload onto communities who give their time and get nothing back. Most M&E systems are accountable upward to donors. Very few are accountable downward to communities. Something needs to be changed. Does community feedback actually influence decisions in your program? #MonitoringAndEvaluation #MEL #ParticipatoryME #Accountability #InternationalDevelopment #CommunityEngagement #AdaptiveManagement

If your feedback isn't changing behavior, you're not giving feedback—you're just complaining. After 25 years of coaching leaders through difficult conversations, I've learned that most feedback fails because it focuses on making the giver feel better rather than making the receiver better. Why most feedback doesn't work: ↳ It's delivered months after the fact ↳ It attacks personality instead of addressing behavior ↳ It assumes the person knows what to do differently ↳ It's given when emotions are high ↳ It lacks specific examples or clear direction The feedback framework that actually changes behavior: TIMING: Soon, not eventually. Give feedback within 48 hours when possible Don't save it all for annual reviews. Address issues while they're still relevant. INTENT: Lead with purpose and use statements like - "I'm sharing this because I want to see you succeed" or "This feedback comes from a place of support." Make your positive intent explicit. STRUCTURE: Use the SBI Model. ↳Situation: When and where it happened ↳Behavior: What you observed (facts, not interpretations) ↳Impact: The effect on results, relationships, or culture COLLABORATION: Solve together by using statements such as - ↳"What's your perspective on this?" ↳"What would help you succeed in this area?" ↳"How can I better support you moving forward?" Great feedback is a gift that keeps giving. When people trust your feedback, they seek it out. When they implement it successfully, they become advocates for your leadership. Your feedback skills significantly impact your leadership effectiveness. Coaching can help; let's chat. | Joshua Miller What's the best feedback tip/advice, and what made it effective? #executivecoaching #communication #leadership #performance

Does your feedback kill creativity? I’ve seen this pattern many times: brilliant ideas dying not from lack of merit, but from the way they’re critiqued. The problem isn’t feedback itself - it’s how we deliver it. When we offer criticism without direction, we’re not helping. Phrases like “This won’t work” or “That doesn’t make sense” are idea killers. They tear down without building up. The result? People stop sharing ideas when they know they’ll be shot down. And that fear becomes the team’s culture. Here’s what the best mentors I’ve seen do differently: instead of flattening ideas, they sharpen them. And here’s a practical framework that can help you do the same 👇 1️⃣ Observe a specific behavior or aspect of the idea 2️⃣ Explain why it might not achieve the desired result 3️⃣ Suggest questions or alternatives to try that may lead to the desired outcomes This approach honors the courage it takes to share creative work. It matches vulnerability with care and turns feedback sessions into collaborative problem-solving. ✨ The choice is yours: Will your feedback kill creativity, or will it help it soar?

You think getting tough feedback is hard? Try giving it! Every manager – every human being – struggles with delivering a tough message in a way that will be heard and yet not hurtful. There is a solution. It’s called the OILS approach, invented by Emily Field, a partner at McKinsey & Company, whom I am fortunate enough to bring to my class NYU Stern School of Business every semester. OILS guides managers through delivering feedback with four steps. ✴️ You start with an observation, literally. “Can I make an observation,” you might say to a team member, “I noticed you interrupted the client a lot in our meeting yesterday.” ✴️ Next, you talk about impact. “We have so much to learn from the client, and we could be missing critical information about their problem if they think the conversation is just a one-way street.” ✴️ The third step of OILS is the hardest. You have to listen. You have to give the chance for the feedback-recipient to respond. People want to explain themselves, and deserve that opportunity. ✴️ Finally, you turn to creating a solution together. You might suggest, for instance, that you come up with a secret signal if you see an interruption happening. Oftentimes, the feedback receiver also has solutions to offer, and that’s all for the good. Whenever Emily visits my class on managerial skills, my students leave smarter and wiser, and so do I! Giving feedback is never easy, but OILS greases the way. 

Leaders who avoid hard feedback aren’t protecting their people, they are setting them up to fail. Feedback is one of the most powerful tools we have in leadership but it’s also one of the most misused. Because leaders confuse compassion with avoidance, softening the truth until it loses all usefulness, or withholding it altogether under the guise of kindness. Compassionate feedback is about caring enough to be honest, in a way that allows other people to hear it. At APS Intelligence, we use a framework for compassionate feedback, designed to ensure that even difficult messages are delivered with clarity and respect: 1. Frame the feedback - Start by recognising effort and value to create psychological safety and remind people their work is seen and appreciated. 2. Ask permission - Feedback lands better when people feel like they have agency. Asking “Can I talk to you about something I’ve noticed?” is, as Dr. Shelby Hill says, a gentle knock on the door of someone’s psyche instead of barging in. 3. Be precise and objective - Describe what you’ve observed, not your interpretation of it. Feedback should focus on behaviour, not character. 4. Explain the impact - Share how the behaviour affects others or the work. Clarity about consequences builds accountability without blame. 5. Stay curious and open - Avoid assumptions. Ask questions that invite dialogue and understanding, not defence. 6. Collaborate on next steps - Offer support, not ultimatums. Feedback should be a shared problem to solve instead of a burden to bear. 7. End with perspective - Reaffirm their strengths and remind them that one issue does not define their value. Compassionate feedback allows honesty and humanity to coexist. It ensures that when people walk away, they feel respected, even if the message was hard to hear. This is a framework we use often at APS Intelligence. You can book a tailored workshop for your people managers or leadership cohorts to explore this further.

My workshop feedback method has a 100% response rate — and uses zero forms. I ditched post-workshop surveys because… no one filled them out and the ones who did wrote things like “Great workshop 🤗 ” (helpful… ish ⁉️ ). So now I use my four-question, four-colour sticky-note system at the closing of a workshop. It’s fast, visual, and human. It surfaces real language, real commitments, and real insight. Reflection becomes baked into the workshop instead of bolted on. Here’s the magic. I ask everyone to respond to these phrases individually 🟡 “I learned / liked / aha!” - Quick bursts of insight. One idea per sticky. No faffing. 🟢 “I will…” (What ideas do you plan to implement immediately?) - The gold. Actual commitments. I can instantly see what’s going to live beyond the room. 🔴 “I wish…” (What support do you need or what else do you wish we had explored today?) - Constructive, honest improvement ideas and what they need to succeed post-workshop. Better than any anonymous text box. 🔵 One word (What single word best describes your overall reaction to the session?) - These become my word cloud*, and it tells me the emotional temperature in one glance. Then, in small groups, participants choose their top insights, star them, and share them with the room. It turns into this joyful moment where you can see what activities really landed and what learning truly stuck. Impact? • I can literally see what resonated. • The “I will…” notes show behaviour change starting before people even leave the room. • The “I wish…” notes help me evolve each workshop immediately. • And the one-word cloud gives me a pulse check that’s surprisingly accurate. (see word cloud from 10 workshops* - 210 words - in comments) Yes, I still type them all into a spreadsheet by hand (there’s something human and connective about reading people’s handwriting). Then I let AI help me spot themes and patterns. It’s simple. It’s human. It works. And gives clients tangible, meaningful insights... Curious: how do you gather feedback that actually helps you get better? #PlayMore #JudgeLess #feedback #facilitation

Most leaders don’t struggle to give feedback because they lack good intentions, they struggle because they lack the right frameworks. We say things like: 🗣 “This wasn’t good enough.” 🗣 “You need to speak up more.” 🗣 “That project could’ve been tighter.” But vague feedback isn’t helpful, it’s confusing. And often, it demoralizes more than it motivates. That’s why I love this visual from Rachel Turner (VC Talent Lab). It lays out four highly actionable, research-backed frameworks for giving better feedback: → The 3 Ps Model: Praise → Problem → Potential. Start by recognizing what worked. Then gently raise what didn’t. End with a suggestion for how things could improve. → The SBI Model: Situation → Behavior → Impact. This strips out judgment and makes feedback objective. Instead of “You’re too aggressive in meetings,” it becomes: “In yesterday’s meeting (Situation), you spoke over colleagues multiple times (Behavior), which made some feel unable to share (Impact).” → Harvard’s HEAR Framework: A powerful structure for disagreement. Hedge claims. Emphasize agreement. Acknowledge their point. Reframe to solutions. → General Feedback Tips: – Be timely. – Be specific. – Focus on behavior, not identity. – Reinforce the positive (and remember the 5:1 rule). Here’s what I tell senior FMCG leaders all the time: Good feedback builds performance. Great feedback builds culture. The best feedback builds trust, and that’s what retains your best people. So next time you hesitate before giving hard feedback? Remember this: → You’re not there to criticize. → You’re there to build capacity. Save this as your cheat sheet. Share it with your teams. Let’s make feedback a tool for growth, not fear. #Leadership #FMCG #TalentDevelopment #PerformanceCulture #FeedbackMatters #ExecutiveDevelop

Like a medical diagnosis, criticism in the workplace serves to pinpoint problems, inefficiencies, or shortcomings. It highlights areas that require attention, whether in individual performance, team dynamics, or organizational processes. However, criticism that stops at identification, without providing a roadmap for improvement, is incomplete. It can lead to frustration, demotivation, and a sense of aimlessness, akin to a patient knowing their ailment but having no means to cure it. The transition from merely diagnosing to offering a treatment plan in the business context involves providing actionable feedback. This step requires skill, empathy, and a deep understanding of the individual or the situation at hand. Actionable feedback is specific, achievable, and relevant. It not only points out the area of concern but also offers practical steps, resources, or guidance on how to rectify the issue. This approach transforms criticism from a potentially negative interaction into a constructive and empowering one. Incorporating actionable plans into criticism yields multiple benefits. For employees, it provides a clear path to improvement and facilitates growth. For teams, it encourages a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and open communication. And for organizations, it leads to improved results and a competitive edge. Implementing this approach is not without its challenges. It requires a culture that values open communication and continuous learning. Leaders and managers must be trained to provide balanced feedback that is both honest and constructive. Additionally, there must be an understanding that the 'treatment plan' might require adjustments and flexibility, as every professional scenario is unique. The takeaways ... [1] When offering criticism, accompany it with a specific, measurable action plan. For instance, if an employee's performance is lacking in a certain area, don't just highlight the problem; provide clear, achievable goals and a timeline for improvement. Offer resources, if needed. [2] Constructive criticism should not be a one-way street. Encourage employees to engage in the feedback process actively. This can be achieved by asking them for their input on potential solutions or improvements. Such an approach not only empowers the employees but also builds a culture of mutual respect and collaborative problem-solving. [3] Criticism and action plans are not a 'set it and forget it' scenario. Regular follow-ups are crucial to ensure that the action plan is being implemented and to assess its effectiveness. [4] Recognizing and acknowledging progress is equally important, as it reinforces positive behavior and outcomes, leading to sustained improvement and development. ✅ Share this to your network ✅ Follow me on LinkedIn for expert insights ★ DM me for a conversation to learn how we can help you grow & succeed #business #people #leadership #management #growth #success #feedback #communication

Delivering constructive feedback is part of leadership. The goal isn’t to avoid these conversations, but to approach them with the mindset of driving results and encouraging behavior change. The challenge is that feedback often means delivering a message you know the other person may resist. That’s why it’s not just about what you say, but how you say it, because if the person becomes defensive, the message won’t land. In my experience leading teams, this is how leaders can have conversations that drive results while still making their people feel supported and motivated: 1️⃣Put yourself in their shoes. If your performance was holding you back, you’d want to know. But you’d also want to be told in a way that respected your effort and potential. That’s the perspective leaders need to take. 2️⃣Start with appreciation. Anchor the conversation in value. Recognize what the person is doing well, then connect feedback to how they can have an even greater impact. This shows you’re investing in them, not criticizing them. 3️⃣Frame your words carefully. Framing makes all the difference. If you accuse, people defend. If you share perceptions—“This is how it’s being received”—you open space for dialogue. That’s when people feel safe to explain their intent and work with you on solutions. The real goal is for them to know you’re on their side. You’re having the conversation because you see their value and want to help them be their best. When leaders approach difficult conversations with the intent to support, invest, and help their people grow, those conversations stop being difficult. They become constructive. 📌How do you approach constructive feedback?