Facilitating Feedback in Training Sessions

Feedback is a gift — except when it’s wrapped in ambiguity. “𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑬𝒙𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆” is a classic example. It sounds insightful but offers no map, no metrics, no next step. What if the real work starts by decoding what that feedback was trying to say? If you are the one that received such feedback, start here: 🔅𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Articulate what you mean by executive presence and ask what would they add or subtract to that definition. For eg, "Bob, To me, Executive Presence is an authentic way to command the room. How do you see it?" 🔅𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫: Ask what would be the behaviour to demonstrate that you have it. Eg: "Bob, I take care to prepare well for important stakeholder conversations and pay attention to the audience in the room. I also network with my stakeholders before the meeting. What else do you find missing? What behaviour will demonstrate to everyone that I have worked on it?" 🔅𝐌𝐚𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤: Find the link between the behaviour stated and the input, process, output, as highlighted in the framework. Now you know what needs to be built. More on the framework in my blogs in comments. 🔅𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐌𝐨𝐒): Define your MoS and share it with your manager/stakeholder who gave you the feedback in your next catchup and share progress against it. Ask their feedback. If you are the one working directly on Executive Presence (without feedback) and are getting overwhelmed, know that: 🔅It's a 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 not a one-day miracle. 🔅Each element in the Executive Presence framework is like a muscle and needs 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞. 🔅While going to the visible elements directly looks like a shortcut, you will not be able to sustain it. So work 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. If you are still asking where to start: 🔅𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬 you already are good in the framework and keep whatever you are doing well already. 🔅For the areas that need improvement, c𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 & 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 by taking one area of focus every quarter. 🔅Ask for 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 from those who care enough. 🔅𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫. #coaching #executivecoaching #presence #feedback

I’ve coached leaders in Riyadh, Dubai, Nigeria, Singapore, and Sydney. 🌍 Different languages. Different customs. 💬 One identical fear: “If I tell them the truth, they’ll see me differently.” But here’s the paradox: When you avoid the truth, they do see you differently, just not how you hope. Across cultures, leaders want to: - Maintain respect and credibility - Avoid unnecessary conflict - Keep team relationships strong The ones who succeed: Treat feedback like a joint problem-solving session, not a personal attack. Here’s my 5-step framework for culturally intelligent feedback: 1. Set context – Share why the conversation matters. 2. Seek their view first – Build ownership before you advise. 3. State the observation – Specific, behaviour-based, no labels. 4. Co-create next steps – Bridge differences with joint solutions. 5. Follow up – Show that you care about progress, not just the problem. From the majlis to the boardroom, one thing is clear: Feedback, given well, doesn’t just preserve relationships; it strengthens them. You’re more ready than you think. 🥇 #Coach #Coaching #Leader #Leadership #Growth #Feedback

Ever felt that post-workshop high? But you wonder if it translates to lasting change? Here's a 5 step process for real impact We've been there. You finish a workshop. Everyone leaves buzzing. Your feedback scores are through the roof. But was it... A "sugar rush" or "nutrient rich" experience? In the 21 years of running sessions in different contexts, I've realised there is a way to deliver energising workshops AND provide lasting value. → 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝘀𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 Participants leave excited. High feedback scores. Temporary motivation. No real change in behaviour. → 𝗡𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 Participants leave with a plan. Lower immediate excitement (perhaps). Content is processed. Lasting behaviour change. We want to the latter. And here's how: 1️⃣ SET THE CONTEXT ↳ Uncover challenges and hopes ahead of time. Meet people where they're at to unfold what happens next. 2️⃣ ENGAGE DEEPLY ↳ Ensure participants are not just passive listeners. Design for interactivity and cater of different styles 3️⃣ PLAN FOR ACTION ↳ Help them develop a concrete plan to implement what they've learned. Conduct debriefs. Give an action plan. 4️⃣ FOLLOW UP ↳ Provide post-workshop support and resources. Pre-design with the sponsor even if you're not involved in the implementation. 5️⃣ MEASURE IMPACT ↳ Go beyond feedback forms. Capture a baseline, collect evidence in sessions & track outcomes over time. Remember, the true measure of success is not how high your feedback scores are. It's the lasting impact you have on your participants. Let's move away from sugar-rush workshops and towards nutrient-rich consultancies. ~~ ✍️ What do you do to ensure your workshops have a lasting impact? ♻️ Reshare if you found this useful

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺? There was a phase where I thought “good feedback” means being direct. So I was direct. And slowly, I started noticing something painful. People were doing the work. But they were shrinking.  • They stopped sharing drafts early.  • Stopped asking questions.  • Stopped taking bold ownership. Not because they were weak. Because feedback started feeling like a verdict, not guidance. That’s when I learned something as a founder and as a leader: 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲. So I changed how I speak. Here’s the structure I use now: 1. Name the intention first “I’m saying this because I want you to grow here.” 2. Talk about the behavior, not the personality Not “you’re careless”, But “these details were missed.” 3. Make the impact clear “This affects trust, timelines, and how the team relies on you.” 4. Ask for context before judgment “What made this hard?” Honestly, Sometimes it’s overload. Sometimes it’s unclear expectations. 5. Set the next standard in a simple, repeatable way “Next time, use this 2 minute checklist. And share the draft earlier.” 6. End with belief “I’m telling you this because I trust you can handle it.” 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿, 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴. Feedback is not a punishment. It’s a leadership tool to build people who stay confident while getting better. #Leadership #TeamCulture #Management #Founders #PeopleFirst

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

If people hold back their real opinions, you miss what could make you better. If no one challenges your thinking, your ideas stop evolving. In these cases, you need confident humility. I know, I know, it sounds like an oxymoron. but hear me out... Asking for feedback, advice, and new perspectives from a place of confidence can improve your work, sharpen your judgment, and help you grow. This is especially important in complex, uncertain and diverse environments where people bring different expertise, lived experiences, and communication styles. In these situations, having openness to look for feedback and advice is what allows your good thinking and work to get better. You are looking for input from others because you want greater understanding. When this is combined with confidence in what you do know, it makes you more CREDIBLE and respected because you show commitment and a willingness to dig deeper. 🔎 A simple habit to build this skill: - Ask for input, early, consistently, and from a place of confidence in wanting to learn more (not insecurity). - Ask authentically and specifically, around what you would benefit from knowing. For example “Given your knowledge of ABC, what’s something I could have approached differently?” or “I have deep knowledge of A but not B, what might I be missing in how I framed that for B?” When practiced regularly, this habit improves your performance and reshapes how others experience working with you. Professionals who lead with this type of confident humility tend to: ✅ Surface better ideas through collaboration ✅ Reduce defensiveness in high-stakes conversations ✅ Strengthen trust, especially across lines of difference ✅ Adapt more quickly in unfamiliar or shifting contexts In a world where no one sees the full picture alone, humility keeps you learning when it matters most. #Humility, #Feedback, #ProfessionalGrowth, #Collaboration, #SoftSkills, #ContextualAgility Skiilify

Training games are worthless because of a lack of this one element in most of them An effective debriefing In the past few months, I have researched quite a lot about training games on - Team Building - Leadership - Communication, etc. While every resource available out there on the net had the execution seamlessly shown, Most of them failed to show the debriefing of these games This is where real-time learning takes place. If your session has the usual balloon, rope and ball game without any relevance to the training topic, You will never be able to create the right impact. This is where trainers must focus on a few techniques to make the debriefing impactful. Let’s decode them 1️⃣ Plus Minus Interesting: After that fun-filled game, focus on extracting the following • What was positive? • What was negative? • What was interesting? 2️⃣ The Rose, Bud, Thorn: In this technique, use your observations from the last game to help the participants focus on the following: • A rose - What was done well? • A bud - What could have been better? • A thorn - What were the challenges faced while performing the act? 3️⃣ Tribal Council : In this technique, gather all the members in a circle. Ask a few of them to share their biggest ‘aha moment’. Make a note of their observations and relate the relevant points to the training topic 4️⃣ The Sharpshooter: In this technique, ask for 2 key takeaways from 3-4 people. Pick 1 keyword from their response. Ask mindful questions around that keyword to get further responses from those who did not share Debriefing isn't just about having a fun discussion. It's also about extracting maximum learning and growth from every experience. Which of these techniques did you find interesting? Let me know in the comments section #training #debriefing #learninganddevelopment #corporatetraining #personaldevelopment

The coach blows up to end the activity…players trudge off to the side of the pitch to get some water… They look to rest…but the coach is focused on active rest. Rest the body, keep the mind active… So he places himself inside the group and starts asking some questions… “Joe, what were your key takeaways from that activity? Simon, how will use those movements on Saturday and what might the opposition do to limit your effectiveness?” He’s asking these questions to ensure players cement his instructions in their long-term memory and limit their forgetting. -retrieval practice -the forgetting curve (Ebbinghaus) ************************************ The coach engages the player in front of her with intent. She’s been working on her listening skills…an audacious sense of listening to help her connect and to help her understand. She knows what to say… “Ok, what I’m hearing you say is that you’ve been really down lately. And you’re concerned that your mood has been negatively impacting your play. I’m hearing that you’re worried for your place in the team. I understand…it sounds like you’re going through some challenges at home and that you feel it’s affecting your game…” She’s been studying Motivational Interviewing as a psychological framework to utilise in her coaching, and she learned that reflection and empathy are key communication skills to use with her players to broaden conversation, co-create solutions, and build strong connection. -Motivational Interviewing -Reflection -Empathy ************************************ “You look really tight out there Jess. What was running through your mind?” (Open question) “I just wanted to score so badly. I wanted to make a real impact in this game” “I hear you. You’re a striker and so you wanted to score, and you wanted to stand out. Can I make a suggestion about those objective?” (Reflection and seeking permission to coach to reduce anxiety) “Yeah…I think I need some help here” “I understand your objectives. I think it would be useful for us to think about the things that will help you to score and help you to stand out. Any thoughts on that?” (Helping the player become more task-oriented…lessening ego-involvement)”

Do you have a process in place to measure how well your new functionality is being embraced? The saying, "you get what you measure", holds especially true when it comes to change adoption in agile environments. One effective method is the Rose, Bud, Thorn technique, a tool borrowed from design thinking that's perfect for gathering feedback. At the end of a sprint, when new functionality is accepted and put into operation, launching a feedback survey is key. The Rose, Bud, Thorn method offers a simple yet powerful way to codify feedback: 🌹 Rose: Something positive that has gone well. 🌱 Bud: An aspect with potential that hasn't fully blossomed yet. 🌵 Thorn: A pain point or challenge that needs addressing. As an example, you would implement this by asking your stakeholders to capture their experiences on sticky notes and categorize them under Rose, Bud, or Thorn on a whiteboard. This feedback should be discussed during cross-functional team meetings with leadership and can serve as valuable input for sprint reviews or structured release feedback. Additionally, statement starters like "How might we...?" or "In what ways might we...?" can further channel feedback, offering a fresh perspective and helping to identify opportunities for improvement. Remember, involvement breeds commitment. Regular input and feedback collection should be embedded in your agile approach, influencing sprint cycle planning, future feature prioritization, and overall adoption. #ChangeManagement #ChangeLeadership #ChangeAdoption #Agile #ProjectManagement

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭? You're not alone. As a coach working closely with managers, I see this struggle play out every day. Despite their best intentions, many managers face the same internal battles when it's time to deliver constructive feedback. Here are some common blocks that may seem familiar to you - 🔹 The fear of what people might think. 🔹 The worry that they might be labeled as unappreciative. 🔹 The concern about potentially hurting or offending others. 🔹 The desire to be liked and seen as supportive at all costs. These are valid concerns. You may feel that giving developmental feedback could damage relationships or make you look overly critical. However, avoiding these crucial conversations does a disservice to you and your team. When feedback is absent or lopsided, employees can feel lost or frustrated, unsure of how to improve and grow. Your team may feel happy about receiving only good feedback in the short term. They may even like you at that moment, but they will not respect you as a steady and honest leader invested in their careers. Feedback is your most empowering gift to your team. Handled appropriately, it is a tool to support their growth. 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 - Think of feedback not as a criticism but as a tool to make a lasting positive change in your team members. Feedback is the catalyst to trigger effective/desired behavior in the future. Here is how you can start making the shift – 🎯 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 🎯𝐀𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 🎯𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 🎯𝐁𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 🎯𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 You can shift from being a manager who hesitates to give constructive feedback to one who does it with confidence and empathy. Every feedback conversation with your team is an investment in your team's success. As a manager, this is how you show that you care enough to be honest, even when it is hard. By embracing these conversations, you build trust, accountability, and growth in your team.