This month the theme on site is Tips, Tools & Free Resources' so we're bringing you some of the most popular Trainer's Tips ever! In ninth place Andrew Bradbury shares two role plays to help staff give feedback.

1. In pairs:

A is the manager, B plays an employee.

A should think of an actual employee in their section/department/whatever and treat B as they would if they were giving that employee feedback - but without being specific about the task(s) they are talking about. Feedback should last 3-4 minutes max.

It is then B's job to explain to A how he/she responded to the feedback. How did it feel to get that feedback. Was it clear enough for them to know what the manager expected from them in the future? Were they clear about whether A was, overall, pleased with, neutral or disapproving of their performance? And so on.

Then swap places (physically - so the manager's seat and the employee's seat are the same for both) and swap roles and the new A feeds back to the new B and then receives feedback.

2. In pairs:

The same basic set-up, only now A can be as specific and detailed as he/she wishes.

B's task this time is simply to indicate by non-verbal signals only (facial expression and body language) how they react to whatever A says. These reactions must be as restrained as would be the case in real life. OTT expressions, violent body movements and poignent sighing/hysterical or ironic laughter, etc. are out.

Again the initial feedback doesn't need to last more than 3-4 minutes at most. The discussion afterwards should be about whether B thought A was understanding their signals/reacting appropriately; and from A, whether they were able to adjust their feedback according to the signals they thought they were getting.

3. A homework or pre-course exercise:

Devise two scenarios in which:

• Someone needs to be disciplined (for swearing at a customer, or for physically threatening a colleague without actually following through, for example).
   
• Someone has gone astray, but through no fault of their own (a new employee, say, who needs guidance rather than discipline).

Get the trainees to write down in their own words what the feedback will focus on, what they want the subject of the feedback to get from it, and at least an outline script.

This material could then form the basis for an open discussion - with the trainer giving his/her own feedback at the end.

View the original posting:

Giving Feedback - Training Exercise
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