Strong feedback cultures have been shown to have better metrics around employee engagement, collaboration, performance, and retention. Research has consistently highlighted how feedback—when delivered and received well—boosts clarity, psychological safety, and trust within teams. While hundreds of academic papers (and experiences) have shaped my thinking, here’s a list of 19 spanning over four decades. Still, while the academic research hasn’t spent much time examining feedback training programs directly, in my experience, those programs that exist don’t go nearly far enough. Most only teach how to give feedback (and rarely base their teachings on research) and ignore the other vital capacities: seeking, receiving, processing, and using.

My approach is different. It’s grounded in decades of behavioral science, organizational psychology, and adult learning research. It’s also been tested in the real world—from the Fortune 100 and scrappy nonprofits to classrooms of critical MBA students. Whether via in-person workshops or virtual presentations, my feedback training helps participants build skills they can immediately apply.

Evidence-based feedback training equips employees with tools, language, and mindset—not just theory. It leads to better decisions, healthier conflict, and more continuous learning.

Effective feedback training helps organizations in three major ways: performance, trust, and retention.

Performance: Teams that practice healthy feedback loops identify problems earlier, solve them faster, and make better decisions. Constructive feedback fuels continuous improvement and innovation.

Trust: A feedback-rich culture builds psychological safety. Colleagues know where they stand and feel empowered to speak up, reducing passive aggression and communication breakdowns.

Retention: People want to grow. When they receive actionable, fair feedback—and know how to ask for it—they’re more likely to stay and succeed. This is especially critical in a hybrid or remote workplace.

Feedback training also helps reduce “feedback debt”—the organizational silence that can build over time when feedback is avoided. Whether you’re onboarding new hires, supporting emerging leaders, or strengthening executive teams, feedback training turns communication friction into momentum.

SBI is a helpful framework for giving feedback—but it’s only one small piece of a very complex human puzzle.

Most feedback failures don’t happen because the giver used the wrong words. They happen because:

– The receiver wasn’t ready to hear it
– The relationship or team culture didn’t support openness
– Or the feedback wasn’t processed or used effectively

A truly healthy feedback culture requires more than a single framework. It means helping your people develop all five essential skills of employee feedback literacy, a term I coined back in 2022 to describe these core components:

– Seeking feedback
– Giving feedback
– Receiving feedback
– Processing feedback
– Using feedback

My programs introduce SBI and other frameworks in context, but we go deeper. We practice. We explore real-life cases. We navigate discomfort. This turns concepts into habits—and habits into culture.

SBI can be a helpful starting point for those wanting to improve how they give feedback. But if you want your team to grow, adapt, and lead with clarity, SBI alone won’t get you where you need to go.

Video learning has its place—and I offer a free course on feedback for exactly that reason. But when it comes to real feedback transformation, videos alone usually fall short.

Here’s why:

1. Feedback is relational, not just informational. It’s a conversation, not a checklist.

2. Live training (virtual or in-person) allows for practice, discussion, and personalization.

3. Participants bring unique histories, emotions, and cultural norms around feedback that require facilitation and reflection.

In my workshops, participants aren’t passive viewers—they’re active learners. They role-play difficult conversations, reflect on past experiences, and apply frameworks to current challenges. We surface the “why” behind feedback reluctance, and we co-create strategies to build safety and trust.

So yes, online videos can start the conversation. But if you want behavior change and culture change, live feedback training is where it happens.

My feedback training programs are flexible, but they’re especially valuable for:

– New employees: to build strong habits early
– Emerging leaders and new managers: to help them lead with empathy and clarity
– Senior managers: as a refresh and to foster open, accountable teams
– Cross-functional project teams: to reduce misalignment and communication breakdowns
– Executives and leadership teams: to shape a culture of feedback from the top

In all cases, I tailor the session to the audience’s current level of feedback literacy—and their real-world context.
Whether you want a broad culture shift or targeted skills for one group, the training adapts.

Yes. I offer feedback training in several formats to meet your team’s needs:

– Presentations (50–60 minutes): High-energy sessions ideal for leadership events or all-hands meetings.
– Workshops (4 hours or a full-day): Deep-dive, interactive learning focused on skill-building through discussion, roleplay, and case work.
– Consulting (monthly retainer): Ongoing support to help organizations embed feedback into the culture—from train-the-trainer programs to executive coaching.

All formats can be delivered virtually or in person, and all are customized to your organization’s structure, goals, and readiness level.
Need a one-time session? Great. Want to build a long-term feedback culture? Let’s map it out. Every offering is grounded in evidence, adapted to context, and designed to create sustainable change.

Absolutely. While the core feedback principles I teach are based on universal human dynamics—like fear of rejection or the desire for growth—every organization is different.

Before any engagement, I learn about:

– Your team’s current comfort level with feedback
– Your industry norms and challenges
– Any recent changes (e.g., mergers, leadership turnover, remote transitions)
– Your goals for the training: tactical, cultural, or strategic

Then I tailor the language, case studies, and delivery format to meet your people where they are. For example, in high-regulation industries I bring in compliance-relevant examples; for startups, we might focus more on speed and iteration.

Human nature is universal. But how feedback shows up in your organization? That’s personal. And I customize accordingly.

I’m a big fan of AI for feedback. It can assist, but it can’t replace the human work of giving and receiving feedback well.

AI tools may help by:

– Suggesting better wording
– Highlighting bias
– Aggregating feedback themes
– Helping with how to frame feedback
– Offering prompts or templates

These are great enhancements. But the relational heart of feedback—empathy, timing, body language, tone, power dynamics—still lives in human-to-human interaction.

Effective feedback isn’t just about clarity; it’s about connection. My training helps your team practice these interpersonal skills in real conversations. We also explore how to use AI tools responsibly without losing the nuance and care required in tough feedback moments.

AI can assist with feedback mechanics. But building a culture of trust? That’s a human job and something, even after hundreds of thousands of years of living together, many of us still struggle to do.

Yes, and I actively encourage that they do! The world would be a better place if more leaders did just that.

That’s why I created a dedicated article to help:

🔗 Facilitating Employee Feedback Training

Internal facilitators often understand their culture deeply and already have the trust of their teams. But many face challenges like:

– A lack of time to build robust programs
– Needing evidence-based, ready-to-go materials
– Difficulty getting buy-in from leadership

That’s where I come in. As an outside expert, I bring:

– A research-grounded methodology
– Cross-industry experience
– The ability to spark momentum and drive culture change

Sometimes I lead a kickoff session; sometimes I help your team design a full program. Either way, I see myself as a partner, not a vendor.

Start by thinking about who you want in the room—and why.

In workshops, group size and composition matter. My in-person sessions are typically:

– Intimate (20 people) for skill-building and honest dialogue
– Cross-functional when bridging silos is a goal
– Hierarchically sensitive (e.g., keeping direct reports and managers separate when needed)

If you’re planning a broader rollout, we can begin with a pilot session, or align on objectives through a presentation first.

Workshops succeed when participants feel safe, engaged, and ready to practice. I’ll help you design a session that fits your organization’s structure—and addresses the power dynamics that often shape feedback culture.

📩 Want to explore?

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