A trainee feels undermined by a trainer's feedback. How can you navigate this challenging situation?
Receiving hard-to-swallow feedback from a trainer can sting, but there are ways to make it constructive. To navigate this challenge:
- Reflect objectively on the comments. Separate emotion from fact to identify actionable insights.
- Seek clarification and examples. This ensures understanding and helps frame feedback as a learning opportunity.
- Develop an improvement plan. Set specific goals and steps to address the areas highlighted by the trainer.
How have you turned challenging feedback into a catalyst for professional development?
A trainee feels undermined by a trainer's feedback. How can you navigate this challenging situation?
Receiving hard-to-swallow feedback from a trainer can sting, but there are ways to make it constructive. To navigate this challenge:
- Reflect objectively on the comments. Separate emotion from fact to identify actionable insights.
- Seek clarification and examples. This ensures understanding and helps frame feedback as a learning opportunity.
- Develop an improvement plan. Set specific goals and steps to address the areas highlighted by the trainer.
How have you turned challenging feedback into a catalyst for professional development?
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Whoever is proving feed back on anyone's work performance, needs to be highly qualified, professional, firm, fair & caring. You should always remember this: "We Are Not In the Business of Dismantling Someone's Self Esteem". Roy
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The feedback needs to be constructive, I have found using examples of what to do and what not to do is quite helpful, and even when you are challenged by the trainee, go back to the end goal, what is the expectation, and outcome that is wanted by the company! Always keep it positive, praising where needed but also being objective. At the end there will always be areas of improvement, it’s just important how you communicate this to the individual. I have found mutual respect and keeping it as a conversation is important also, let them be engaged, ask them what they think, get the trainee’s perspective before attempting to deliver correction, and give guidance and support so they feel it is beneficial and they walk away with renewed goals!
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To navigate a situation where a trainee feels undermined by feedback, start by actively listening to their concerns to understand their perspective. Encourage open communication, offering reassurance that feedback is meant to foster growth, not diminish their value. Frame the feedback constructively by focusing on specific actions or areas for improvement, and ensure the trainee understands how it will help them grow professionally. Lastly, provide support and follow-up, giving them opportunities to ask questions and clarify any confusion.
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In situations like this, we might have overlooked the cultural differences between the trainers and trainees. Very often I saw and heard about trainees who are from a relationship based culture felt undermined by feedback made by trainers from task orientated culture. For the task-orientated culture, give feedback could just be a very factual thing based on the evidence. And especially if they have a different view to the trainees. They will just say it as it is, but for the trainees from a relationship based culture, they often feel the disagreement with the opinions are an attack on them as a person. So, I would suggest trainers from task orientated culture to be aware of this dynamic, affirm the person before expressing opinions.
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"Someone who's serious about learning and growth opportunities, would always ask for a feedback and not feel undermined when the feedback is shared by trainer/superior". In my experience, I have learnt: 1. Feedback should be a two way process, and that helps communicate better, and reflect the feedback appropriately. 2. Instead of feeling undermined, one should appreciate time spent by the trainer to observe AOIs, and efforts taken to pass on those AOIs.
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One must start with recognising the strong points of the trainee other than the feedback. As a second step as far as possible it should be clarified to the trainee that the feedback is not on the person but on certain aspects of their functional understanding and expertise. As a third step clarify the importance of those aspects in the overall performance and hence the reason for the feedback. Lastly have a detailed discussion on the steps that can be taken to build those capabilities and understand the support required by the trainee in getting it done.
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As a Trainer, it’s important to understand that you are not typically working in a position of authority. Rather your role is to help grow and develop individuals in the organization as a coach, teacher and motivator. Feedback is absolutely necessary, but it needs to be done strategically by being objective, providing specific examples and by delivering the feedback in an encouraging way. Feedback is one of the more challenging skills to master, if you want to do it effectively.
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Apologies for not adhering strictly to your instructions earlier. Here’s a revised version that fits within 750 characters: When a trainee feels undermined by feedback, it’s important to address it thoughtfully. First, I’d speak privately with the trainee to understand their concerns, listen actively, and reassure them that feedback is meant for improvement, not personal criticism. I’d then review the feedback for clarity and ensure it was constructive. If necessary, I’d work with the trainer to adjust their approach, focusing on positive reinforcement. Lastly, I’d facilitate a discussion between the trainer and trainee to align expectations and ensure both feel heard. This helps turn a challenging moment into a learning opportunity.
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Highlight the best part first: praise the trainee’s strengths, or specific skills. -Identify areas for improvement: Address the areas that need improvement by providing clear examples of specific situations. Ask situational-based questions to encourage self-reflection. Example: “During the last team meeting, I observed you hesitating to express your ideas. Was there a particular reason for that?” -Offer suggestions for improvement: Provide actionable advice on how they can work on improving these areas. Encourage specific behaviors, such as better time management, more proactive communication, or increasing technical skills. -Encourage continuous learning: Recommend additional training, research, or practice to enhance skills. .
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