This content may be of interest to you
Resources
Feedback is not a managerial "plus": it's a pillar. Used properly, it aligns expectations, reinforces trust, supports skills development and defuses tensions before they erupt. Yet many organizations struggle to make it a daily driver of performance and commitment.
In many companies, feedback is still associated with a formal moment, often experienced as criticism or reframing. It is perceived as a corrective or even punitive tool. This perception holds back managers, who hesitate to use it regularly, and employees, who become defensive.
To reverse this trend, it is essential to desacralize feedback: to make it an everyday tool, integrated into team life in the same way as a coordination point or information sharing.
Put it into practice: Organize a short sequence (30 to 45 minutes) during a team meeting or internal seminar, around the question: "What feedback has been useful to me recently? And why?" or "What situation would have deserved feedback, and what would it have changed?"
Then bring out concrete examples from the team's experience:
Poorly received feedback often reveals an upstream problem: a lack of alignment from the outset. When objectives are unclear, success criteria implicit or not shared, feedback comes too late, like an unpleasant surprise.
Setting out a clear framework from the outset of a project is the best way to avoid misunderstandings.
This means specifying, right from the start :
This shared framing aligns everyone on the same compass, making it easier to make adjustments along the way.
Exercise to include in training :
Put participants in a project launch situation with a structured managerial brief. The aim: to co-construct the qualitative and quantitative expectations with the team, identifying the areas of uncertainty that need to be clarified to avoid unpleasant surprises later on.
Feedback should not be limited to a one-off comment or an end-of-assignment assessment. To be useful, it must be part of a continuous improvement process. The aim is to create a common thread between objectives, actions and any necessary adjustments.
Good feedback doesn't judge the person; it sheds light on an action or behavior, and enables everyone to step back, understand what can be improved, and adjust their practice with confidence. It encourages experimentation and recognizes efforts made, even if the result has not yet been achieved.
The reflex to cultivate: ask a thought-provoking question.
Example: "On this file, you forgot to validate the estimate before sending it off.
For next time, what could you put in place to secure this step?" This type of formulation invites progress without feeling judged, and transforms feedback into a learning lever rather than a verdict.
Feedback is a conflict prevention tool. It allows us to deal with everyday irritants before they become toxic unspoken messages. In many teams, it is precisely the accumulated unspoken words - rather than the expressed disagreements - that end up undermining trust, cooperation and performance.
The absence of feedback doesn't erase the problem, it makes it grow in silence. That's why imperfect feedback is always better than no feedback at all. It's up to you to help managers overcome the fear of "saying the wrong thing", and take on the responsibility of clarification.
Best practice: incorporate a short moment of mutual feedback at the end of each 1:1: "What can I improve in the way we work together?" This little ritual helps to get the word out, strengthen the relationship, and correct trajectories before frustrations set in.
Giving feedback means taking the time to reflect on what you see, what you value or what you question. It's an act of attention. When it's done well, feedback strengthens the bond between manager and employee. It shows that the manager is observing, is involved, and wants to help progress without infantilizing.
Best practice: set up a reverse feedback session several times a year. The principle: employees take a dedicated period of time to give their manager feedback on his or her coaching style, posture and day-to-day support.
This establishes a dynamic of reciprocity, shows that feedback flows in both directions, and sets an example of a posture open to feedback.
Traditional managerial feedback is often based on a top-down posture: "I'll tell you what's wrong". This approach generates defensiveness and reduces the desire to learn. Switching to manager-coach mode means changing posture. The manager becomes a learning facilitator, helping people to step back, ask the right questions and open up new perspectives.
It's a question of alternating directive feedback (on facts), exploratory feedback (to understand), and projection feedback (to consider possible avenues). This posture is learned and worked on over time.
Best practice: have each manager play two roles during training: a control role / a coaching role. Then have employees debrief on the effects produced.
The OSBD model (Observation, Feeling, Need, Request) structures feedback in a clear and respectful way. It forces the manager to focus on observable facts, to express how this makes him or her feel as a manager, to spell out what he or she really wants, and then to formulate a concrete, constructive request. This simple framework helps to move away from vague judgments or indirect reproaches, which are often poorly experienced or misunderstood. It also opens up a space for dialogue, without putting the person on the defensive.
Example: "At the last two meetings, you intervened quickly after each presentation. I felt that this prevented others from reacting. In order to give everyone a chance to express themselves, can you wait for the others to give their opinion before intervening?" This type of formulation remains factual, expressed in the first person, and offers a clear adjustment. It embodies constructive, cooperative feedback.
Good feedback is straight to the point, with no unnecessary detours or implicit judgments. The manager must describe an observable fact, express its impact, and open the exchange. This level of precision requires advance preparation.
Avoid : blanket judgments or labels ("You're unreliable") that close the door to discussion.
To be preferred: precise, open-ended wording, for example: "You didn't pass on the information to the customer when the report was due yesterday. I need to be able to rely on this type of commitment. What happened?". This type of formulation opens up a constructive dialogue.
Not all feedback is given in the same way. Feedback on a deliverable, a posture in a meeting or taking the initiative does not require the same tone, the same level of demand or the same intention.
The challenge: adapt your feedback to the nature of the situation, its impact, and the state of mind in which you wish to place the person (correction, learning, valuing, vigilance...).
Giving good feedback isn't enough if the context isn't right. A feedback culture presupposes rituals where this type of exchange is legitimate and encouraged. Without these spaces, feedback remains exceptional and clumsy.
Rituals to establish :
Positive feedback is a lever for recognition, motivation and commitment. It's not enough to say "well done": you have to explain why and what behavior you want to see continue.
To do :
Example: "You took the time to restate the customer's expectations during the pre-sales meeting. This avoided a misunderstanding. That's exactly what we expect in this type of situation."
Feedback cannot exist without trust. Employees must feel free to express a point of view, to make mistakes, to ask for feedback without fear of judgment. Creating these conditions requires exemplary management, transparency about mistakes, reciprocal feedback and clear ground rules.
The tool to be tested: co-construct a feedback charter with the team, listing what everyone expects, fears and wishes to encourage in feedback practices.
Giving good feedback can't be improvised. Without clear guidelines, it is often avoided or badly formulated. By training your teams, you can remove these obstacles, establish a common framework and align managerial practices.
NUMA's "Feedback" training course helps your managers to structure their feedback to maximize its impact, to choose the right moment to formulate it, and to integrate it naturally into their daily routine without it becoming an additional burden.
By establishing a genuine feedback management culture, you can strengthen team commitment, accelerate collective progress and develop healthier working relationships. HR plays a decisive role: by supporting managers, structuring feedback sessions and setting the course, you lay the foundations for effective, sustainable, human management.
Feedback is not a managerial "plus": it's a pillar. Used properly, it aligns expectations, reinforces trust, supports skills development and defuses tensions before they erupt. Yet many organizations struggle to make it a daily driver of performance and commitment.
In many companies, feedback is still associated with a formal moment, often experienced as criticism or reframing. It is perceived as a corrective or even punitive tool. This perception holds back managers, who hesitate to use it regularly, and employees, who become defensive.
To reverse this trend, it is essential to desacralize feedback: to make it an everyday tool, integrated into team life in the same way as a coordination point or information sharing.
Put it into practice: Organize a short sequence (30 to 45 minutes) during a team meeting or internal seminar, around the question: "What feedback has been useful to me recently? And why?" or "What situation would have deserved feedback, and what would it have changed?"
Then bring out concrete examples from the team's experience:
Poorly received feedback often reveals an upstream problem: a lack of alignment from the outset. When objectives are unclear, success criteria implicit or not shared, feedback comes too late, like an unpleasant surprise.
Setting out a clear framework from the outset of a project is the best way to avoid misunderstandings.
This means specifying, right from the start :
This shared framing aligns everyone on the same compass, making it easier to make adjustments along the way.
Exercise to include in training :
Put participants in a project launch situation with a structured managerial brief. The aim: to co-construct the qualitative and quantitative expectations with the team, identifying the areas of uncertainty that need to be clarified to avoid unpleasant surprises later on.
Feedback should not be limited to a one-off comment or an end-of-assignment assessment. To be useful, it must be part of a continuous improvement process. The aim is to create a common thread between objectives, actions and any necessary adjustments.
Good feedback doesn't judge the person; it sheds light on an action or behavior, and enables everyone to step back, understand what can be improved, and adjust their practice with confidence. It encourages experimentation and recognizes efforts made, even if the result has not yet been achieved.
The reflex to cultivate: ask a thought-provoking question.
Example: "On this file, you forgot to validate the estimate before sending it off.
For next time, what could you put in place to secure this step?" This type of formulation invites progress without feeling judged, and transforms feedback into a learning lever rather than a verdict.
Feedback is a conflict prevention tool. It allows us to deal with everyday irritants before they become toxic unspoken messages. In many teams, it is precisely the accumulated unspoken words - rather than the expressed disagreements - that end up undermining trust, cooperation and performance.
The absence of feedback doesn't erase the problem, it makes it grow in silence. That's why imperfect feedback is always better than no feedback at all. It's up to you to help managers overcome the fear of "saying the wrong thing", and take on the responsibility of clarification.
Best practice: incorporate a short moment of mutual feedback at the end of each 1:1: "What can I improve in the way we work together?" This little ritual helps to get the word out, strengthen the relationship, and correct trajectories before frustrations set in.
Giving feedback means taking the time to reflect on what you see, what you value or what you question. It's an act of attention. When it's done well, feedback strengthens the bond between manager and employee. It shows that the manager is observing, is involved, and wants to help progress without infantilizing.
Best practice: set up a reverse feedback session several times a year. The principle: employees take a dedicated period of time to give their manager feedback on his or her coaching style, posture and day-to-day support.
This establishes a dynamic of reciprocity, shows that feedback flows in both directions, and sets an example of a posture open to feedback.
Traditional managerial feedback is often based on a top-down posture: "I'll tell you what's wrong". This approach generates defensiveness and reduces the desire to learn. Switching to manager-coach mode means changing posture. The manager becomes a learning facilitator, helping people to step back, ask the right questions and open up new perspectives.
It's a question of alternating directive feedback (on facts), exploratory feedback (to understand), and projection feedback (to consider possible avenues). This posture is learned and worked on over time.
Best practice: have each manager play two roles during training: a control role / a coaching role. Then have employees debrief on the effects produced.
The OSBD model (Observation, Feeling, Need, Request) structures feedback in a clear and respectful way. It forces the manager to focus on observable facts, to express how this makes him or her feel as a manager, to spell out what he or she really wants, and then to formulate a concrete, constructive request. This simple framework helps to move away from vague judgments or indirect reproaches, which are often poorly experienced or misunderstood. It also opens up a space for dialogue, without putting the person on the defensive.
Example: "At the last two meetings, you intervened quickly after each presentation. I felt that this prevented others from reacting. In order to give everyone a chance to express themselves, can you wait for the others to give their opinion before intervening?" This type of formulation remains factual, expressed in the first person, and offers a clear adjustment. It embodies constructive, cooperative feedback.
Good feedback is straight to the point, with no unnecessary detours or implicit judgments. The manager must describe an observable fact, express its impact, and open the exchange. This level of precision requires advance preparation.
Avoid : blanket judgments or labels ("You're unreliable") that close the door to discussion.
To be preferred: precise, open-ended wording, for example: "You didn't pass on the information to the customer when the report was due yesterday. I need to be able to rely on this type of commitment. What happened?". This type of formulation opens up a constructive dialogue.
Not all feedback is given in the same way. Feedback on a deliverable, a posture in a meeting or taking the initiative does not require the same tone, the same level of demand or the same intention.
The challenge: adapt your feedback to the nature of the situation, its impact, and the state of mind in which you wish to place the person (correction, learning, valuing, vigilance...).
Giving good feedback isn't enough if the context isn't right. A feedback culture presupposes rituals where this type of exchange is legitimate and encouraged. Without these spaces, feedback remains exceptional and clumsy.
Rituals to establish :
Positive feedback is a lever for recognition, motivation and commitment. It's not enough to say "well done": you have to explain why and what behavior you want to see continue.
To do :
Example: "You took the time to restate the customer's expectations during the pre-sales meeting. This avoided a misunderstanding. That's exactly what we expect in this type of situation."
Feedback cannot exist without trust. Employees must feel free to express a point of view, to make mistakes, to ask for feedback without fear of judgment. Creating these conditions requires exemplary management, transparency about mistakes, reciprocal feedback and clear ground rules.
The tool to be tested: co-construct a feedback charter with the team, listing what everyone expects, fears and wishes to encourage in feedback practices.
Giving good feedback can't be improvised. Without clear guidelines, it is often avoided or badly formulated. By training your teams, you can remove these obstacles, establish a common framework and align managerial practices.
NUMA's "Feedback" training course helps your managers to structure their feedback to maximize its impact, to choose the right moment to formulate it, and to integrate it naturally into their daily routine without it becoming an additional burden.
By establishing a genuine feedback management culture, you can strengthen team commitment, accelerate collective progress and develop healthier working relationships. HR plays a decisive role: by supporting managers, structuring feedback sessions and setting the course, you lay the foundations for effective, sustainable, human management.
Discover all our courses and workshops to address the most critical management and leadership challenges.
Quality certification has been awarded for the following category of actions: TRAINING INITIATIVES
Training organisation registered under the number 11755339875. This registration does not imply state approval.
.svg)
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
