9:30 – 9:40 Welcome & Introductions Slides 1–3

Wall space prepared4 panel outlines drawnPens & markersGround rules prompt

10 mins

Warm and relaxed tone from the start. This sets the whole day.

Introduce yourself and the day. Set out the aims of the workshop and agree ground rules together.

Point to the wall and say:

This wall is going to build up throughout the day with your contributions. By the end it will be a picture of everything you know and think about feedback — built by you, not by me.

Point to the wall and show them the four panels — numbered left to right as they appear on the wall:

1 — Why? → 2 — How to give it → 3 — How it feels → 4 — What we gain

Note: we won't work through them in wall order. We'll do 1, then jump to 3 (the centrepiece), then come back to 2, then finish with 4. Explain this briefly — it makes sense once they know why.

We're going to start with why feedback matters, then before we talk about how to give it, we're going to spend some time on what it actually feels like to receive it. That's the heart of the day — and it'll make everything else land differently.

Also flag the learner activities:

During the day, three of your colleagues — Debbie, Margaret and Chloe — are going to lead short activities from their own practice. When you're watching, take a mental note of what you observe. You'll get the chance to give them structured feedback later in the session — so those activities are also the practice material for our feedback practice.

Materials

Wall space prepared
4 panel outlines drawn
Pens & markers
Ground rules prompt

9:40 – 9:50 🎯 Debbie's Opening Activity Slides 4–6

As required by DebbieSpace for whole group

10 mins

Debbie leads with the whole group (~20 people). No brief to observe or analyse — just a warm energising experience together.

Let people just enjoy it. After the activity, transition gently into the Socratic discussion.

So — that was fun. Let's use that as a starting point…

Materials

As required by Debbie
Space for whole group

9:50 – 10:10 Socratic Discussion Slides 7–9

Wall — Panel 1 question mark drawn & ready

20 mins

You don't need to use all of these — follow the energy. Goal: group arrives at "feedback is a good thing" in their own words, not yours.

We've just had a great start to the day thanks to Debbie. Now I want to use that as a springboard into something a bit more reflective. I'm going to ask you some questions — and I genuinely want to hear what you think. There are no right answers here, just honest ones.

We're going to work our way through some ideas together — starting with your own experience of feedback, what makes it helpful, what makes it hard, and ultimately what it's actually for. I'll be writing up your thoughts as we go.

Starting with experience

HAS FEEDBACK EVER GENUINELY HELPED YOU OUT — LIKE ACTUALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE? WHAT WAS IT ABOUT IT THAT LANDED WELL?

WHAT DO YOU RECKON WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF NOBODY HAD SAID ANYTHING?

Surfacing the discomfort

SO WHY DOES FEEDBACK SOMETIMES FEEL A BIT… UGH? EVEN WHEN THE PERSON MEANS WELL?

IS IT THE FEEDBACK ITSELF THAT'S THE PROBLEM, OR IS IT MORE ABOUT HOW IT LANDS — THE RELATIONSHIP, THE TIMING, THE WAY IT'S SAID?

Separating feedback from criticism

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOMEONE CRITICISING YOU AND SOMEONE GIVING YOU FEEDBACK — IS THERE EVEN A DIFFERENCE?

IF A MATE TOLD YOU THERE WAS SPINACH IN YOUR TEETH, WOULD THAT FEEL LIKE CRITICISM?

Connecting to growth

HOW DO WE ACTUALLY GET BETTER AT STUFF WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT ISN'T WORKING?

IS THERE ANYONE — A COACH, A TEACHER, SOMEONE YOU'VE WORKED WITH — WHOSE FEEDBACK GENUINELY SHIFTED SOMETHING FOR YOU?

Challenging avoidance

IF WE ALL JUST AGREED TO NEVER GIVE EACH OTHER FEEDBACK, WHAT WOULD THAT ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE DAY TO DAY?

IS SAYING NOTHING EVER REALLY THE KIND OPTION — OR IS IT JUST THE EASIER ONE?

Landing the point

SO IF FEEDBACK, DONE WELL, HELPS US GROW — WHAT DOES THAT TELL US ABOUT WHAT IT'S ACTUALLY FOR?

IF YOU REALLY CARED ABOUT SOMEONE YOU WORK WITH, WHAT WOULD IT ACTUALLY MEAN TO HOLD BACK?

Materials

Wall — Panel 1 question mark drawn & ready

10:10 – 10:25 Panel 1 Exercise — Post-its on the question mark Slides 10–12

Post-it notes (3 per person = ~60)Pens at each tableTable angle cards (1 per table)Wall — large question mark ready

15 mins

4 tables, each working together as a group. Aim for 6-10 good quality post-its per table rather than lots of rushed individual ones. 8-10 mins to discuss and write, then come up and stick them on.

So we've talked about it — now let's put it on the wall. Each table has a slightly different angle to explore. Work together as a group and come up with your best 6-10 ideas — quality over quantity. One idea per post-it, then come up and fill in the question mark.

Table 1What is the benefit of feedback to you personally?

Table 2What is the benefit of feedback between you and your colleagues?

Table 3What is the benefit of feedback between you and your manager?

Table 4What is the benefit of feedback to the quality of your work and the people you serve?

Brief whole-group scan of what's on the wall before moving on — acknowledge it without going too deep.

Materials

Post-it notes (~40 total)
Pens at each table
Table angle cards (1 per table)
Wall — large question mark ready

10:25 – 10:35 Introducing the centrepiece — the feedback example Slides 13–15

Feedback example printed or displayedWall — Panel 3 drawn with 4 section headings

10 mins

Display or read the feedback example aloud. Let it land. Don't rush past it.

Before we talk about how to give feedback, I want us to spend some time on what it actually feels like to receive it. I'm going to share something real with you — feedback I received. And I want you to just sit with it for a moment.

I did find that Chris consistently didn't allow enough time for group discussion, in my opinion. A couple of other people in the group shared this frustration with me. I also found that Chris consistently looked at his watch when members of the group were sharing/contributing which I found quite distracting.

Sit with it for a moment. Then open up the discussion.

Materials

Feedback example printed or displayed
Wall — Panel 3 drawn with 4 section headings

10:35 – 11:15 Panel 3 — Four stages Socratic discussion Slides 16–18

Pens for writing on wallWall — 4 headings: First Reaction / Coping / Listening / Changing & Improving

40 mins

Work through the four stages. Write up key words and themes on the wall as each stage lands.

We're going to work through this together in four stages — what we feel first, how we cope with that, how we start to actually listen, and what we can do with it. I'll be building up the centrepiece of our wall as we go.

First Reaction

WHEN YOU READ THAT, WHAT'S YOUR GUT RESPONSE — ON BEHALF OF CHRIS?

IF THAT ARRIVED IN YOUR INBOX, WHAT WOULD YOU DO FIRST?

IS THAT FIRST REACTION ALWAYS A FAIR ONE — OR IS IT JUST A HUMAN ONE?

WHAT GETS IN THE WAY OF US BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY HEAR FEEDBACK IN THAT FIRST MOMENT?

Write the words and feelings the group offer into the First Reaction section of the wall.

Let's just capture that honestly — because it's real and it matters.

Coping

SO IF THAT'S THE REACTION — WHAT DO YOU ACTUALLY DO WITH IT? HOW DO YOU MANAGE THAT FEELING IN THE MOMENT?

HAS ANYONE GOT A STRATEGY THAT GENUINELY HELPS — SOMETHING YOU DO OR TELL YOURSELF?

IS IT EVER OK TO JUST SIT WITH IT FOR A BIT BEFORE YOU RESPOND?

WHAT'S THE RISK OF REACTING TOO QUICKLY — AND WHAT'S THE RISK OF BURYING IT AND NEVER COMING BACK TO IT?

Write the coping strategies onto the wall.

These are yours. Not from a textbook, not from me — from this room.

Listening

IF YOU GAVE YOURSELF A BIT OF TIME AND CAME BACK TO IT — WHAT MIGHT YOU ACTUALLY FIND IN THERE THAT'S WORTH HEARING?

WHAT WOULD NEED TO BE TRUE ABOUT YOU, OR THE SITUATION, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT?

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AGREEING WITH FEEDBACK AND BEING ABLE TO USE IT?

CAN FEEDBACK STILL BE USEFUL EVEN IF YOU THINK IT WAS UNFAIRLY DELIVERED?

Write up what the group identified as the useful kernel inside the difficult feedback.

This is the shift isn't it — from feeling it, to actually hearing it. That gap between those two things is where a lot of feedback gets lost.

Changing & Improving

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO TURN THAT FEEDBACK INTO SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY CHANGES HOW YOU WORK?

HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED BACK ON FEEDBACK THAT HURT AT THE TIME AND THOUGHT — ACTUALLY, THEY HAD A POINT?

WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT SOMEONE THAT THEY CAN DO THAT?

SO WHAT'S THE SKILL HERE — IS IT ABOUT THE FEEDBACK, OR IS IT ABOUT US?

Write the final summary onto the wall. Something like: the skill of receiving feedback is something we can develop.

That's the centrepiece of today. Everything we do from here — how we give feedback, when we give it, what we gain from it — it all rests on this. On us being able to do what we just described. We've worked through four stages together: First Reaction, Coping, Listening, and Changing & Improving. And you already know how to do it. It's right there on the wall.

IF TIME — share the second feedback example. Use it as a live test of the framework the group has just built. Read it aloud, then ask them to walk it through the four stages — first reaction, coping, listening, changing. Let them do the analysis rather than you. It shows the model working in real time on something even more charged than the first example.

I was upset with a particular moment on Friday afternoon, when Chris did a prayer gesture to offer praise to a comment. I felt this risked being insensitive to groups for whom such a gesture is taken seriously. Personally, I experienced it as a glib, sarcastic response to a comment on a serious topic — suicide intervention — that I had offered from a place of sincerity and vulnerability.

Materials

Pens for writing on wall
Wall — 4 headings: First Reaction / Coping / Listening / Changing & Improving

11:15 – 11:25 🎯 Chloe's Activity — gear change Slides 19–21

As required by Chloe

10 mins

A welcome change of gear after the emotional depth of Panel 3. Let the group enjoy it — no debrief needed.

Chloe leads her activity — whole group or smaller group with others observing, her choice. The energy shift is the point here.

Materials

As required by Chloe

11:25 – 11:50 Environments & Traffic Light exercise Slides 22–24

Wall — environments grid (5 rows × 2 cols: Giving / Receiving)Traffic light stickers — green, amber, red6 stickers per person (~120 total)Pens

25 mins

Now we know what it feels like to receive feedback, let's think about where it happens. I want to start by mapping out the different environments you give and receive feedback in — then we'll do something visual with them.

Step 1 — Shout out environments (5 mins)
Ask the group to shout out environments where they give and receive feedback. Write up (seed if needed):

6-weekly chats
In the moment
Wider company policy
Asking for feedback
Indigo Sparks

Then invite the group to add any others.

Step 2 — Traffic light stickers (10 mins)
Two columns per environment: Giving and Receiving. Three colours:

🟢 Green = this works well for me
🟡 Amber = it depends
🔴 Red = this doesn't work well for me

6 stickers per person. Everyone comes up and places them.

Step 3 — Where discussion (10 mins)

As the discussion develops, write the WHERE beside each environment row on the grid — e.g. "one to one office", "in front of the team", "via email". Keep it brief, just enough to capture what the group say. This builds a picture of not just when feedback happens but the physical and relational context it happens in.

LOOKING AT THIS — DOES ANYTHING SURPRISE YOU?

ARE THERE ANY PATTERNS YOU NOTICE ACROSS THE GIVING AND RECEIVING COLUMNS?

WHERE DOES YOUR 6-WEEKLY CHAT ACTUALLY HAPPEN — AND DOES THAT AFFECT HOW IT FEELS?

WHEN WE SAY IN THE MOMENT — WHERE IS THAT MOMENT USUALLY? IN FRONT OF OTHERS, OR ONE TO ONE?

IS IT EVER THE PLACE ITSELF THAT'S THE PROBLEM, OR IS IT SOMETHING ELSE — TIMING, WHO ELSE IS AROUND, HOW PREPARED YOU FEEL?

IF YOU COULD REDESIGN ONE OF THESE ENVIRONMENTS TO MAKE FEEDBACK WORK BETTER, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

Write key thoughts beside each row on the grid as they come up.

Materials

Wall — environments grid (5 rows × 2 cols: Giving / Receiving)
Traffic light stickers — green, amber, red
6 stickers per person (~120 total)
Pens

11:50 – 12:10 Feedback models — immediate to strategic Slides 25–27

Wall — space for 3 model labels in the arrowSBI / Pendleton's / PDSA reference cards (optional)

20 mins

Present in order from most immediate to most strategic. Link each back to the environments on the wall.

So we know when and where feedback happens. Now let's look at how. I want to share three models — starting with the quickest and most instinctive, and building up to the bigger picture.

1

SBI — Situation, Behaviour, Impact

In the moment feedback

Go-to for in the moment — quick, clean and easy to remember under pressure.

Situation — be specific about when and where. Not "you sometimes do this" but "in this morning's team meeting"
Behaviour — describe what you actually observed, not your interpretation. What did you see or hear?
Impact — say what effect it had. On you, on the group, on the activity
Keeps feedback factual and grounded — much easier to hear

↓ When the moment has passed and you want to go deeper…

2

Pendleton's Rules

Planned, structured conversations

Best for supervision, 6-weekly chats, after significant pieces of work.

Starts with the person receiving feedback — they go first, which shifts the power dynamic immediately
Four things in order: what went well, what could be improved, what was learned, what will be done differently
Structure means nothing gets skipped — easy to rush past positives or avoid the difficult bit
Takes longer but the quality of conversation is richer for it

↓ And both of these sit inside something bigger…

3

PDSA — Plan, Do, Study, Act

Your organisational framework

You already use this. Feedback is the engine that drives the Study phase.

Without honest feedback the cycle stalls — you're just doing without ever really learning
Feedback isn't a one-off event — it's a natural part of how you already work
Every time you give or receive feedback well, you're completing the cycle
Everything today — the environments, the models, the courage — it all lives here

Materials

Wall — space for 3 model labels in the arrow
SBI / Pendleton's / PDSA reference cards (optional)

12:10 – 12:25 Communicating feedback — Do's & Don'ts Slides 28–30

Wall — Do's & Don'ts space in Panel 2Pens at each table

15 mins

The models tell you what to cover — this is about how you actually show up in the conversation.

The models give you the structure. But the real difference between feedback that lands and feedback that doesn't is usually how it's delivered. Let's build our own do's and don'ts from your experience.

Socratic openers — whole group (~5 mins)

WHEN YOU'VE RECEIVED FEEDBACK THAT REALLY WORKED — WHAT DID THE OTHER PERSON ACTUALLY DO?

WHEN IT HASN'T WORKED — WHAT GOT IN THE WAY?

IS THERE ANYTHING SOMEONE COULD DO OR SAY THAT WOULD IMMEDIATELY MAKE YOU FEEL SAFER IN A FEEDBACK CONVERSATION?

WHAT'S THE ONE THING YOU WISH PEOPLE WOULD STOP DOING WHEN THEY GIVE FEEDBACK?

Small group exercise — Do's and Don'ts (~10 mins)

Each table comes up with their own list — 3 or 4 each, keep it tight. Share top one or two back to the room and write them up on the wall.

If there's a lot of overlap: "We all know what good looks like — so why is it still hard?"

Materials

Wall — Do's & Don'ts space in Panel 2
Pens at each table

12:25 – 12:35 🎯 Margaret's Activity Slides 31–33

As required by Margaret

10 mins

Margaret leads — whole group or smaller group with others observing, her choice.

This is where everything comes together. Margaret is going to lead an activity — your job is to watch, participate, and notice. In a few minutes you'll be giving her structured feedback using everything we've covered today.

Allow a moment of silence after it finishes. Don't jump in. Let the group sit with what they just observed.

Remind them of the do's and don'ts on the wall. This is the moment all of that becomes real.

Materials

As required by Margaret

12:35 – 12:40 Preparing to give feedback Slides 34–36

Wall visible to all groups

5 mins

Before we give feedback, take a few minutes in your groups to get your thoughts together. Use the models and the do's and don'ts on the wall to help you frame it.

Split into 3 peer groups — each group is assigned one activity leader:

Group 1 — prepares feedback for Debbie
Group 2 — prepares feedback for Margaret
Group 3 — prepares feedback for Chloe

Each group works simultaneously. Discuss what you noticed, agree how you're going to frame it, and decide who will lead when you deliver it.

What did you notice?
How are you going to frame it?
Who's going to lead the feedback from your group?

Point to the do's and don'ts and the models on the wall before they start.

Materials

Wall visible to all groups

12:40 – 12:55 Giving feedback & debrief Slides 37–39

Wall visible

15 mins

Each group is going to share their feedback with their activity leader at the same time. Debbie, Margaret, Chloe — your job right now is just to listen. You'll have the chance to respond in the debrief.

Simultaneous feedback (5 mins — 12:40–12:45) — all three groups deliver to their activity leader at the same time. Activity leaders listen — no responding or defending, just receiving.

Give a clear signal to start and a clear signal to stop at 5 minutes. Keep the energy up — it should feel purposeful and focused.

Whole group debrief (10 mins — 12:45–12:55)

Open to the whole room — givers and receivers together:

HOW DID IT FEEL TO GIVE FEEDBACK WITH A STRUCTURE?

WHAT WAS HARD ABOUT IT?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME?

Then turn to the activity leaders:

WHEN YOUR GROUP STARTED GIVING YOU FEEDBACK — WHAT WAS YOUR VERY FIRST REACTION? BE HONEST!

WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU HEARD THAT WAS DIFFICULT TO SIT WITH — AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THAT IN THE MOMENT?

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE AWAY AND ACTUALLY DO DIFFERENTLY — AND WHAT MADE THAT PIECE OF FEEDBACK LAND FOR YOU?

Materials

Wall visible

12:55 – 1:00 The roots & the leaves — closing the day Slides 40–42

Pre-cut leaf shapes (1 per person + spares)Green card or paperPensWall — Panel 4 tree with roots, trunk labelled, bare branches ready

5 mins

We've covered a huge amount today — and all of it has come from you. Before we finish, I want to do one last thing together on the wall.

— I saw it on a wall in Jamaica. And I've never forgotten it. A feedback culture doesn't just appear. It grows. And what it grows from are the small virtuous acts — the courage to be honest, the willingness to hear something difficult, the choice to do something differently. Those are the seeds. So let's plant some.

The Roots — our intentions (whole group shout out)

WHAT QUALITIES AND INTENTIONS DO WE WANT TO BRING TO A FEEDBACK CULTURE HERE?

WHAT WOULD YOUR COLLEAGUES NEED FROM YOU TO FEEL SAFE GIVING AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK?

Write their words into the roots — honesty, curiosity, courage, kindness, openness, trust.

These are your roots. This is what you're committing to — together.

The Leaves — personal goals

Hand out pre-cut leaf shapes and pens.

Now the leaves. These are yours — personal and individual. What will you personally gain or grow from being part of a genuinely good feedback environment here? Write it on your leaf.

Invite everyone up to place their leaf on the tree. Encourage them to say their word aloud if they're comfortable.

Once every leaf is on the tree, step back. Let the group look at it together in silence for a moment.

Look at that. That's yours. Every word on those roots, every leaf on those branches — that came from this room today. Not from me.

Virtuous seeds grow beautiful trees.

Thank you.

Materials

Pre-cut leaf shapes (1 per person + spares)
Green card or paper
Pens
Wall — Panel 4 tree with roots, trunk labelled, bare branches ready