Manager feedback practice, out loud, against someone who pushes back
Underperformance, a missed deadline, behaviour that is affecting the team. Practise saying the thing plainly, on the day, without it becoming either a soft chat that changes nothing or a confrontation.
Built for L&D and people teams. Every call is spoken in real time — not a chat transcript — and ends with a scored debrief you can replay.
What you are scored on
These are the four axes the debrief grades, written out in full rather than summarised. Knowing them before the call is not cheating — it is the difference between practice and a test.
Clarity of the message
Did the person leave in no doubt about what specifically needs to change? Softening that obscures the message is the most common failure in this conversation.
Specific evidence
Was the feedback anchored in observable behaviour and dated examples, rather than characterisation ('you seem disengaged') or second-hand report?
Two-way handling
Did they listen to the response and adjust where there was genuinely new information, without abandoning the message when it got uncomfortable?
Result
Did it end with a shared understanding of what changes, by when, and what happens next — or with the manager relieved it was over?
How the call can end
The counterpart is not scripted to agree. Each of these is a real outcome the scenario can reach, ordered best to worst.
Understood, change agreed
winThe message landed, was accepted, and there is a specific agreement.
Heard but defensive
partialIt landed and was not accepted. Better than most managers achieve.
Softened away
lossThe message got so padded that the person left thinking they were doing fine. The most common way this conversation fails.
Became a confrontation
lossIt turned adversarial and nothing was agreed.
The scenarios
The strong performer who has slipped
Veteran · 15 minHe was your best engineer eight months ago. He is not now, and everyone on the team has noticed except, apparently, him.
You are: An engineering manager with a team of seven. Your goal: Make sure he leaves this conversation in no doubt about what has to change, with specific examples, and with a shared plan — without turning it into a disciplinary conversation.
Teaches: Delivering a clear performance message without softening it away, and finding the cause underneath it.
Brilliant, and everyone dreads working with her
Veteran · 15 minHer output is the best on the team. Two people have asked not to be paired with her. This is the conversation that gets postponed for a year.
You are: A product manager who has just taken over a team of nine. Your goal: Make the impact of the behaviour concrete and undeniable, without attacking her character or losing her — and agree what changes.
Teaches: Giving behavioural feedback to a high performer without losing the message to the argument.
Other things to practise
Sales discovery
Qualify without interrogating.
Objection handling
Price, timing, competitor, status quo.
Product demos
Demo to the problem, not the feature list.
Customer success
Renewals, QBRs and expansion.
Support de-escalation
Take the heat out before solving it.
Leadership
Set direction and hold the room.
Negotiation
Salary, contract and scope.
Take a manager feedback call
The conversation managers avoid for months. A real voice on the other end, a counterpart who does not simply agree, and a scored debrief against the four axes above. The first call is free.