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!

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.

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.

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.