This positive and constructive feedback activity can be used with employees in a classroom or workplace training session. In around 10 minutes, participants discuss three questions in groups and then look at four key ideas for giving positive feedback and constructive feedback effectively.
Taken from the Giving Feedback Training materials for trainers for workplace training
Quick Overview
- Short 10-minute activity
- No prep required
- Builds feedback delivery skills
- Ideal for team training or workshops
What Is the Difference Between Positive and Constructive Feedback?
Positive feedback reinforces and encourages existing good behavior, while constructive feedback helps identify areas for improvement in a supportive way.
- Positive feedback: Helps build confidence, such as by acknowledging strengths.
- Constructive feedback: Helps the person improve further through actionable tips.
- Positive feedback is something that should be given often.
- Constructive feedback really needs to be given in a timely manner, and it should be clear and actionable.
To quickly summarize the differences, here’s a comparison table you can use in your session:
| Aspect | Positive Feedback | Constructive Feedback |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Reinforce desired behaviors | Guide improvement |
| Tone | Encouraging and affirming | Supportive but corrective |
| Timing | Frequent and ongoing | When improvement is needed |
| Example | “You did a great job facilitating that meeting.” | “Next time, try summarizing key points before ending the meeting.” |
It’s important to distinguish constructive criticism from feedback. While the former can sometimes come across as harsh or one-directional, feedback (when done well) invites dialogue, mutual understanding, and growth.
How Do You Run This Positive and Constructive Feedback Activity?
To run the activity, divide participants into groups of three or four, give them five minutes to discuss the three prompts, then allow five minutes for a debrief, and finally, explain the four feedback principles.
Starting the Activity
Activity: 10 minutes is the recommended timeframe to run this activity.
At first, only show the three questions on the left-hand side of the slide.
The questions are:
- What type of feedback are you better at giving (positive or constructive)?
- Why do you think this is the case?
- Why should you balance positive and constructive feedback?
You will explain the points on the right after the activity.
- The notes for these points are further down, after the activity instructions.
- Ask participants to form groups of 3 or 4 people.
- Ask each group to answer the questions on the slide and discuss them within the group.
- Give groups 5 minutes for the discussion.
- After the time is up, start a discussion with the whole class for each group to share their ideas with the rest of the class. Allocate 5 minutes for this.
If you are teaching online
Use breakout rooms to separate participants into groups.
Once the group activity is over, bring the participants back to the main room for the whole-class discussion.
Trainer Explanation
After the discussion, show the points on the right of the slide and explain them one by one, as below.
1. Beware the sandwich
You might have come across the idea of the feedback sandwich, whereby you are supposed to start with positive feedback, then deliver the criticism, and finally end with another positive comment.
So, if you imagine the sandwich, the compliments at the start and the end are the bread, and the criticism is the heart of the matter, the meat or the cheese or whatever you eat in a sandwich.
Q&A
Why do you think managers are so often advised to use this technique?
Wait for answers.
After the participants have answered, explain as follows.
The idea is that this approach will make the recipient less defensive, as balancing positives with negatives is supposed to protect their self-esteem. So, the manager feels better about giving constructive feedback.
Q&A
Why might there be a problem with this approach?
Wait for answers.
After the participants have answered, explain as follows.
The recipient might feel confused because the main message (i.e., the request to change behavior or to improve) is diluted.
Also, if this method is used all the time, eventually the employee will start associating any offer of feedback with criticism.
So, when the manager calls them for a one-on-one meeting, the employee will think, ‘What have I done wrong now?’ and will become anxious.
At the same time, the employee will perceive the compliment as fake and insincere, just a tool to soften the blow.
So, in the end, the sandwich detracts from the reinforcement of positive feedback and devalues the impact of constructive feedback.
Curious what not to do? Check out our guide to 10 examples of bad feedback and how to make them more constructive.
2. Keep positives and negatives separate
Having discussed the fact that the ‘sandwich’ is not very effective, you still need to give positive feedback.
Positive feedback is invaluable, and you need to give employees a lot of it, way more than you give constructive feedback.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management also advises managers to give feedback regularly, rather than waiting for formal reviews, and to include both reinforcement and correction.
This is because positive feedback, as we have discussed, reinforces good behavior and makes people feel appreciated, while constructive feedback helps people develop and progress.
It is better, though, to give positive feedback separately from constructive feedback so that people appreciate it more and see it as sincere.
Praise constitutes positive feedback, but although praise is important, you might not want to praise your staff for every little thing, as otherwise, it can come across as fake.
Positive feedback, though, can also mean making people feel appreciated.
So, you can give them recognition and create a culture in which positive events happen daily.
This means creating an overall positive culture in the company, in which people are supported, listened to, and respected.
Create a culture of psychological safety, where employees feel free to express their opinions without fear and are encouraged to problem-solve together with their managers.
This kind of open environment contributes to building a strong employee feedback culture, where feedback becomes part of the everyday communication process rather than a rare formal occurrence.
The idea is that positive events need to outnumber negative events.
For practical techniques, read our guide on how to give positive feedback in the workplace with 21 actionable tips.
3. Remember the negativity bias
As humans, we are wired to remember negative events more strongly than positive ones. When it comes to feedback, this phenomenon is known as the ‘negativity bias’.
We tend to remember more vividly when somebody has been critical of us rather than complimenting us.
This bias in favor of negative events might happen because, for our ancestors, it was more important to pay attention to threats rather than pleasurable events in order to survive.
For example, it was more important to be alert to the presence of a predator than to a nice piece of fruit when thinking of a place.
Knowing this, keep in mind that you need to give a lot more positive feedback in comparison to criticism if you want staff to also remember the positives.
How much more? (You might ask)
4. Use a 5:1 ratio
Gottman’s relationship research is often summarized as a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative interactions. This was not developed as a workplace rule, so it is best used here as a simple reminder that positive interactions should substantially outnumber corrective ones.
Just use this idea as a rule of thumb to remember that you need to allow for much more positivity than negativity if you want a happy and motivated workforce.
Embedding feedback loops into your team’s regular routines can also support this balance, encouraging ongoing communication and continuous improvement.
What Positive and Constructive Feedback Examples Can You Use?
When using this constructive feedback activity, having some examples on hand can be useful, so here are some example scenarios for you below:
Scenario 1. A Struggling Employee Gets Back on Track
At a real estate agency chain in London, UK, Sarah, a hard-working and intelligent employee, seems to be struggling. She has started missing the performance goals that have been set for her by her manager.
She was hitting her targets easily up until a few months ago, and she now seems quite demotivated.
Positive Feedback
Instead of focusing only on Sarah’s failure to meet recent targets, her manager, Alex, starts off by talking about her strengths and past achievements.
Alex provides positive and constructive feedback on Sarah’s creativity, problem-solving, and communication strategy skills, and how well she fits into the team.
Outcome
Encouraged by the positive feedback, Sarah opens up about her challenges and the fact that she has had problems at home and recently split with her partner.
As a result, her manager puts her in touch with HR so that they can offer her support and guidance. While they cannot help directly, they are able to offer counseling.
They also worked together on a light performance improvement plan that outlined achievable short-term goals without adding pressure.
Within 2 months, Sarah’s work results are back to normal, and it seems as though the fact that she now has the support and understanding from her manager means she is in a better place.
The situation here is that if her manager had first focused on attack mode and being critical, then it might well have ended in tears, with Sarah not then opening up about the real issue.
In the end, Sarah’s great work ethic and ability saw her promoted to a managerial role.
Scenario 2: Customer Support Excellence
Scenario
A customer, Fiona, contacted Tirtu Ltd’s customer support with an issue regarding a recent purchase. She was frustrated and needed assistance urgently. Fiona was put through to an agent almost immediately and was very happy with the quick and efficient service.
Fiona sent an email to Tirtu Ltd praising the customer support representative, mentioning how patiently they listened to her concerns and provided a quick and effective solution.
Outcome
The positive feedback was shared with the customer support team, boosting morale.
The customer support representative received recognition for her outstanding service, having also received other great feedback, motivating her and the team to continue delivering exceptional customer support.
Download the Full Feedback Training Course Materials
Download the Feedback Training Materials
- Editable PowerPoint slides
- Trainer notes and printable feedback activities
- Real-world examples and feedback scenarios
- Teaches both positive and constructive feedback techniques
Perfect for HR, L&D, and team trainers looking to improve communication and performance through effective feedback.
Download the Giving & Receiving Feedback Training MaterialsFAQs About the Positive vs Constructive Feedback Activity
Can I run this activity with remote teams?
Yes. This activity works well in virtual settings using screen sharing. You can present the feedback slide via Zoom or Teams and ask participants to share their responses in the chat or verbally.
How do I follow up after this activity?
Consider asking participants to journal or reflect on feedback they’ve given or received recently. You can also schedule role-play exercises or link them with more advanced feedback training sessions.
Can I use this activity as a standalone session?
Absolutely. It’s designed to stand alone or to act as a warm-up for a longer workshop on giving feedback or performance coaching.
Further Feedback Resources
- 10 more feedback training activities for employee training
- See all Feedback guides for trainers.
- Try our free Constructive Feedback Activity to teach employees how to give improvement-focused input effectively.
