Why receiving feedback is just as important as giving It
People often think feedback is all about learning how to give it properly.
Use the right tone. Choose the right words. Be constructive. Don’t make it personal. Structure it all through a model.
All sound advice.
But perhaps the harder skill is being the person on the receiving end?
Because no matter how professional we are at delivering it, feedback can still sting.
At NV we work with businesses and leadership teams across the UK delivering corporate roleplay and communication training, and one thing comes up again and again: people are often far more eager to offer feedback than they are to receive it.
Nobody really loves being criticised
Even when feedback is fair, helpful, and delivered kindly, it can still feel uncomfortable.
Your first instinct might be to explain yourself. Defend your decision. Interrupt halfway through. Or mentally switch off before the conversation has even finished.
We’re all human, after all.
But the people who tend to grow the fastest in their careers are usually the ones who can hear feedback without taking it personally.
Listening without defending yourself is an underrated skill
Receiving feedback gracefully doesn’t mean sitting silently and passively agreeing with everything somebody says. It simply means being able to pause long enough to properly hear it.
Sometimes the most valuable thing you can say is:
‘That’s useful to know.’
‘Can you give me an example?’
‘I’ll think about that.’
Those responses open conversations up instead of shutting them down.
The best leaders need to be open to feedback
One of the quickest ways to damage trust in a workplace is to become defensive every time somebody offers feedback.
People notice it immediately.
If employees feel they have to walk on eggshells around managers, honest communication evaporates. Teams stop speaking openly, small problems grow bigger, and workplace culture suffers.
On the other hand, leaders who can accept feedback calmly create an environment where people feel safe to contribute.
That changes everything.
Feedback happens every day, not just in reviews
Feedback should be commonplace, not just reserved as a formality.
It happens after presentations. During interviews. In team conversations. In fact in any conversation.
That’s why real-world communication training in receiving feedback is so important.
The most respected people in a workplace usually have something in common
They’re coachable. Open.
They can listen. Reflect. Adapt. Learn.
Not perfectly. Not effortlessly. But without letting their pride get in the way of their progress.
And that matters far more than always having the perfect answer.
At NV we use professional actors and realistic roleplay scenarios to help people practise difficult workplace conversations in a way that feels authentic - because that’s when people learn the most.
We have designed popular experiential learning courses with actors on both giving and receiving feedback for companies such as Abbott, Channel 4 and Rolls-Royce plc.
All resources