Feedback conversation simulation: one talk, six choices, a hidden cause
Your former peer rewrote a colleague's work and cost a client deadline. Prepare the conversation, then find out whether she tells you why.
- Six decisions, from where you meet to how you follow up two weeks later
- Three hidden causes and two communication styles, seeded each play
- She only tells you the real cause if the talk feels safe enough
- Scored on clarity, listening, agreement and trust, with a debrief
Not sure yet? Try the free 3-round Price War first: no sign-up, about five minutes.
Is there an online simulation where managers can practise giving difficult feedback?
The Feedback Talk, a Bodhih Arena micro-simulation, lets you practise one difficult feedback conversation from preparation to follow-up. You talk to a former peer whose late rewrites cost a client deadline, choose your words at six points, and a scored debrief shows what was really behind her behaviour.
What is The Feedback Talk?
The Feedback Talk is a single-player online simulation of one difficult conversation. You have just been promoted, and Odile, your former peer, rewrote a junior colleague's slides the night before a client review. You prepare, open, name the problem, respond to her reaction, agree a fix and follow up two weeks later. Hidden in each play are the real cause of her behaviour and her communication style; what you say decides whether she tells you the truth.
The Feedback Talk at a glance
| Format | Micro-sim, single player |
|---|---|
| Length | About 18 minutes per play |
| Players | One person; every play is a new seeded scenario |
| Devices | Any modern browser on a laptop, tablet or phone |
| Scoring | Scored on the server out of 100, with sub-scores and a debrief |
| Credential | Open Badges 3.0 micro-sim credential at a score of 80 or more, with a public verification page |
| Competencies | Difficult Conversations (SPN.1.5), Listening and Comprehension (SPN.1.3), Coaching and Feedback (SPN.3.2), Motivating and Engaging (SPN.3.4) |
| LMS | LTI 1.3 launch from Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard or D2L, with grade passback; usable as a Bodhih pathway stage |
| Price for one person | $12 |
| Price per seat | $12 per seat, volume pricing by seat count |
Why feedback conversations go wrong, even with good intentions
You soften the message until it disappears
You start with praise, hint at the problem and finish with more praise. The person leaves feeling fine and has no idea what you wanted to change. A week later it happens again.
You are clear, but you never find out why
You state the problem firmly and get a flat "fine". The behaviour stops for a while, then comes back, because the fix you agreed never touched what was really going on.
The person used to be your peer
Last month you were colleagues. Now you have to raise something with someone who knows your own mistakes, may have wanted your job, and is watching how you use your new authority.
Here is the situation you walk into
Five weeks ago you were promoted to manage the Client Insights team at Haverly Group. Odile, a senior analyst with six years on the team, was your peer until then. Her analysis is often the best on the team.
The night before the Brenlow Foods review, Odile rewrote most of the slides Sunniva had prepared, after 9 pm. In the review she told the client to use her numbers, not Sunniva's. The deck arrived late, and the client asked which figures to trust. Sunniva now wonders whether to stop sending Odile her drafts.
You have to talk to Odile. You do not know why she did it. It might be an unclear standard, quiet overload, or something about the job you got and she did not. Whether she tells you depends on how you handle the conversation.
6 decisions, one debrief
- STEP 1
Prepare
Choose when and where to talk, pick up to three pieces of evidence (things you saw yourself, things you heard second-hand, or your own label for her), and decide what you want from the conversation.
- STEP 2
Open
Choose your first words. A clear purpose, a question, a compliment sandwich or a comment on her attitude each land differently, and the best opening depends on her style, which the brief hints at through her behaviour.
- STEP 3
Name the problem
Describe what happened. The evidence you brought decides what you can say: specific behaviour and impact, a generalisation, a gentle hint, or something you were told in confidence.
- STEP 4
Respond to her reaction
Odile pushes back in a way that fits the hidden cause. Ask, insist, back down or argue the facts. Only if the conversation feels safe enough does she tell you what was really going on.
- STEP 5
Agree a way forward
Choose a fix (a review rule, taking extra work away, a quality-lead role, or a dictated instruction) and how to close the meeting. A fix aimed at the wrong cause does not last.
- STEP 6
Two weeks later
See whether the next client deck goes better. Decide what to say to Odile, what to tell Sunniva without breaking a confidence, and whether to ask for feedback on yourself. Then read the debrief.
Who The Feedback Talk is for
- New and first-time managers. Especially if you now manage people who used to be your peers. You can practise the conversation you are dreading on an invented team first.
- Experienced managers who avoid the hard part. If your feedback tends to come out either too soft or too blunt, the scoring shows which, and the debrief puts your words beside stronger ones.
- L&D teams teaching feedback. Feedback models are easy to explain and hard to use under pressure. Each participant gets a scored conversation to bring to the session, with a different hidden cause from their neighbour.
- HR business partners and coaches. A shared, low-risk case to discuss with managers before a real conversation, with a reveal that shows how the same behaviour can have very different causes.
Who should skip it
It does not replace practising out loud with a real person; it sharpens the choices you bring to that conversation. If you need scripts to adapt, pair it with the Difficult Conversations at Work kit.
What changes after your first Feedback Talk
Most players discover one habit they did not know they had: softening the message, skipping the question, or agreeing a fix before they understand the cause.
Prepare facts, not labels
You will go into hard conversations with what you saw and its impact, and leave the hearsay and the labels behind.
Say the hard thing clearly, without judging the person
You will describe behaviour and its impact in a way that is hard to dispute and easy to act on.
Ask before you fix
You will treat the other person's reaction as information, ask what was going on, and listen long enough to hear the real cause.
Agree a fix that lasts, and follow up
You will match the fix to the cause, write down what you both agreed, and check in with specifics two weeks later.
Keep confidences while closing the loop
You will tell the people affected what changed, without passing on what was shared with you in private.
Learning goals
- Describe behaviour and its impact specifically, without judging the person
- Make it safe enough to hear the other side before fixing anything
- Agree a fix that addresses the real cause, then follow up
Skills practised: Giving specific, task-focused feedback, Handling defensiveness, Managing former peers, Adapting directness to the person, Following up and keeping confidences.
Competencies scored
Sub-scores map to the open Bodhih Competency Spine, so results sit beside your other learning records.
What the debrief shows
- Your score out of 100 and four sub-scores: message clarity, listening and inquiry, agreement and follow-through, and trust and relationships, each mapped to a Competency Spine skill.
- What happened, step by step, with a stronger version of your words wherever another choice would have worked better.
- Behind the curtain: the real cause of Odile's behaviour, her communication style, and how safe the conversation felt when she reacted.
- What strong players do, and the key concept, describe then discover. Breaking a confidence ends the attempt as "Not passed: conduct", with no score.
Describe, then discover
Name the behaviour and its impact plainly, then find out what caused it before you agree a fix. Feedback about the task tends to help; feedback about the person tends to help less and can backfire.
Use The Feedback Talk with a team
Seats are $12 each. Buy up to 25 seats online and assign them from your company admin; above that, or for a facilitated programme or an institution licence, request a quote and we activate your seats after payment.
Before a feedback or difficult-conversations workshop
Ask participants to play once beforehand. The session can start from their own choices: who softened the message, who never asked, and which hidden cause each of them met.
A stage in a new-manager pathway
Place it after a lesson on feedback, so people apply it the same week, then have them script a real conversation of their own using the same six steps.
A shared case for HR and managers
Use the reveal to discuss how one behaviour can come from an unclear standard, overload or a sense of lost standing, and how the right fix differs for each.
Team challenge through your LMS
Launch it from Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard or D2L via LTI 1.3 with grades passed back, or compare results on the company leaderboard.
Volume pricing
| Seats | Per seat | How to buy |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $12 | Online |
| 2 to 10 | $10.80 | Online |
| 11 to 50 | $9.60 | Online up to 25, then quote |
| 51+ | $8.40 | Quote |
The Feedback Talk compared with a feedback role play or video course
| Compared on | A role play or video course | The Feedback Talk |
|---|---|---|
| What you practise | A model on a slide, or one role play with a colleague acting the part. | One full conversation, from preparation to follow-up, with six decisions that build on each other. |
| What is hidden | The role player usually knows the "answer" and plays to it. | The real cause and her style are seeded and hidden; she only reveals the cause if the talk feels safe enough. |
| Consequences | The scene ends when the talk ends. | You see what happens two weeks later, and whether the fix you agreed actually held. |
| Feedback on you | Comments from the group, which vary with who is in the room. | A score out of 100, four competency sub-scores and your words beside stronger ones. |
| Repeat practice | Once played, the scene is spent. | Each play deals a new combination of cause and style, so the same words can land differently. |
| Where it is weaker | Better for practising tone of voice, pauses and body language out loud. | You choose from written options rather than speaking your own words. |
What to pair with The Feedback Talk
Difficult Conversations at Work Kit (Pro Kit)
The simulation shows where your conversation slipped; the kit's scripts and planners help you prepare the real one.
See the kit →Pro KitOne-to-One Meeting Templates and Feedback Kit (Pro Kit)
Regular one-to-ones build the safety that let Odile tell you the truth, before a hard conversation is needed.
See the kit →Online courseAI for Managers course
Covers planning, delegation and feedback with an AI assistant, with a graded portfolio built on your own team.
See the course →AssessAll assessmentWritten Feedback Quality Assessment (AssessAll)
Checks whether the feedback you write can be acted on without asking what it means, a useful second view beside your message-clarity sub-score.
Take the assessment →Related simulations
How much does The Feedback Talk cost for one person?
You can buy The Feedback Talk for yourself online for $12. That includes unlimited replays, the debrief and the credential if you score 80 or more. Every simulation is sold separately.
What is the price for a team or company?
Seats are $12 each, with volume tiers as the number of seats rises. Up to 25 seats can be bought online. For more than that, for facilitated sessions or for a college licence, request a quote and we will activate the seats once it is agreed.
How many minutes does it take?
About 18 minutes: six decisions and the debrief. There is no timer, and your progress is saved if you need to stop.
What do I get when I buy it?
The simulation, a score out of 100 with four sub-scores tied to the Bodhih Competency Spine, a debrief covering what happened, why, what strong players do and the key concept, a reveal of the hidden cause and style, and a credential at 80 or more.
Can I replay it?
Yes, as often as you like. Each play deals one of three hidden causes and one of two communication styles. Because the debrief reveals the cause, a replay of a cause you have already seen counts as practice: it is scored and debriefed, but it does not count towards the credential or the leaderboard.
Do I get a certificate?
At a score of 80 or more, on your first play of a hidden cause, you earn The Feedback Talk micro-sim credential, issued as an Open Badges 3.0 badge with a public verification page and an Add to LinkedIn button.
What happens if I break a confidence in the conversation?
Keeping confidences is a baseline standard for every manager. If you name the colleague who spoke to you in confidence, or pass on Odile's private reasons, the attempt ends as "Not passed: conduct", with no score and no credential, and the debrief explains why.
Which devices can I use?
Any modern web browser on a laptop, tablet or phone; nothing to install. There is no timer, so you can take each decision at your own pace.
Does it work with our LMS?
Yes. It launches through LTI 1.3 from Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, D2L and similar platforms, with the score returned to the gradebook. It can also sit as a stage inside a Bodhih learning pathway.
Is my data private?
Your decisions and scores are stored to run the simulation and show your debrief; the people and the company are invented, so no real staff details are involved. Results stay within your organisation's account. See bodhih.org/privacy.
Can I try something before I buy, and what about refunds?
Try the free three-round Price War at /taste-arena, no sign-up needed, to see how Arena simulations work. Refund terms are at bodhih.org/refunds.
Have the conversation here first
In 18 minutes you will see how you really handle a hard talk with someone who used to be your peer: what you lead with, whether you ask, and what you agree. Play it once, read what was behind her behaviour, then play a new cause and notice what you do differently.
Want a feel for Arena first? Play the free 3-round Price War.
- Play it as often as you like for 12 months: every play is a new scenario
- A debrief after each play: what happened, why, and what strong players do
- A verifiable credential when you score 80 or more
- Scored on the server, mapped to the Bodhih Competency Spine
Not sure yet? Try the free 3-round Price War first, no sign-up.
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