Teaching Employees How to Receive Feedback: A Preliminary Investigation

Ehrlich et al. (2020) taught employees how to take feedback like pros. They used behavioral skills training (BST): explain, model, practice, and feedback. Three workers joined the study. The team watched each person during real feedback meetings.

They tracked three skills: active listening, asking clarifying questions, and thanking the giver. Sessions ran until each worker hit the mastery mark. The design was a multiple baseline across participants.

All three employees learned the new habits fast. They kept the skills weeks later without extra coaching. Feedback talks became calmer and more useful for both sides.

The study showed BST works for adults in regular jobs, not just therapists or teachers.

Shin et al. (2021) and Harper et al. (2023) used the same BST steps and design. They taught parents and nurses, not office staff. All studies got quick, lasting gains. The pattern says BST is reliable across jobs and skills.

Gormley et al. (2019) ran a big RCT with 54 disability-sector staff. They also saw knowledge and skill jumps after one BST day. The small 2020 study mirrors those large-scale results, so you can trust BST in both small teams and big agencies.

No contradictions appear. The 2020 paper simply adds 'receiving feedback' to the growing list of workplace skills BST can teach.

Most supervision time is wasted when staff get defensive or stay silent. A 30-minute BST package fixes that. You can slip the same four steps into your next in-service: explain why listening matters, model the three target actions, let staff role-play with you, and give instant feedback. Start with one willing employee, track the skills during real reviews, and add co-workers once you see the jump. Calmer, clearer feedback loops mean better outcomes for clients and less stress for you.