Use ChatGPT to Deliver Effective Course-Corrective Feedback

Giving feedback is one of the toughest but most essential parts of leadership. Get it wrong, and you risk employees tuning out, getting defensive, or even disengaging entirely. But when done right, feedback helps people grow and ultimately makes your team more effective.

Most leaders struggle with striking the right balance. That’s why The Metiss Group teaches its feedback model in The Leadership Essentials Playbook™: it provides a structured approach to delivering feedback that is clear, constructive, and accountability-driven. 

In this article, we’ll teach you how to prompt AI to generate a script for delivering feedback and how you can refine your approach by roleplaying the results.

Step 1: Describe the Situation

Before you start crafting feedback, take a step back and reflect on the situation. The best feedback is specific and actionable, so it helps to answer a few key questions before you put your thoughts into words:

• What happened? Identify the specific behavior that needs to be addressed. Focus on facts rather than assumptions.
• What impact did it have? Consider how this behavior affected you, the team, or overall productivity. Was there a missed deadline? A drop in morale? An inefficiency that needs correcting?
• Why does it need to be corrected? Think about the bigger picture. Does this behavior create long-term challenges? Does it affect collaboration, customer experience, or company culture?

For example, say you have an employee who dominates meetings, cutting others off and making it difficult for their teammates to contribute. You might answer these questions like this:

• What happened? "During team meetings, I’ve noticed [Team Member Name] often interrupts others before they can finish their thoughts."
• What impact did it have? "This has led to frustration among the team, with some members becoming hesitant to speak up."
• Why does it need to be corrected? "If this continues, it could damage team collaboration and lead to disengagement from quieter team members who feel their voices don’t matter."

By getting clear on these details first, you’ll set yourself up to give feedback that’s both precise and actionable.

Step 2: Ask Generative AI to Structure Your Feedback

Now that you have a rough idea of what needs to be said, let AI help you structure it. Generative AI can refine your message to ensure it’s professional, constructive, and well-balanced.

Try using this prompt:

"I need to give course-corrective feedback to a team member. Here’s the situation: [describe what happened, the impact, and why it needs to change]. Can you help me structure my feedback using The Metiss Group’s four-part feedback model? I want it to: 1) start with an 'I' statement, 2) describe the behavior, 3) explain the impact, and 4) encourage accountability."

For example, if a leader wants to address the issue of meeting disruptions, they might use this prompt:

"I need to give feedback to a team member who frequently interrupts others during meetings. This has caused frustration and discouraged quieter team members from sharing their thoughts. Can you structure my feedback using The Metiss Group’s feedback model?"

Generative AI might provide something like this:

"I really appreciate your enthusiasm in team discussions, and I value your contributions. However, I’ve noticed during meetings, you sometimes jump in before others have finished speaking. This can make it harder for them to share their thoughts and, over time, may discourage some team members from participating. How can you ensure everyone gets the chance to contribute?"

The AI-generated response keeps the feedback constructive while encouraging a two-way conversation. If the wording doesn’t feel quite right, you can tweak it or ask AI to adjust the tone to be more direct, softer, or even more solution-focused.

Step 3: Practice and Deliver With Confidence

Once your feedback is structured, the next step is practice. The way you say something can be just as important as what you say, and this is where generative AI can be incredibly useful.

Many AI tools now include voice interaction features, allowing you to have a back-and-forth conversation. Use this to roleplay delivering your feedback before the real conversation. Here’s how:

1. Ask AI to act like the employee receiving the feedback. You can prompt it by saying:
   "Let’s roleplay. Act like an employee who is receiving this feedback. I’ll deliver the message, and I want you to respond as if you’re feeling defensive or frustrated."
   
   
2. Provide AI with context on how the employee might react. If you expect resistance, tell AI what kind of reaction to simulate:
   "This employee tends to get defensive when receiving feedback. They often argue their point or blame others. Act like them in this roleplay."
   
   
3. Adjust your approach based on AI’s response. If AI gives a defensive reaction, practice staying calm, reinforcing key points, and redirecting the conversation toward solutions.
   
   

By simulating these conversations, you can prepare yourself for potential pushback and fine-tune your delivery to ensure your message is received as intended.

Why This Process Works

Most feedback breakdowns happen when messages are either too vague or too aggressive. Generative AI helps eliminate those extremes by ensuring clarity, balance, and professionalism. 

When you use AI to refine and rehearse, you:

• Ensure your feedback is structured and effective. No more rambling or struggling to find the right words.
• Anticipate how the recipient might react. Practicing with AI prepares you for real-life conversations.
• Build confidence in your delivery. You’re not going into the conversation blind. You’ve already tested and refined your approach.

The Bottom Line

Generative AI isn’t a replacement for strong leadership, but it’s a valuable tool for refining your feedback skills. By structuring your message, using AI to fine-tune your wording, and practicing delivery through voice interactions, you can ensure your feedback is both impactful and well-received.

Here at The Metiss Group, we teach the feedback model during The Leadership Essentials Playbook™ program. 

Now that you understand how to use AI for feedback, the next step is to understand the difference between feedback and criticism in the workplace. This will help you understand when, how, and how often to deliver positive and course-corrective feedback.