You cushion it until it disappears
By the time you have made it comfortable, the other person does not know anything needs to change.
Courses
See what you would learn
Say the hard thing kindly, and specifically enough to change something.
A course for people who soften feedback until it disappears. It covers making an observation specific, delivering it so the other person can use it, and following up so the conversation leads to a change instead of a moment of discomfort.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to give honest feedback that helps someone improve. I tend to soften the message too much and need a way to be specific, kind, and clear.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
- Best for
- Leadership
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Who do you most need to give feedback to: reports, peers, or your manager?
- Is your habit to soften it, delay it, or deliver it too bluntly?
- Is there a piece of feedback you have been holding back?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You wait for the review
Small things pile up until they arrive all at once, which is the worst way to hear them.
You are honest and it lands badly
The content is right and the person hears an attack.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06What feedback is for
Changing behaviour, not expressing frustration or ticking a box, and how that changes what you say.
Specific enough to act on
Observation, effect and request, with an example the person recognises.
Kind and clear at once
Why care and directness are not a trade-off, and how to hold both in one sentence.
Timing and setting
Soon, private and short: the conditions under which feedback is heard.
When they disagree or shut down
Staying with the observation, hearing their view, and not withdrawing the point.
Feedback as a habit
Making small, frequent feedback normal so the big conversation is rarely needed.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Turn a judgement into an observation
Describe what you saw and its effect, in language the other person cannot argue with.
Deliver it so it can be used
Timing, setting and framing that make change more likely than defence.
Follow through
Check what changed, and notice it out loud when it does.
Ideas this course corrects
Positive feedback softens the negative
Sandwiching hides the point. People remember the praise and miss the request.
Feedback should wait until you are calm and certain
Waiting makes it heavier and vaguer. A specific observation given soon is easier to hear.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course for people who soften feedback until it disappears. It covers making an observation specific, delivering it so the other person can use it, and following up so the conversation leads to a change instead of a moment of discomfort. It sits under Leadership in the Work & ambitions part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to give honest feedback that helps someone improve. I tend to soften the message too much and need a way to be specific, kind, and clear.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.