Announcement: Effective Feedback on-demand webinar!

Have you ever been served a feedback sandwich?

You know the recipe: a slice of praise, a thick layer of criticism, and another slice of praise to finish it off. It’s a popular dish in workplaces everywhere, and the logic seems sound – soften the blow, keep things positive, and everyone walks away happy.

Except that isn’t how it goes. People remember the criticism and forget the compliments around it. Or put another way: a mud sandwich tastes like mud, even if the bread is good.

Giving feedback well is one of the trickiest skills there is – and it matters at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Which is why we’re thrilled to announce that our Effective Feedback training is now available as an on-demand webinar (enrol here).

Why feedback goes sideways

Most of us don’t avoid giving feedback because we don’t care. We avoid it because we’re worried about hurting someone, sparking an argument, or making things awkward in a relationship we value. So we drop hints. We hope the problem fixes itself. We complain to a colleague down the hall. And the little things quietly add up.

Meanwhile, the other person has no idea anything is wrong.

For leaders, the stakes are even higher. Handling these conversations well is often the difference between a struggling team and a thriving one. And a conversation that starts out about missed deadlines can turn up something deeper: a family crisis, a mental health struggle, or plain burnout.

This webinar is about having the hard conversations – and building a culture where they’re expected and received well. You’ll learn how to clarify expectations, describe behaviour without judgment, adjust your approach for different personalities, and respond well when defensiveness flares up.

How it works

Your guide through Effective Feedback is mediator and trainer Janet Schmidt, who has been facilitating difficult conversations since 1986. Janet is also the guide behind our Dealing with Defensiveness webinar – and the two courses are designed to work together. In fact, Effective Feedback includes access to Dealing with Defensiveness, and pauses partway through so you can take a detour into defensiveness before tackling the harder conversations.

Here’s what’s included:

• 71 bite-sized lessons across five sections, with video lectures and demonstrations.
• A downloadable 90-page training manual with worksheets, conversation templates, and practice scenarios.
• Reflection questions that ask you to apply each tool to real situations in your own life.
• Flexibility: start anytime, learn at your own pace, and revisit it whenever a tough conversation is on the horizon.

It’s especially valuable for supervisors, managers, and team leads – though anyone who has ever needed to say something difficult to a colleague, neighbour, or family member will find plenty to take home.

Prefer to learn in a room with other people? Effective Feedback started as an in-person workshop, and it’s still offered here in Winnipeg, with upcoming sessions on December 3 and 10, 2026, and April 20 and 27, 2027. See all our upcoming in-person courses.

Feedback doesn’t need to be a mud sandwich. Done well, it’s one of the most caring things we can offer each other – honest, specific, and delivered by someone who clearly wants us to succeed. As a school principal quoted in the course manual puts it, "Real accountability isn’t a ‘gotcha moment’. It’s an ‘I see you’."

Enrol in Effective Feedback today and start having the conversations that matter.

Note: Already taken Dealing with Defensiveness? Contact us about a discounted option.