“Be more confident” sounds supportive, but it gives a colleague little to practise. The person still has to guess which moment the manager noticed, what should change and how they will know whether the next attempt is better. Useful feedback reduces that guesswork by describing a specific situation and agreeing a next action.
In a medspa, those moments can be ordinary: explaining an appointment process, passing on an unresolved question, asking for help or confirming an administrative task. A short, private conversation can make the next attempt clearer when it stays focused on the work and leaves room for the colleague’s perspective.
At a glance
- Describe an observed moment without labelling the person.
- Explain the effect and ask what they were trying to achieve.
- Agree one behaviour to practise and a time to revisit it.
An AI-generated illustration of a coaching conversation in a medspa. The people and scenario are fictional.
Begin with an observation you can both recognise
Choose a moment recent enough to describe accurately. Separate what you saw or heard from your interpretation. “The next step was not explained before the call ended” is a description you can discuss. “You do not care about the visitor” assumes a motive you have not established.
The Center for Creative Leadership’s Situation–Behavior–Impact model organises feedback around a situation, an observed behaviour and its effect. Its extension adds a question about intent. The framework can help structure a conversation; the medspa examples below are our own illustrations. Read CCL’s explanation of SBI and intent.
Check whether the moment needs an immediate operational response or a later coaching discussion. If a concern requires the practice’s formal escalation process, use it. The feedback conversation can support learning, but it should not replace the appropriate response to the underlying concern.
Use a conversation map, not a speech
An original coaching prompt map informed by CCL’s SBI framework. The practice-and-review steps are this guide’s suggested follow-through.
Describe the moment and what you observed, then explain the effect in specific terms. Give the colleague time to respond. Ask what they were trying to achieve or what made the task difficult. Their answer may reveal missing information, an unclear expectation or a deliberate choice you did not understand.
Avoid presenting your interpretation as the only possible account. You can be clear about an expectation while still checking the facts. If you discover that your observation was incomplete, correct it. The purpose is an accurate shared understanding that can guide the next attempt.
A worked example: the unclear next step
In this fictional example, a new receptionist ends an enquiry politely but does not explain when the visitor will hear back. The manager speaks with the receptionist privately after the busy period. The conversation starts with the particular enquiry, without using the visitor’s personal details unnecessarily.
Manager: “In that enquiry earlier, the conversation ended before we explained who would follow up. I was left unsure whether the visitor knew what would happen next. What were you trying to do at that point?”
The receptionist explains that they did not know which colleague had accepted the callback and did not want to make a promise. That answer changes the manager’s response. The team needs a clearer handover process as well as practice explaining the next step. Asking for a more confident tone would not have solved the missing ownership.
The manager agrees to clarify the process with the scheduling lead. Once the owner is known, they practise a fictional version of the closing conversation. The receptionist tries it in their own words, and the manager comments on whether the next action and expectation are now clear.
Turn the conversation into one practice action
Choose a behaviour small enough to repeat. “Improve communication” is too broad. “State the agreed next action before closing the enquiry” can be rehearsed. Ask the colleague to suggest wording that feels natural, then use a fictional situation to try it out.
A later check should look at the agreed behaviour, not introduce a new standard without explanation. If the relevant situation has not occurred, arrange another practice opportunity. If the person tried the behaviour and it was still difficult, identify the specific point that needs another example or a process change.
The CDC includes follow-up support among its training standards. That reinforces the value of planning what happens after the initial learning conversation rather than treating the conversation itself as the finish line. See the CDC standards.
Make positive feedback just as specific
Recognition can show a colleague what to keep doing. Instead of stopping at “great job”, name the action you noticed and why it helped. For example, you might recognise that the colleague checked who owned an enquiry before ending the handover. Keep the observation honest and proportionate; you do not need to attach a dramatic outcome to an ordinary useful behaviour.
Ask whether the colleague can explain the decision behind the action. Their explanation may be useful to the rest of the team as a fictional training example, with permission and without turning the person into an unwilling demonstration. Specific recognition can contribute material for future practice as well as acknowledge effort.
A checklist for the next coaching conversation
- Have I identified a specific, accurate observation?
- Is this an appropriate private moment for the discussion?
- Have I separated the observed effect from my assumptions?
- Have I asked for the colleague’s perspective?
- Is the next practice action clear and achievable?
- Have we agreed when and how to review it?
Keep any note focused on the work, the agreed support and the next action, following the practice’s normal record-handling process. Avoid accumulating labels about personality. At the follow-up, ask what changed and what still feels uncertain. A useful conversation leaves both people knowing what to try next.
For a ready context in which to practise these coaching questions, use Three everyday conversations worth practising.
Sources and further reading
- Center for Creative Leadership: SBI and inquiry about intent — structuring a specific feedback conversation.
- CDC: Quality Training Standards — follow-up support for learners.
Sample article for the V-Unite Learn preview. The dialogue and coaching scenario are fictional; the diagram is an editorial adaptation, not a reproduced CCL graphic. Sources checked 6 October 2026.