The Art of Giving, Receiving and Asking for Feedback in Mentoring

Funded by the Help to Grow: Management Course, this interactive masterclass is designed to equip mentors with the confidence and practical skills to give, receive and ask for feedback effectively, strengthening their mentoring relationships and supporting both their own development and that of their mentees.

Feedback is not something we do to people. It is a conversation we have with people.

Yet giving feedback can feel uncomfortable, receiving it can trigger defensiveness, and asking for it doesn’t always produce meaningful insights. We may also make assumptions about what others are thinking or why they behave in certain ways, rather than exploring their perspectives.

In this practical masterclass, business mentor and professional facilitator Annekatrin Madlung explores how to make feedback a constructive, two-way conversation that builds trust, deepens understanding and encourages learning and growth.

Through practical tools, real-world scenarios and interactive exercises, participants will strengthen their own feedback skills and learn how to help mentees develop these capabilities within their businesses.

In this session, we cover:

• What effective feedback is, why it matters and how it differs from assumptions, judgements and advice.
• How to prepare for feedback conversations by distinguishing facts from interpretations and considering different perspectives.
• How to give constructive, specific feedback that encourages reflection and growth.
• How to ask for meaningful feedback and receive it openly, even when it feels uncomfortable.
• How to model effective feedback conversations and help mentees develop these skills in their businesses.

What you’ll take away:

For your own mentoring practice:

• Greater confidence in giving, receiving and asking for feedback.
• Practical tools to prepare for and structure constructive feedback conversations.
• Techniques to challenge assumptions, listen with curiosity and explore different perspectives.

For supporting your mentees:

• A practical framework you can introduce to mentees to help them navigate feedback conversations.
• Ways to help mentees build confidence in giving, receiving and asking for feedback within their businesses.

About the speaker

Annekatrin Madlung is a Business Mentor, Business Improvement Consultant and Professional Facilitator with more than 30 years’ experience supporting start-ups, SMEs, civil society organisations and large, globally diverse organisations in the UK and internationally. 

Mentoring has been central to her work for more than 20 years. She has supported business owners, founders, CEOs, senior leaders and teams, drawing on her leadership background and first-hand understanding of owning and running a business. 

Her specialist areas include leadership development, strategic and operational planning, team effectiveness, staff experience, organisational change and communication. She brings a human-centred, practical and collaborative approach to helping people navigate challenges, develop confidence and turn ideas into action. Annekatrin is a Full Member of the Association of Business Mentors and the International Association of Facilitators, and a volunteer mentor with the Government’s Help to Grow: Management Course. She is also an ABM trainer, currently delivering the live AI for Business Mentors workshop.