Giving Feedback Without Attacking Personal Identity

Dialogue script

Each entry shows the English sentence first, with the translation on the line below it. To practise speaking, cover the translation and repeat after the audio.

1. Emma 0:00

   I need to give hard feedback without sounding like personal attack.

   Line 1
2. Tom 0:04

   Which behavior concerns you most, missed deadlines or unclear handoffs?

   Line 2
3. Emma 0:09

   Mostly unclear handoffs that force repeated clarification cycles.

   Line 3
4. Tom 0:14

   Then frame comments around impact and observable actions.

   Line 4
5. Emma 0:18

   I once said "you're careless," and it escalated immediately.

   Line 5
6. Tom 0:22

   Right, identity labels trigger defense and shut listening down.

   Line 6
7. Emma 0:27

   I'll say, "handoff notes missed key fields in three tickets."

   Line 7
8. Tom 0:32

   Then ask, "what support would help you finish more steadily?"

   Line 8
9. Emma 0:36

   We'll agree on a simple template and one-week trial.

   Line 9
10. Tom 0:39

    I'll volunteer to review first few handoffs as calibration.

    Line 10
11. Emma 0:43

    If improvement appears, I'll acknowledge it publicly.

    Line 11
12. Tom 0:47

    That tone works better. Respectful precision changes behavior faster.

    Line 12

Native audio, line-by-line recording and pronunciation scoring for this dialogue are in the EngTalk app.

Key vocabulary

Content words from this dialogue, ranked by the CEFR level at which they appear across the whole 500-dialogue library. Function words and proper nouns are excluded.

• sounding /ˈsaʊndɪŋ/ present participle; adjective

  seeming or making a sound

• personal /ˈpɝsənəl/ adjective

  relating to one individual or private life

• attack /əˈtæk/ verb

  to take aggressive action against someone or something

• behavior /bɪˈheɪvjər/ noun

  the way in which one acts or conducts oneself

• repeated /rɪˈpitɪd/ adjective

  done or said again and again

• frame /freɪm/ noun

  a structure that surrounds or supports something

• impact /ˈɪmˌpækt/ noun/verb

  a strong effect, or to affect strongly

• careless /ˈkɛrləs/ adjective

  not taking enough care or giving enough attention

• trial /ˈtraɪəl/ noun

  a test or a legal court case

• respectful /rɪˈspɛktfəl/ adjective

  showing respect

• precision /prɪˈsɪʒən/ noun

  exactness and accuracy

• changes /ˈtʃeɪndʒɪz/ noun

  plural of change; differences or modifications

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