Level 15 min
Open
Omar knows the note was missing and says so. He tells you about the extra files as soon as you ask.
- Admits the miss
- Shares the cause when asked
Leadership roleplay scenarioFeedback role play scenario: when your best employee slips
Your most experienced claims handler left a file without notes, and a colleague took the blame. Practice naming the behavior, asking what got in the way and agreeing on a fix with Omar, an AI employee who expects a reprimand.
OmarAI senior claims handler
Mood · AI character
You said it wasn’t urgent, so I’m guessing it’s about Monday.
It is. The Hughes claim had no note about the canceled inspection, so Grace promised the customer an inspector on Thursday.
I told the customer myself last week. It’s not like I was hiding anything.
Scored live
- Names the specific behavior
- Explains the impact
- Asks before concluding
- Responds to what he shares
- Agrees on a next step
AI coachOne event, one date, no label. Now say what it caused, without blaming.
The situation
Your best handler. A customer who got two answers.
Context
You lead a team of eight property claims handlers at a regional home insurer. Omar is the most experienced person on the team and the one newer handlers go to with hard files. Last week he canceled the inspection on the Hughes water-damage claim and told the customer by phone, but left no note on the file. On Monday, Grace, a newer handler, picked up the file and promised the customer an inspector on Thursday. The customer complained to your director. You booked fifteen minutes with Omar.
What you know
- Team rule: every change on a claim gets a file note the same day.
- It’s the second missing note on Omar’s files this month.
- His customers rarely complain, and his files usually close fast.
- A handler left the team last month, and his open files were shared out.
Your goal
- Describe what happened and what it caused, without labels.
- Find out what is getting in the way before you suggest a fix.
- Agree on one specific change and a date to check it.
The AI character
Meet Omar. Good at the job, and he knows it.
- His role
- Senior property claims handler. Six years on the team, takes the complex water and fire claims.
- His team
- Eight handlers and one team lead: you. Half the team joined in the last year.
- What he cares about
- Customers who trust him
- Being treated as the expert
- Not being micromanaged
- What he won’t say first
- Newer handlers pass him their hardest files, off the record.
- He keeps his own notes in a spreadsheet because the claims system is slow.
- He thinks this talk is the start of a formal warning.
- How he reacts
- Labels like “careless”He asks for one example, then argues with it.
- A specific event and what it causedHe accepts it, then explains.
- A question about his workloadHe tells you about the extra files.
- A fix you hand himHe agrees fast. Nothing changes.
- Starting mood
Guarded. He expects a reprimand and keeps his answers short until he hears specifics.
What is scored
Five criteria. Each one scored from what you say.
Each run ends with a score per criterion, and the AI quotes the lines from your talk with Omar that raised or lowered it. Empathy counts by how you respond to what Omar tells you. Your own feedback model can replace these criteria.
- 01
Names the specific behavior
What good looks likeDescribes one event, with the file and the day, in words Omar can’t dispute.
Common missOpens with a label: “You need to be more of a team player.”
- 02
Explains the impact
What good looks likeConnects the missing note to what it cost the customer and a colleague.
Common missStops at the rule: “Notes are mandatory.”
- 03
Asks before concluding
What good looks likeAsks what got in the way and listens to the whole answer before suggesting anything.
Common missDecides he doesn’t care and moves straight to consequences.
- 04
Responds to what he shares
What good looks likeAcknowledges the extra workload, owns the part that is the manager’s to fix and keeps the expectation.
Common missIgnores the workload, or drops the expectation because of it.
- 05
Agrees on a next step
What good looks likeEnds with one change that comes from Omar, his agreement to it and a date to check.
Common missCloses with “Just be more careful from now on.”
How the conversation can go
From a missing file note to a fix Omar agreed on.
Omar · AI claims handler
You said it wasn’t urgent, so I’m guessing it’s about Monday.
You
It is. The Hughes claim had no note about the canceled inspection, so on Monday Grace told the customer an inspector was coming Thursday.
AI coach · Names the specific behaviorOne event, one file, one day, and no label. There is nothing for him to argue with.
Omar · AI claims handler
I told the customer myself last week. It’s not like I was hiding anything.
You
I don’t think you were. But the customer heard two different answers from us in one week, called my director, and Grace took the heat for a file she didn’t know.
AI coach · Explains the impactYou tied the missing note to what it cost the customer and a colleague, not to the rule.
Omar · AI claims handler
Fine. It was a busy week.
You
Busy how? This is the second missing note this month, and that’s not like you. What’s getting in the way?
AI coach · Asks before concludingA question instead of a verdict. You left room for the real cause.
Omar · AI claims handler
Since Kevin left, the new folks send me their hard files. I’m on about sixty. Notes go first.
You
I didn’t know they were coming to you, and that part is mine to fix. The notes still need to be there, because the next person on the file depends on them.
AI coach · Responds to what he sharesYou acknowledged his workload and kept the expectation in the same breath.
You
I’ll move ten of Kevin’s files back to the queue this week. Can you get notes onto every open file by Friday? Let’s check in Thursday.
Omar · AI claims handler
Ten would help. Thursday at two?
AI coach · Agrees on a next stepA specific change, his agreement and a date to check, instead of a promise to be careful.
Giving feedback · 5 criteria84/ 100
Strong on facts and impact. The fix was yours, not his: ask Omar what would help before you offer one. Run it again at the escalating level.
Difficulty
Three versions of Omar. From open to escalating.
Level 28 min
Defensive
The default version. He disputes the impact, says the customer was told, and mentions the extra files only after a real question.
- Pushes back on the facts
- Hidden workload
Level 312 min
Escalating
Omar asks whether this is a formal warning, points to a colleague who “does worse” and says he’ll take it to your director himself.
- Compares himself to others
- Asks if it’s a warning
- Goes over your head
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Corrective feedback is one of the first hard talks a manager has. In leadership practice with AI employees, managers rehearse feedback, one-on-ones and difficult conversations before they have them for real.
Browse all sales, service and leadership scenariosFAQ
About this scenario.
What makes good feedback role play scenarios for managers?
A real, specific behavior with a visible effect, and an employee who has a reason they won’t say first, so the manager has to ask. This one uses a strong performer, which is harder than it sounds: there is no poor result to point at, only a behavior and what it caused.
How do you give corrective feedback to a good employee?
Describe one specific event and what it caused, then ask what got in the way before you suggest anything. Acknowledge what you hear, keep the expectation, and agree on one change and a date to check it. Labels like “careless” or “not a team player” start an argument instead.
Can we run this feedback role play without AI?
Yes. Give one colleague Omar’s card and the three things he won’t say first, have another play the team lead, and ask an observer to score. The hardest call for an observer is whether the fix came from Omar or was handed to him, so they should note who proposed it. The sample dialogue on this page is one good route, not a script.
Does the AI judge the manager’s tone or emotions?
No. Each criterion is scored from what the team lead says, and the lines behind every score are quoted. Empathy shows in the reply to Omar’s workload: is it acknowledged while the expectation stays? Omar’s mood is part of the scenario; the manager’s emotions are not read.
Can we change the situation or the employee?
Yes. Replace the missing file note with a slip your managers actually see, the same-day note rule with your own team rules, and Omar with the kind of employee they find hardest to correct. The scenario builder sets it up, and the criteria can follow the feedback model you already teach.
The feedback talk you keep postponing. Rehearse it first.
Book a short demo to give Omar this feedback live, or bring the conversation your managers put off most.