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Description

Making Requests and Giving Constructive Feedback: Speaking Up While Protecting the Relationship

Asking without apologising and giving feedback without wounding: two essential assertiveness skills at work

  • 0.43 days — 3 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Many professionals delay a request for fear of being turned down, then voice criticism in a moment of irritation. The message lands badly, the working relationship becomes strained and the original problem remains untouched. Avoidance ultimately costs far more than the conversation people dread.

This three-hour virtual classroom focuses on two precise skills: formulating a clear request and expressing feedback that can actually be heard. You work on wording that transfers directly to your real conversations and leave with your own prepared sentences.

Learning objectives

  • Identify the personal barriers that delay a request
  • Formulate a request by separating the fact the need and the expectation
  • Express feedback focused on observable behaviour
  • Receive a refusal without damaging the relationship
  • Prepare in writing a conversation to be held after the programme

What makes this programme different

Two skills explored in depth rather than a broad overview of assertiveness
Each participant brings a real situation and leaves with their own written wording
A three-hour virtual classroom requiring no travel and no full day away from work

Programme

1What Stops Us From Asking

Internal barriers and assumptions

  • The beliefs that turn a request into an imposition
  • The cost of unspoken needs on workload and relationships
  • The difference between demanding asking and merely hoping
  • Identifying your own patterns of avoidance

2Formulating an Effective Request

Structure and wording

  • Setting the context in one factual sentence
  • Naming the need without lengthy justification
  • Stating the request in concrete and verifiable terms
  • Preparing an alternative in case of refusal

3Giving Constructive Feedback

Saying what is wrong without harming the relationship

  • Choosing the right moment and the right channel
  • Describing the observed behaviour rather than the person
  • Expressing the impact produced and the change requested
  • Closing on an explicit agreement

Who is it for

Any professional who wishes to express requests and observations with greater ease in a workplace setting.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

12 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.