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📸The BBC Strictly Come Dancing judges, behind their desks in 2025. Credit: BBC/Guy Levy
Feedback on TV is theatre and pedagogy in one. Recently I’ve noticed a quieter, smarter approach from familiar faces, including Craig Revell-Horwood and Shirley Ballas on Strictly, Paul Hollywood on Bake Off, and others. This change matters for teams as much as it does for contestants. Let’s unpack what’s shifted, why it works, and how you can borrow the judges’ rhythm to make feedback more humane and more effective.
What changed on the judges table
Judges still entertain. They still score. The subtle shift is in the structure and tone of their feedback.
- Start with what worked. Judges name a strength first so performers feel seen.
- Offer one or two precise tweaks. The advice is technical, specific and achievable.
- Demonstrate or model the change. A hand gesture, a step, a quick demonstration turns abstract advice into something people can try immediately.
- Temper the performance with humanity. Less acid, more actionable.
This pattern lands. It keeps confidence intact and makes practice feel purposeful rather than punitive.
Why this matters for organisations
Constructive feedback done this way delivers three practical effects at once.
- Confidence is preserved. People stay willing to try again.
- Change becomes doable. Small, technical steps create momentum.
- Trust is built. The exchange becomes collaborative rather than confrontational.
When teams adopt this rhythm, the organisational benefits are practical and measurable: faster improvement cycles, reduced rework, better client relationships, and higher retention. In short, feedback becomes a learning engine instead of a blame machine.
Apply the judges’ rhythm in your work
Use this simple sequence in one-to-ones, project reviews and customer responses. It’s easy to teach and quick to test.
- Name one thing that worked
- Script example 1: “You handled the stakeholder call well – clear agenda and calm tone.”
- Offer one specific tweak
- Script example 2: “Next time, try opening with a 90-second summary so quieter stakeholders can signpost questions.”
- Demonstrate the tweak or give an example
- Script example 3: “Here’s how that 90-second summary might sound…” (model it)
- Invite a next step and close the loop
- Script example 4: “Could you try that in the next update? I’ll check in afterwards and we’ll adjust.”
Use this pattern for customer feedback too: acknowledge, act, and report back. The visible follow-up changes the relationship dynamic from extractive to generative.
Templates you can use tomorrow
- One‑line manager prompt to start a feedback conversation
- “Tell me one thing that went well and one tiny tweak we can try next.”
- Email response to customer feedback
- Subject: Thank you for the insight. Here’s what we’ll do next
- Body: Thank you for flagging this. We’re sorry this happened. We’ll [concrete action]. We’ll update you by [date]. Thank you for helping us improve.
- Micro coaching script for a 5 minute check-in
- “I noticed X worked well. One small change that could help is Y. Want to try a quick demo now or in your next session?”
A quick story from the field
A client team was publishing NPS scores yet avoiding feedback when projects had gone off-plan. Feedback felt weaponised. We introduced a simple protocol: reframe feedback, close the loop visibly, and pull one action from each comment. Results were rapid.
- Team members started asking for feedback again.
- Customers who had issues felt heard because they received prompt, thoughtful responses.
- The organisation cut rework and improved delivery timelines.
The commercial payoff showed up in smoother renewals and more referrals. Feedback became a growth lever instead of a liability.
Give it a go
- Paired role-play: one person gives Shirley-style feedback, the other practises the tweak. Swap and reflect for 10 minutes.
- Feedback triage: in a team meeting, surface three recent bits of feedback and extract one actionable change from each. Assign owners and publish the follow-up publicly.
- Close-the-loop board: create a visible tracker for customer-originated actions and show completion and impact.
Putting it in action
From sequins to sourdough, the spectacle is irresistible. What’s worth copying is not the drama but the structure: name the good, offer a small technical tweak, show how it’s done, and then follow through. That rhythm protects dignity, accelerates learning, and delivers measurable return.
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