Phrase library / Receiving feedback & mistakes

What to say at work: receiving feedback & mistakes

Phrases for owning mistakes, taking criticism well, accepting praise and asking for useful feedback.

“My bad, I messed up, I'm so, so sorry.”

“I missed that. Here's how I'm fixing it.”

You own the mistake in one line and move straight to the solution.

“Okay, I'll try to do better.”

after hearing feedback

“Thanks for telling me. What would ‘better’ look like to you?”

It shows you can take feedback and turns it into a clear target.

“Well, technically I wasn't totally wrong…”

“You're right. I had that wrong. Thanks for catching it.”

Admitting it fast ends the debate and earns respect.

“Well, the reason I did it that way is…”

“Let me think about that before I respond. Thanks for being direct.”

Pausing keeps you from defending and shows you took it seriously.

“That's not fair.”

“That's not how I saw it. Can you walk me through what you noticed?”

Curiosity lets you correct the record without sounding defensive.

“Oh, it was nothing.”

“Thank you. I'm proud of how it turned out.”

Accepting praise signals confidence and makes people want to give it.

“I don't get why I got this rating.”

“I hear the concerns about my deadlines. I'll share a plan by next week.”

Acknowledging and committing to a plan shows maturity.

“I hope nobody noticed…”

“I want to flag an error in the numbers I sent. The corrected version is attached.”

Flagging your own mistake builds more trust than getting caught.

“Any feedback?”

“What's one thing I could do differently in my next presentation?”

A specific question gets a specific, usable answer.

“It won't happen again, I promise.”

“I've added a checklist step so this can't slip through again.”

A concrete fix is more convincing than a promise.

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