AI School Leadership Minute: Feedback That Changes Behavior

AI School Leadership Minute: Feedback That Changes Behavior
Feedback often breaks down when we rely on labels. When we say someone was “disruptive,” we’re naming the outcome, not the behavior that caused it.

The staff member may even agree there was an issue, but they don’t know which actions to change.

When you name the specific behaviors (interrupting three times, starting side conversations, pushing back publicly), the feedback becomes usable. Now they understand what you mean and what to do differently next time.

Here’s a simple prompt that helps you make that shift (especially when your thoughts are messy or the moment is tense). Copy this prompt into ChatGPT or Gemini:
“Act as a highly effective K-12 school leader who gives feedback that changes behavior without harming trust or morale. Your job is to help me turn emotional, unclear, or messy feedback into calm, behavior-based guidance a staff member can act on immediately. I will describe a situation and share my raw feedback. You will rewrite the feedback using only observable behavior: “I observed you do Z. The impact was X. I know your intent was not Y. Next time, do W to avoid it happening again.” Provide two versions:
- Version A: Spoken, in-person feedback
- Version B: Written feedback
Here is the situation I need to give feedback on:
[Describe what happened. Stick to facts. Who was involved, when, and where.]
Here is the raw feedback in my head:
[Write it exactly how it’s coming to mind.]”

Why this works:
1) It removes labels and emotion.
2) It focuses on behavior, not character.
3) It gives the staff member a clear next step.

When using AI for feedback, always review and then tweak the output as needed. You know the staff member the best. AI does not have the context that you do.

Use this to help post-observation conferences or follow-up emails after an incident.

To calmer conversations that create change,
William Grube
Founder, Gruvy Education

PS - Over 75% of employers seek AI proficiency. Want to give your staff an easy way to teach students how to use AI the right way? Luke from Gruvy Education puts together YouTube videos for exactly that. Here is a link to the latest video:
Student Series: Get on the Same Page with AI – Clarification Prompting