CORE Feedback Structure
Context, Observation, Result, Next Step — feedback about behavior, never personality
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
A four-part structure for delivering both praise and criticism so it stays specific and about behavior rather than personality. CORE keeps feedback grounded in observable facts and points to a concrete next action.
Origin
Kim Scott's framework, originally called 'CORN' until Tik Tok feedback prompted a rename to 'CORE.'
Core principles
- 01The same structure works for praise and criticism
- 02Never give feedback about someone's personality — only about specific behavior
- 03The purpose of praise is to tell people what to do more of; criticism, what to do less of
How to run it
- 1
Context
Anchor the feedback in a specific situation. E.g. 'In the meeting...'
- 2
Observation
State exactly what you observed, factually. E.g. 'when you said um every third word' or 'when you offered both sides of the argument.'
- 3
Result
Describe the impact. E.g. 'it made you sound stupid' or 'it earned you credibility.'
Watch out Keep the result about the effect of the behavior, not a judgment of the person.
- 4
Next Step (the E, name skipped)
Give a concrete next action. For criticism: 'go to the speech coach.' For praise: 'do more of that.'
In the wild
Context: in the meeting. Observation: when you offered both sides of the argument. Result: it earned you credibility. Next Step: do more of that.
→ Praise becomes specific and reinforceable rather than a vague 'good job.'
Common mistakes
Giving feedback about personality
Attaching feedback to who someone is rather than what they did triggers defensiveness and gives them nothing to act on.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone delivering impromptu praise or criticism who wants it to be specific and actionable
Not ideal for
Situations requiring a longer diagnostic conversation rather than a quick observation
From the transcript
“you want to use sort of context observation result Next Step”
“in the meeting context when you offered both sides of the argument observation result is it earned you credibility next step is do more of…”
“I used to call it corn but I got some feedback that corn is like some shorthand for porn on Tik Tok so I call…”
From the episode
Radical Candor: From theory to practice with author Kim Scott