Error Management Training for Communication
From Communication Psychology and HR – with Gerhard Ohrband by Gerhard Ohrband, MA in Psychology (University of Hamburg/Germany)
April 25, 2026 · 13 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the effectiveness of error management training in communication and how learning from mistakes can enhance real-world performance.
Literature Keith, N., & Frese, M. (2008). Effectiveness of errormanagement training: A meta-analysis . Journal of AppliedPsychology, 93 (1), 59–69. Most people believe the besttraining is the one where you make the fewest mistakes. But what if the opposite is true? When you only practice the “perfect”response, you become rigid. When reality shifts—even slightly—you get stuck. The real world of communication ismessy, emotional, and unpredictable. That’s why the most effective learning doesn’t happen by avoiding errors—but byusing them. When you experiment, fail, adjust,and try again, you don’t just learn what works. You learn how to recover when things don’t. And that’s the difference betweensounding good in training and performing well in real life. #communication #leadership #learning #training#softskills #personaldevelopment #coaching #growthmindset#organizationaldevelopment
People in this episode
Host: Gerhard Ohrband
Topics covered
- error management training
- communication
- learning from mistakes
- leadership
- personal development
Keywords
- error management
- communication training
- learning
- leadership
- soft skills
- personal development
- coaching
- growth mindset
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Journal of Applied Psychology
Books & works: Effectiveness of error-management training: A meta-analysis
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