The Data Is In: Research Shows Tenor Builds More Confident, Empathetic Managers
Training managers on complex leadership conversations has always been a challenge. Traditional workshops don’t stick, and static e-learning modules fall flat. That’s why we built Tenor: to make practice feel real.
To test our impact, we invited 30 randomly recruited managers from diverse industries to complete five leadership role-play scenarios on our platform. Afterwards, we conducted a survey to understand how realistic, valuable, and actionable they found the experience.
The results? Tenor works — and managers loved it.
What the Research Shows
Across the board, managers reported high satisfaction, strong engagement, and immediate applicability:
- 90% said the scenarios assigned to them felt realistic
- 100% reported they could apply Tenor’s feedback immediately
- 97% said they’d use Tenor regularly if given access
- Average satisfaction across all measures: 4.5 out of 5
These findings highlight Tenor’s ability to create immersive, emotionally intelligent practice by helping managers not only say the right things, but also tune into the explicit and implicit emotions that shape every conversation.
Their Words, Not Ours
Our research shows that Tenor doesn’t just make practice realistic — it helps managers build empathy and emotional intelligence by simulating the complexity of real workplace conversations. Participants consistently described feeling challenged, supported, and more confident after using the platform.
- “It felt like I was interacting with a real person.”
- “The emotions and inflections, how human the voices sounded… I REALLY loved the push-backs!”
- “The scenarios and direct, actionable feedback were excellent.”
- “The summary and pros/cons after the conversation were very helpful and honest.”
Why This Matters
Building effective managers isn’t just about transferring knowledge, it’s about developing empathy, resilience, and confidence. Tenor’s AI-powered scenarios give leaders a safe, realistic space to practice high-stakes conversations before they face them in real life.
By combining cutting-edge technology with insights from behavioral science and leadership development research, Tenor helps managers become more emotionally intelligent communicators who are better equipped to inspire their teams and resolve conflicts.
The Takeaway
One takeaway from the study? While most managers found Tenor’s feedback clear and actionable, fewer felt it perfectly matched how they had perceived their own performance.
That’s not a flaw — it’s a powerful insight. Behavioral science tells us that self-awareness gaps are common, especially in complex interpersonal dynamics. Tenor helps close those gaps by providing realistic practice and emotionally intelligent feedback, so managers can better understand how they’re showing up — and how to improve.
These findings reinforce what L&D practitioners have long known and what we at Tenor foundationally believe: practice with quality feedback makes better leaders. Tenor creates safe, immersive spaces where leaders can prepare for the toughest conversations and walk away ready to handle them in the real world.
Ready to give your leaders the practice and the insight they need?