The Criticism Hamburger

When you need to critique someone, whether it's a colleague’s presentation or your child’s work of art- Always start with a compliment, then mention your critique, then end on a positive note.

“Hey Charlie, what an amazing speech you just delivered, you touched down some very important facts that nobody else did. However it would have been a bit better if you would have introduced some variation in your pitch. But nevertheless it is always worthy listening to you. That ending was really smart. Well played! ”

The "criticism hamburger" gets the message across but softens the blow.

The Criticism Hamburger

P. S. - Works like a charm most of the time but there's no silver bullet for managing people. What works well for some will totally backfire on others.