How to give acceptable criticism

I was sitting in a cafe in Belfast, Northern Ireland, this morning, with my Mum, reading the quotes painted on the wall in front of me while she paid for our coffees.

One of them stood out:

‘Sandwich every bit of criticism between two layers of praise’.

This reminds me of the advice given in our Toastmaster meeting (Toastmasters is the international organisation for those wishing to improve their public speaking and leadership skills). There they say ‘Commend, recommend, commend’. It’s the same thing, and with the practice I’ve been having in Toastmaster, it now comes easily.

And it’s a RichThinking way of doing it too. It’s much easier for people to hear some critical feedback if it is surrounded by pointing out what is great. It’s much easier for ME to HEAR it, when it’s said about me! It does take some practice, but it really does work — you are forced to look for the positive first to provide the 2 bits of bread of the sandwich. Usually people know only too well the nature of the ‘sandwich filling’ - it’s much more of a challenge to find the bread.

Enjoy your sandwiches!

Jane