The sandwich method puts praise, criticism, then praise. But too much opening praise makes the hard feedback feel jarring. Try leading with the difficult stuff instead, then end positive. Pick whichever fits how you actually talk.
So I love the sandwich technique. And so the sandwich technique says that you are gonna lead in with some positive information, some good praise or highlight of things they're doing well. In the middle, you'll give them the bad news or maybe some of the feedback that you want them to hear that wouldn't be so great. And then on the back end of the conversation, you're gonna give them some action items, close out with some positivity, and then send them on their way. Now, what happens in this situation sometimes is that folks get caught up in the praise And then by the time they get to the meat and potatoes of what I really wanted to tell you, they just feel overwhelmed or they feel like it's too hard of a swing back. And so if you are a person who feels like I just couldn't make an easy transition from good positive insights and feedback to here's what I really wanted you to hear today, then instead you should just start off the top with the hardest part of the conversation and instead close with positive feedback and reinforcement. So you need to figure out what works best for you, but you know who you are if you're avoiding difficult conversations on a regular basis. So I love the sandwich theory. I think this works for folks. And so I think this is a framework folks can lean into when they're not sure or uncomfortable giving feedback.
