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Tough feedback belongs in live conversation, not email. You can't read reactions or adjust your tone in writing, and late-night emails often just vent frustration instead of changing behavior. If feedback will hit hard, say it face-to-face.
Tough feedback belongs in live conversation, not email. You can't read reactions or adjust your tone in writing, and late-night emails often just vent frustration instead of changing behavior. If feedback will hit hard, say it face-to-face.
Don't send tough feedback via email. One big problem with criticism over email is that you can't see when the message stops being useful. Face-to-face, you can watch the employee's reaction. If they shut down, they get confused, or they become defensive, you can slow down and clarify. But over email, you have no idea whether they're absorbing the feedback or fantasizing about quitting. And email makes it dangerously easy to vent at 2:00 AM when you're angry and you're exhausted. So my rule is simple: if the feedback could trigger a strong emotional reaction, have the conversation live. Feedback has one legitimate purpose: changing behavior. If the message is really about releasing your frustration, deleting that email draft will usually accomplish more than sending it will.
