Photo Credit: Sweet Flour Bake Shop
And no, we aren’t talking about the delicious ice-cream, or ham and salad kind of sandwiches.
Today we’re focusing on a technique that’s popular when delivering constructive criticism or advice to colleagues, subordinates or even friends.
It’s called the Compliment/Feedback Sandwich.
We all have the potential to get defensive when criticised. We may have been working hard on a project only to be told our work isn’t up to standard. Or perhaps a friend has been overly critical of your parenting technique. So if you have to give negative feedback to someone, this technique uses an approach that is sensitive to the person receiving the feedback’s feelings by using positives to enfold the negative.
The first step in giving a compliment sandwich is to prepare what you are going to say. Conversations can easily go off topic if you’re not sure where to start or how you would like the conversation to conclude. Identify one recent act of the individual that is deserved of praise. If possible, it should be a component of the act that also requires criticism. For example, you could compliment your salesperson on their friendliness towards a customer.
You need to be genuine in your compliment. You are trying to build a situation where the other person is going to be receptive to what you are saying. Try not to use “but” when you move on to the next step of the sandwich as it undermines your positive compliment.
Outline the facts of the situation, and indicate where and how the person needs improvement. Try to keep emotions in check. Getting angry, for example, will only degrade your message. Using the above example, you might need to let your salesperson know that while being friendly is great, being overly familiar, such as telling them all about your big night out last night, is inappropriate. Try not to criticise too many things at once as the message may get lost in a haze of disappointment.
Now conclude your conversation with encouragement. Help your friend or colleague to see that they are able to make any necessary adjustments to their behaviour. Indicate that they have your support in improving and growing, and achieving their goals. You could encourage your salesperson by letting them know that you’re appreciating their efforts to achieve their sales targets.
It’s always a good idea to follow up any sandwich conversations by monitoring behaviour and promoting change. Provide encouragement and reinforcement when necessary, and recognise behavioural change.
