Have you ever been asked to give an evaluation? Even if you’re told to be honest with your critique, did you have the confidence to be completely honest?
Giving evaluations is one of the difficult things that we, at several points in our lives, have to do. It takes skills to know what to say, wisdom to know when & how to say it and courage to be able to actually speak.
So how can you be honest and straightforward with your evaluation while promoting respect, understanding and action at the same time? Here’s one of the effective methods that you can use in giving critique—it’s called the “Sandwich Technique” and here’s how it’s done:
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Slice of Bread #1: Start with a sincere compliment.
Start the conversation with a description of the other person’s strong areas. Compliment his actions which produced positive or favourable results. It’s always good to start the conversation on a positive note to encourage the other person to remain receptive of the following things that you have to say.
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The Meat or Filling in the Middle: Give constructive correction.
This doesn’t mean that you now have the chance to dive into long list of wrongs. Try to address the more important issues and keep the correction as short, and straightforward as possible so as not to overwhelm the other person. Listing no more than 3 constructive corrections will already provide enough “meat” for the “sandwich.”
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Slice of Bread #2: Wrap-up with compliments.
Conclude the conversation with reiteration of the positive actions/ qualities of the other person. Give encouragements and do so with welcoming tone and body language.
The next time that you find yourself in a situation where you need to give evaluation or critique, try using this simple yet powerful technique. This will help you promote appreciation and improvement—all for the end goal of achieving optimal results.