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I tend to agree that the example Candace gave was not direct enough. Its spirit
and intent is right on, though: temper your criticism of someone's performance
by mentioning something they did well.
Many moons ago, I worked as a driving instructor. One of the most valuable
things I learned in that job was "the hamburger technique": sandwich your
criticism between two layers of praise. With this technique, you can afford to
be quite direct with the criticism, because your points of praise will help to
maintain the person's self-confidence and motivation. I use this technique all
the time, and find it works very well.
A tech writing manager may not face imminent physical danger like a driving
instructor, but it's still important to be clear and direct -- "Excellent
control of the steering wheel on that turn. Unfortunately, we almost drove into
the lake because you looked only at your hands. You did a great job looking
through the previous turn, so let's pull it all together for the next."
Robert Barlow-Busch
bob -at- sonycom -dot- co
Sony Suprastructure Center - Europe
Brussels, Belgium
