Want a great way to give impactful feedback? Pick something that someone did that’s a “Keeper:” a high-impact, positive thing. Something really good. Then, match it with something else you think could be improved, and use their own “Keeper” as the example.
“Joe, I think you crushed the intro to that presentation for the client. They were really captivated right away. In fact, I think if you look at your mid-presentation slides, they could even be improved by using some of those same methods. What you did in the intro would be great all the way through!”
It’s a high-trust feedback method. You’re using their own successes as the model for improvement, rather than imposing your own views. And it forces you to dig down for a compliment before you can criticize, which is always a worthwhile effort.
The Opportunity Machine 