Feedback Sandwich
Updated 2026-08-11
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The feedback sandwich is a widely taught management technique, associated with performance-review practice and with communication frameworks such as nonviolent communication. Its core proposition is that criticism delivered between two affirmations is received with less resistance, because the recipient is not defending their overall standing. The key qualification is that both layers must be specific and true; when praise is used only as padding, recipients learn to discount it and the sandwich stops working.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use opening anchor: state a specific, verifiable strength before delivering the criticism. - Use core message: name one concrete behavior to change, not a general judgment. - Use closing contract: end with a next step you will both check later.
Anchor fast decisions
Criticism that reads as a global verdict on a person triggers self-protection, and the recipient then processes the threat rather than the content. Framing the message so that it concerns a specific behavior inside a generally positive assessment reduces that threat, leaving attention available for the message. The structure also forces the giver to identify a real strength, which improves the accuracy of the assessment. When the praise is not genuine, however, recipients detect the pattern and discount both layers, which is why the technique decays with routine use.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compliment_sandwichverified
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