When disagreeing…

[Umbran]

Problem with that is it’s so well known now that everybody knows you’re doing it, which makes it worse instead of better.

Well, when amateurs do it, sure. When the technique is used superficially, to fob people off with plausible deniability of being a complete jerk about it, it can make things worse.

When you are actively listening, actually respectful and thoughtful, and care about the fact that you are speaking with a fellow human being whose feelings matter, it can be a useful technique. If you are doing it because you actually want to turn a potentially negative interaction into something constructive, it can do the job.

Basically, the positive portions of the statement have to be sincere.

 

[Umbran]

What do they call the employee discipline technique; the Oreo, sandwich? You give a compliment between the negatives.

I know the technique as the "cr@p sandwich". And it is sandwiching the cr@p between two positive things. When the cr@p outnumbers the good things... it's just a pile of cr@p.