November 25: Reprimand then Praise

A lot of people use the praise then reprimand approach. "You are a spectacular person, but you smell bad." The problem is that people don't remember anything before the but.

It is much more effective to be up front with the hard stuff, and then follow it with the soft. This works when you are dealing with:

• Employees
• Children
• Customers
• Students
• Pets

So remember to reprimand first and end with strong praise. Give it a try and see what happens.

Who could you reprimand and then praise? How could this approach help your relationship?