Begin With Praise and Honest Appreciation.
“It is always easier to listen to unpleasant things after we have heard some praise of our good points.” (p. 237)
A writer wrote a speech for McKinley. McKinley didn’t think it was good enough, but praised him before asking him to redo it.
“My friend, that is a splendid speech, a magnificent speech,” McKinley said. “No one could have prepared a better one. There are many occasions on which it would be precisely the right thing to say, but is it quite suitable to this particular occasion? Sound and sober as it is from your standpoint, I must consider its effect from the party’s standpoint. Now you go home and write a speech along the lines I indicate, and send me a copy of it.” (p. 238)
President Lincoln wrote a letter to the general and gave praise before telling him, “and yet I think it best for you to know that there are some things in regard to which I am not quite satisfied with you.”
A company was building an office and needed to do it by a certain date. Everything was going as planned but there was a subcontractor that couldn’t meet his deadline.
The Manager went to see this subcontractor. Instead of scolding this subcontractor he gave him lots of praise about his name, life, and factory. The Manager never brought up the project. At the end of the meeting the subcontractor told the Manager he would finish by the deadline.