praise sandwich
n.— «When giving constructive criticism to an employee, open with some comments about something the employee has done well recently. Then address the bad stuff, but make it quick and to the point, like a shot. Close with another positive item. The employee leaves feeling better about the meeting than if you just gave them the criticism, and you’ve done your job of being the benevolent task master. In the trade, this is known as a “praise sandwich.”» —“Corporate Middle Manager” by Max Mignon Tricks of the Trade Jan. 24, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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