Deliver Hard Feedback Without Damaging the Relationship

You have to tell someone on your team something they will not enjoy hearing, and you would rather not damage the working relationship doing it. Give it the person, their role and the issue. You get an opening line, the core message and a close that opens dialogue, all structured on Situation-Behaviour-Impact. For managers who avoid the conversation until it festers.

I need to deliver difficult feedback to {EMPLOYEE_NAME}, who is a {ROLE} on my team. The issue is: {ISSUE_DESCRIPTION}. Help me craft a clear, compassionate feedback conversation that does not damage our working relationship. Structure the conversation using the SBI model (Situation, Behavior, Impact). Draft an opening statement, the core feedback message, and a closing that invites dialogue. The tone should be direct but respectful. Assume the employee is generally performing well but this specific behavior is causing problems. Suggest two or three follow-up questions I can ask to make it a two-way conversation rather than a monologue.