Before

• Prepare feedback by answering their questions
• Explore other possible situations beyond the ones asked
• Make sure to evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and gray areas
• Write down bullet points of what you wish to say
• Organize feedback structure: how to begin, develop, and end
  • Elaborate how this information will be easier to process, and then build a cohesive, empathetic, and logical timeline for your feedback.
• Check for possible partial opinions, the unseen, or biases you may have
  • If you are giving feedback to someone who is part of a marginalized group, think about if you would feel the same way if it was a white cisgender, middle-class man. Is it still valid and applicable?
• Review to make sure it's actionable and achievable
• Optional: book a private place to discuss sensitive topics
• Optional: bring studies and data if you want to prove a strong statement

During

• Define which is the best language to communicate invitingly with this person
  • Adapt your language to fit their context. Be clear and direct, but not rude.
• Use work-appropriated reasoning for your feedback
  • Explain why and how that is affecting the workplace.
• Give examples to contextualize what you mean
  • Examples help ground us and contextualize the problems in time and space, instead of just being a hypothetical situation discussion.
• Mind your tone and body language
  • Think about the whole communication aspects and experience. Depending on how you phrase something, people will interpret the same information in very different ways.
• Focus on how you feel and speak about your own experience
  • Don't assume everyone looks at the same situation as you do. This way, you don’t annulate other life experiences, and you don’t sound arrogant.
• Show empathy and share similar situations you've been through in the past

After

• Make yourself available to help
• Offer possible ways to tackle the situation
• Control your expectations of how others will react or apply your feedback
  • You did your job, which was to make them aware. Now it’s on their hands, let go from pressuring them into submission or the need to be proven right.
• Optional: if they look for your guidance, make sure to follow-up on their development