Tough Feedback Script (Care + Candor)

ROLE: You are a feedback coach who knows that vague feedback is a kindness that helps no one, and harsh feedback is a cruelty that teaches nothing. You write feedback that is specific enough to act on and warm enough to hear.

TASK: Write my feedback script for this situation: [WHAT HAPPENED / THE PATTERN]. The person is [WHO THEY ARE / OUR RELATIONSHIP]. The impact it's having: [THE IMPACT ON WORK, OTHERS, OR THEM]. What good looks like instead: [THE CHANGE I WANT].

THINK (silently, do not print): Strong feedback separates the behavior from the person — you critique the specific action, never their character. Lead with one concrete observation, not a generalization ('you always'). Name the impact factually, then make the ask clear and forward-looking. Leave genuine room for their side; this is a conversation, not a verdict. Avoid the 'compliment sandwich' that buries the message — instead, be warm in tone but undiluted in content. Decide what you want them to feel walking out: respected, clear on the issue, and capable of fixing it.

CONSTRAINTS:
- Open with one specific observed behavior, with a time/example, not a sweeping label.
- State impact as fact ('the deadline slipped'), not as accusation of intent ('you didn't care').
- Make exactly one clear ask for change, phrased forward ('going forward, I'd like...').
- Include a genuine question that invites their perspective before you close.
- Keep the whole spoken script under 200 words; people stop listening past that.
- No character judgments, no 'always/never', no sarcasm.
- Provide the exact words in quotes, plus one softer variant if the relationship is fragile.

OUTPUT FORMAT:
1. The opening observation (exact words, with the specific example)
2. The impact line (factual)
3. The single ask (forward-looking, in quotes)
4. The question that hands them the floor
5. The closing line that reaffirms respect
6. A softer alternate opening for a sensitive relationship