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# Straight up, no ice....
- URL: https://www.annemariecharrett.com/straight-up-no-ice/
- Published: 2009-08-29T03:20:17.000Z
- Updated: 2021-06-16T23:38:16.000Z
- Author: Anne-Marie Charrett
- Tags: Tech Leadership, Software Testing Content, blog, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb281ff, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb280ca, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb281c0, #64324ade31c943003d684eca, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb280ce, #63f3d454b701cf003d5b15ee, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb2811f, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb281df, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28239, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb2816a, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28179, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28231, #63eaa359522cb3003dd3d7c0, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28136, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28169, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28101, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28171, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28152, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb281ea, #60c1d1dd5b103d003bb28106

You know the way sometimes, a post, or even a comment on a post gets you thinking. A recent comment by Phil Kirkham on Georgia Motoc’s blog got my subconscious brain working overtime. So much to the point where I feel compelled to put finger to keyboard and write about it.  
I had always been a fan of positive praise before negative feedback. As the bearer of bad news (like many software testers), I though this was an effective way of cushioning the impact of what I wrote or said.

So, when Georgia Motoc wrote a post on feedback discussing the ‘Praise Sandwich’ I was surprised how negative Phil was on the approach. However his comment and his link (indirectly to a [post by Art Petty ](http://artpetty.com/2009/05/07/why-i-hate-the-%e2%80%9csandwich%e2%80%9d-technique-for-delivering-feedback/?ref=annemariecharrett.com)) really got me thinking of how I communicate with developers. It made me realise that the positive feedback I was providing was more for my benefit than for the software developer.

Here is some Art’s original post:

**5 Reasons Why the Sandwich Technique is a Truly Bad Practice:**

- *It is a crutch that is solely for the benefit of the giver, not the receiver.*
- *It obfuscates the real message.*
- *It confuses the receiver by watering down the key message.*
- *It destroys the value of positive feedback by linking it with the negative. Don’t forget that positive feedback is a powerful tool for reinforcing the right behaviors and the sandwich technique devalues this tool.*
- *It is insulting to the receiver and borderline deceitful. “Bob, you did a great job on XYZ, but .” It’s like a pat on the back followed by a sucker punch followed by another pat on the back.*

I have a real reason why I have changed my attitude to this:

When I’m on a short term assignment (which is often) I don’t have time or the need to cultivate deep relationships with software developers. What is important is that the bugs I find are communicated in a clear and concise manner. That’s what I am paid for.

The praise sandwich is not necessary and more importantly it does not provide best value to my client. This is something I learnt on James Bach’s course and has stuck with me. What ever you do ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now adding value for my customer”.