It is not pleasant giving someone negative or difficult feedback, but sometimes it just has to be done. It is always better to try and structure the feedback so that you don't just dwell on the negatives, but you try to accentuate some of the positives as well.
So if you have to tell someone that they handled a situation badly it can be helpful to add in some things that they did right. In this way they do not feel as if you are 'getting at them'.
However, you need to include the negative feedback, or else the person will simply assume that they are being praised.
After you have finished it is often a good idea to ask the person if they are comfortable with what has been discussed and then have some kind of dialogue with them, so that at least they can feel as if they have had an input.
So if you have to tell someone that they handled a situation badly it can be helpful to add in some things that they did right. In this way they do not feel as if you are 'getting at them'.
However, you need to include the negative feedback, or else the person will simply assume that they are being praised.
After you have finished it is often a good idea to ask the person if they are comfortable with what has been discussed and then have some kind of dialogue with them, so that at least they can feel as if they have had an input.