Often, during the course of our professional and personal lives, there come situations when we cannot help but point out mistakes. Criticisms are never welcome, but we can soften the blow with the following tips.

• Criticize in a friendly manner. Preferably allow a compliment to precede criticism.

• Respect the target of your criticism, always criticize privately

• Criticize the act not the person

• Offer a solution with the criticism, for instance while pinpointing a wrong also show what is right, so the communication remains positive and focused on the act rather than the person.

• Always end the criticism with a friendly note. A positive tone and body language is crucial to clear the air of any misunderstanding.