Ever had someone say to you, “keep up the good work” and you felt anything but encouraged or inspired?  This is not at all uncommon, especially if your relationship with the person offering this insightful feedback is a bit strained.  The relationship we have definitely impacts how we will interpret all the messages that come our way.

Here’s a quick tip to help you begin to build a good relationship or even repair one that has some room for improvement.  After giving positive feedback, avoid those cliche phrases that can come across as patronizing.  Instead, end your positive feedback with a future-based comment that assumes success.

For example, statements such as, “This design is going to look great,” or “I can’t wait to hear about all the progress you will have made next week,” assume that the design is going to look great and there will be progress made by next week, respectively.  Phrases like these, that deal specifically with the situation at hand and assume success, help you increase the impact of the positive feedback that you have just offered.