# Rewrite my draft feedback or criticism so it's specific, balanced, and actionable

Turns vague, harsh, or one-sided feedback into specific, fair, behavior-based feedback the person can act on.

- Topic: Leadership & Management
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Write, Rewrite & Edit, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/rewrite-my-draft-feedback-or-criticism-so-it-s-specific-balanced-and

## Prompt

```text
Rewrite this feedback so the person receiving it can understand it and act on it.

**My draft feedback or the criticism I've received about them:** [PASTE - can be rough, blunt, or emotional]
**Who it's for:** [ROLE and relationship - e.g. "a direct report", "a peer", "a vendor"]
**Where it will be used:** [spoken 1:1 / written review / email / Teams or Slack]
**What I want to change:** [THE OUTCOME I'm hoping for]
**Specific examples I can cite:** [DATES, deliverables, incidents - or "none yet"]

Do this:
1. **Diagnose the draft:** list what's vague, judgmental, exaggerated ("always", "never"), about personality instead of behavior, or missing an example.
2. **Rewrite it** using situation, behavior, impact, and request: what happened, what they did, the effect, and what to do differently. Keep any genuine strengths as specific as the criticism - no empty praise sandwich.
3. **Turn each criticism into an action:** one concrete change per point, with how success will look.
4. **Questions to invite their view** (2-3), so it's a conversation, not a verdict.
5. **A shorter version** for written use, under 100 words.

Rules: do not invent examples, dates, or facts - where an example is needed and I haven't given one, insert [ADD SPECIFIC EXAMPLE]. Remove sarcasm, labels, and assumptions about intent. If the criticism came from someone else, keep it attributed only as far as I've said is appropriate. For formal reviews or anything touching misconduct, check wording with HR.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE - can be rough, blunt, or emotional
- spoken 1:1 / written review / email / Teams or Slack
- THE OUTCOME I'm hoping for
- DATES, deliverables, incidents - or "none yet"
- ADD SPECIFIC EXAMPLE

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.