<ul><li>Clear content: Choose the right language and imagine you’re a newscaster clearly relaying the most essential information to them.</li><li>Neutral tone: Remove your emotions from the equation.</li><li>Temperate phrasing: Don’t use any words or loaded language that could provoke them into getting angry or dismissing you.</li></ul>

Delivering feedback to defensive people

<div>
When you know someone can be really defensive, it makes giving them any sort of constructive criticism a battle you'd probably rather avoid. If something needs to be said, it all depends on the clarity of your message and how you communicate it.
Defensive people make any conversation that doesn't go their way a bitter ordeal, but Holly Weeks at <a href="https://ox-d.hbr.org/w/1.0/rc?ee=mul&amp;ts=1fHBpZD01MzcwNjM3ODd8cmlkPTJhMjYwYzI4LTcyNzEtNGIxZS1hNmU3LTAxOGE1MGM5NTQ4NnxydD0xNDM5NDg0MzU5fGF1aWQ9NTM3MTM5OTI5fGF1bT1ETUlELldFQnxzc2lkPTUzNzA2MzgxOXxzaWQ9NTY3MHxwdWI9ODc4NHxwYz1VU0R8eHQ9bXVsfHJhaWQ9ODBhNjMzODUtMjMzMi00NzBjLWEyODQtYTA2OTRkMTgzYTZhfGFpZD01Mzc4NjkxNTJ8dD0xfGFzPTE5NDB4NTAwfGxpZD01Mzc1MTQ3NjR8b2lkPTUzNzI2OTYzMnxwPTI1MDAwfHByPTI1MDAwfGFkdj02OTE0N3xhYz1VU0R8cG09UFJJQ0lORy5DUE18Ym09QlVZSU5HLk5PTkdVQVJBTlRFRUR8dXI9QWVzMWdaQ1p1bQ">Harvard Business Review</a> recommends focusing on three specific attributes when it's time for them to face the music. You should use:
<ol>
	<li>
Clear content: Choose the right language and imagine you're a newscaster clearly relaying the most essential information to them. 
</li>
	<li>
Neutral tone: Remove your emotions from the equation. Think about how neutral the classic "Houston, we have a problem" NASA recording sounds. 
</li>
	<li>
Temperate phrasing: Don't use any words or loaded language that could provoke them into getting angry or dismissing you. 
</li>
</ol> 
As Weeks explains, these three keys need to be a package deal. If you're being clear with your message, but you're letting your emotions get the best of you, they might become angry and even more defensive. Or if you have a clear message and deliver it with a neutral tone, but you jab at them with your phrasing; they might just blow you off. It's hard to <a href="http://lifehacker.com/how-to-give-criticism-without-sounding-like-a-jerk-5915687">give feedback without sounding like a jerk</a>, especially to defensive people, but it's not impossible with the right approach. The whole article is well worth a read, so check it out at the link below.
<a href="http://lifehacker.com/how-to-give-criticism-without-sounding-like-a-jerk-5915687"><figure><img src="https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--rMskluX---/c_fill,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_center,h_77,pg_1,q_80,w_137/17os0gc20bheejpg.jpg"> </figure></a><div>
Taking criticism is difficult enough, but giving constructive criticism can be really tricky,...
<a href="http://lifehacker.com/how-to-give-criticism-without-sounding-like-a-jerk-5915687">Read more Read </a> </div> 

<a href="https://hbr.org/2015/08/how-to-give-feedback-to-someone-who-gets-crazy-defensive">How to Give Feedback to Someone Who Gets Crazy Defensive</a> | Harvard Business Review
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When you know someone can be really defensive, it makes giving them any sort of constructive criticism a battle you'd probably rather avoid. If something needs to be said, it all depends on the clarity of your message and how you communicate it.

The Three Keys to Giving Feedback to Overly Defensive People

Delivering feedback to defensive people

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