Positive character trait
Tactful
Careful to be honest without causing needless offense.
4 ready sentences Updated Run by Adrian Nutiu
What it looks like
- Says a hard thing in a way the other person can hear.
- Chooses the moment and the place for criticism.
- Avoids needless embarrassment in front of others.
Fits when a person says difficult things without needless hurt
Not when care about feelings takes over and the hard point never gets said
How to say it
Replace the brackets with what the person actually did.
Fills [Name] in the reference and the report card comment, ready to copy.
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Resume line Gave written feedback on [number] [drafts, proposals or reviews] a [month] for [authors or staff], with [result such as resubmission rate].
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Reference or recommendation [Name] is tactful: they told [a client or colleague] about [a serious problem] in a way that kept the relationship and got the problem fixed.
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Report card comment [Name] is tactful when giving feedback to classmates and points out mistakes kindly.
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In a story, shown not told 'It is very bold,' her mother said of the purple hall. 'Will it work with the rug?' By Sunday the hall was cream.
Her tactful note pointed out the error without embarrassing the author in front of the team.
The definition and the sentences are written for this site; dictionaries are used to check the sense. How words are chosen and reviewed.