How do you criticize without offending?

No matter how carefully you wrap a suggestion, there's no guarantee the person hearing it will take it in the helpful way you intended. But you might be able to help people be more receptive to constructive criticism by modeling that receptivity yourself. At the very least, when people offer you suggestions, thank them. You don't have to follow the suggestion, but you can be gracious about it. If nothing else, you've just bought yourself some time to decide whether that's the right move for you.

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"You can never successfully criticize anyone for anything" is from Rich Gallagher, author of What to Say to a Porcupine. | https://www.amazon.com/What-Say-Porcupine-Humorous-Customer-ebook/dp/B0026IUOAU

Carol Dweck is the author of Mindset [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345472322?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1].

Sheila Heen, Harvard law professor and co-author of Thanks for the Feedback [https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Feedback-Science-Receiving-Well/dp/0670014664], says the receiver of the feedback's in charge. | https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=FQNbaKkYk_Q

In the movie Broadcast News [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092699/?ref_=vp_back], the Paul Moore character (played by Peter Hackes) tells Jane Craig (played by Holly Hunter), "It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you're the smartest person in the room." And Jane says, "No. It's awful."