Always make sure to tell parents something nice about a child, for there are many wonderful things about every child. Don't candycoat problems. Explain difficulties clearly so that parents understand. Be specific about what you are seeing and make suggestions for improvement. Suggest what the parents can do to help at home.
Parents greatly appreciate suggestions.
They want to find out from you how to make their child successful in school. If your school schedules conferences back to back, stick to your conference times. People get annoyed when waiting. Let school administrators know of any problems you have had with your conferences. If you expect to have a difficult conference, ask the school administrator to sit in on the conference with you.