Say the nice things while they can hear them. The toast at the wedding beats the speech at the service.

Praise saved for later often arrives somewhere the person cannot receive it. There is a strong pull towards waiting for the right occasion, and occasions have a way of turning out to be the wrong kind. Said early, the same words change something for someone who is still there to be changed by them.

Tell one person this week what you actually think of them. It needs no audience and no proper setting, and plain is better than polished. The version they hear themselves is worth more than the version people hear about them.