There are 6 main steps to approaching an appraisal situation, these are outlined below in bold, the extra text are some notes to help understand what to do and what not to do.
Contents
Starting the Appraisal
- Good News First Vs. Bad News First
- Handling the Bad News – Criticising
- Make sure to note what they did well, adding confidence, but including the criticism
- Set objectives and ways the person can improve, so that they have something good to take from it
- Make the person think about themselves and work out the problem. If they understand what is wrong with themselves, they will be able to change it easier.
Getting Information – Asking the Right Questions
- Don’t go back over points, as the employee will think the review is going in circles. Ask questions until the correct answer is given.
- Don’t use questions that lead to an answer
- Ask open questions
- Don’t show emotions
- Probe and check the employee to make sure the correct information is being given
Listening to the Answer
- Summarising
Let the employee do the summary, to make sure that they have taken in the review and they feel OK with what has been said.
To delve in deeper to this topic we recommend the following articles:
- How to Conduct an Appraisal Interview
- How to Plan an Approach to an Appraisal Interview
- How to Set SMART Goals to Improve Performance Management
We also suggest you read these articles from around the web;
Key Learning Points
To keep it in you head whilst you move onto reading other sections of the website, answer the following questions about this topic;
- What is the Definition of an Appraisal?
- How do you Approach Giving Bad News in the Interview?
- What Type of Questions Should You Not Ask? And Which Ones Should You Ask?
