How to Conducting a One-on-One Performance Conversation

Gather comprehensive performance information and establish specific conversation goals to ensure productive and evidence-based discussion. Example: Collect quantitative performance metrics including sales numbers, project completion rates, quality scores, customer satisfaction ratings, and goal achievement percentages from the past review period, compile qualitative feedback from peers, customers, stakeholders, and direct reports to provide 360-degree perspective on performance and behaviors, review previous performance conversations, development plans, and goal-setting sessions to track progress and identify recurring themes, analyze specific examples of both strong performance and areas needing improvement with concrete situations, behaviors, and business impacts documented, identify 2-3 key focus areas for the conversation rather than overwhelming with extensive feedback, determine conversation objective whether it's recognition and development planning, course correction, or performance improvement planning, prepare questions that encourage self-reflection such as 'What aspects of your performance are you most proud of?' and 'Where do you see opportunities for growth?', and schedule adequate time in private setting free from interruptions to demonstrate importance and respect for the employee.

Establish trust and openness at the conversation start to encourage honest two-way communication and reduce defensive reactions. Example: Begin with genuine appreciation and specific recognition of recent contributions or improvements to set positive tone before addressing development areas, clearly state the conversation purpose as developmental and collaborative rather than punitive, emphasizing mutual goal of employee success and growth, use open body language including uncrossed arms, leaning forward slightly, and maintaining appropriate eye contact to demonstrate engagement and respect, ask employee to share their perspective first with questions like 'How do you feel about your performance this quarter?' or 'What challenges have you been experiencing?', listen actively without interrupting, taking notes to show their input is valued and will be considered in discussion, acknowledge their viewpoint and validate emotions even if you disagree with their assessment, using phrases like 'I can understand why you might feel that way', share your own vulnerability when appropriate by acknowledging areas where you could have provided better support or clearer direction, and establish ground rules for respectful dialogue where both parties commit to honesty, curiosity, and problem-solving focus rather than blame or judgment.

Provide concrete, behavior-focused feedback that connects actions to business outcomes while maintaining employee dignity and motivation. Example: Use SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) model to deliver feedback objectively by describing specific situation, observable behaviors, and measurable impact without interpretation or assumptions, start with strengths and positive contributions using specific examples like 'When you led the client presentation last month, your thorough preparation and clear communication resulted in securing the $50K contract', address development areas with same specificity such as 'In the team meetings over the past month, I've observed interrupting colleagues three times, which has led to some team members becoming less engaged in discussions', focus on changeable behaviors rather than personality traits, avoiding phrases like 'you're disorganized' and instead saying 'the project timeline was missed by two weeks due to incomplete task prioritization', connect performance to business impact and team dynamics to help employee understand broader consequences of their actions, provide balanced feedback with approximately 3:1 ratio of positive to developmental feedback to maintain motivation and engagement, invite employee response and perspective on each feedback point before moving to next topic, and document key points discussed to reference in follow-up conversations and ensure consistency in messaging.

Investigate underlying factors contributing to performance gaps and identify growth opportunities that align with employee strengths and career aspirations. Example: Ask probing questions to understand root causes such as 'What obstacles have been preventing you from achieving this goal?' or 'What support or resources would help you be more successful?', explore whether performance issues stem from lack of skills, unclear expectations, insufficient resources, personal challenges, or misalignment with role requirements, identify patterns in feedback to determine if issues are isolated incidents or systemic challenges requiring different intervention approaches, discuss employee's career goals and interests to align development opportunities with personal motivation and long-term engagement, use strengths-based approach to identify how natural talents can be leveraged to address performance gaps and accelerate growth, explore learning preferences such as mentoring, formal training, stretch assignments, or peer learning to customize development approach, consider environmental factors including workload, team dynamics, reporting relationships, or organizational changes that might be impacting performance, brainstorm creative solutions together rather than prescribing fixes, encouraging employee ownership and buy-in to improvement strategies, and assess readiness and willingness to change, understanding that sustainable improvement requires internal motivation and commitment from the employee.

Work together to create actionable development plan with clear goals, timelines, and support mechanisms that employee commits to implementing. Example: Set 2-3 SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) that address priority development areas identified in conversation, such as 'Increase project completion rate from 70% to 90% within next quarter by implementing weekly progress check-ins', identify specific actions employee will take including skills training, behavior changes, process improvements, or relationship building activities with clear deadlines and milestones, determine support and resources you will provide as manager such as coaching sessions, training budget, mentoring connections, workload adjustments, or skill development opportunities, establish regular check-in schedule for progress monitoring and course correction, typically weekly or bi-weekly depending on urgency and complexity of improvement needed, create accountability measures including progress metrics, feedback sources, and documentation methods to track improvement objectively over time, discuss potential obstacles and develop contingency plans to address challenges before they derail progress and momentum, ensure employee has input and ownership in plan creation to increase commitment and likelihood of successful implementation, and document the development plan in writing with signatures from both parties to demonstrate mutual agreement and commitment to the process.

Handle serious performance concerns or repeated issues with direct communication while maintaining respect and exploring all improvement possibilities. Example: Use Crucial Conversations framework when addressing serious issues by starting with heart and clarifying your positive intent for employee success and team effectiveness, present factual information about performance gaps and their impact without sugar-coating or minimizing the seriousness of the situation, explain consequences clearly including potential impact on career advancement, team dynamics, or employment status while emphasizing desire to avoid negative outcomes, explore all possible solutions including role modification, additional training, coaching support, or temporary adjustment of responsibilities to set employee up for success, set clear expectations and non-negotiable standards that must be met with specific timelines for improvement demonstration, address any personal or external factors that might be contributing to performance issues with empathy while maintaining professional boundaries, document conversation thoroughly including specific issues discussed, improvement expectations, support offered, and employee responses for legal and HR compliance, provide hope and encouragement by highlighting employee's strengths and past successes while being realistic about improvement requirements, and ensure employee understands next steps and consequences while reaffirming your commitment to support their success if they demonstrate commitment to improvement.

Conclude conversation with clear mutual commitments, positive reinforcement, and structured follow-up to ensure development plan implementation and ongoing support. Example: Summarize key points discussed including strengths recognized, development areas identified, and improvement goals established to ensure mutual understanding and alignment, confirm employee's commitment to development plan by asking them to restate their understanding of goals, actions, and timelines in their own words, reaffirm your commitment as manager to provide agreed-upon support, resources, and coaching throughout the improvement process, schedule specific follow-up conversations including dates, times, and agenda items to maintain momentum and demonstrate ongoing investment in their success, establish informal check-in methods such as brief weekly conversations, email updates, or progress sharing to maintain connection between formal reviews, express confidence in employee's ability to succeed and grow while acknowledging that change takes time and sustained effort, provide immediate next steps for both parties including any resources to be provided, training to be scheduled, or introductions to be made, end on positive note by thanking employee for their openness and engagement in the conversation and reiterating value they bring to team, document conversation outcomes and commitments within 24 hours while details are fresh and share summary with employee to ensure accuracy and accountability, and plan your own follow-through actions to demonstrate reliability and support their development journey effectively.