Are all performance conversations made equal? No. But perhaps you didn’t know there was more than one type. Maybe the only performance discussions you’ve experienced are long, drawn-out annual appraisals. You know the ones. You reflect on goals that are no longer relevant and dredge up issues you dealt with six months ago. Not exactly motivating stuff. So, it’s hardly surprising you aren’t excited about having those discussions with your team. Yet there are many different types of performance conversations you could use.

So, let’s start by looking at why performance conversations matter and the three key elements which impact their effectiveness. Then explore the nine types of performance conversations you need in your managers’ toolkit, and when to use them.

Why performance conversations matter

It’s important to understand that this is all about performance conversations, not annual reviews. Performance conversations are typically a 1:1 discussion between an employee and their manager about their outputs from work. And they address:

  • What your employee’s achieved
  • Any areas for improvement
  • The support they need from you as their manager

So, while annual reviews are discussed later as they are a type of performance conversation, they are just one of many approaches you can use to talk about performance with your team.

Having effective performance conversations

Changing the type of performance conversations you have doesn’t automatically make them better. And there’s plenty of advice on best practice for discussing staff performance available. But, here’s the summary.

There are three elements you need to make a performance conversation as effective as possible:

  • Make it a two-way discussion

You’re aiming to reach a shared understanding with your employee, so you each need to contribute. Employees must feel able to talk about their achievements and also any failures, so you can both learn from them. Having a two-way exchange also encourages employees to identify potential blockers which might prevent them reaching their goals. And they can offer views on other aspects of their work, like the proposed office layout or ideas on the latest project you’ve secured.

  • Have these conversations face-to-face

Make time to chat to your employees, in person or on video call. Block time in both your diaries where you can really focus and ensure there’s time for questions. In some cases, you’ll need an hour or more, but many types of performance conversations are much shorter. And yes, you can use a platform to automate parts of the performance process, but having the conversation is the critical step.  

  • Keep feedback relevant and timely

For feedback to be effective, you need to provide it at the time. Think of it like dog training. When your dog sits calmly, you reward it with an instant treat. When it chews your shirt, you correct the behavior there and then. Leaving it until later causes confusion (and the loss of more of your clothes). It’s the same with people. They might not destroy your sweater, but individuals respond much better to frequent feedback. It allows them to identify the relevant behavior and either repeat it or course correct.

So, now you know the core skills you need for holding effective performance conversations, let’s look at the different types there are and when to use them.

Ultimate Guide to Performance Management

Types of conversations about performance

All in all, there are nine types of performance conversation worth covering. These can be scheduled as part of your regular performance management cycle, or ad-hoc. And, seeing as we’re highlighting the benefits of weekly feedback, let’s start with check-ins.

4 types of scheduled performance conversations

performance conversation cycle best practice

1. Weekly check-ins

A check-in isn’t a formal 1:1 each week – hardly anyone has time for that. Instead, it’s a light-touch way to see how your people are doing and provide them with regular feedback. There will be weeks you need to chat through an issue. The rest of the time your employee can add their weekly update to your check-in platform and you can review it when it’s convenient.

Ideally, your check-in will focus on key factors which impact your employee’s commitment and wellbeing, as well as being a way to track progress on SMART goals and Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). It should cover:

  • recent experiences,
  • individual level of engagement, and
  • overall wellbeing

And when you move to this model, rather than an annual review, Gallup research indicates employees are:

  • Over five times more likely to agree they receive meaningful feedback.
  • More than three times as likely to agree they’re motivated to do outstanding work.
  • Nearly three times as engaged in their role.

So you can see why it might be worth considering.

2. 1:1 conversations

This type of performance conversation is future focused. It doesn’t dredge up old issues or talk about poor performance (save that for underperformance meetings). Rather, these are a safe, private space for employees to build a stronger relationship with you and align their activities with business objectives.

Use your 1:1 conversations to really focus on the person rather than their tasks. Where do they want to develop? What are they enjoying about their role? Where are they experiencing barriers and what support do they need? You should also take the opportunity to review goals and check on people’s wellbeing.

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3. Goal-setting sessions

These are the meetings you use to get everyone on the same page. They differ from 1:1s as they’re more likely to be group discussions where individual actions and progress are shared. You can use them to make sure everyone’s still focused on the project or departmental goals, and to review how key projects are progressing.

Goal-setting meetings often require individual employees to summarize their progress and provide a clear picture of their next steps. And can be a way to redirect the activities of full teams if business objectives or priorities have changed

4. Retrospectives and performance review conversations

These are perhaps the most recognizable type of performance conversation. They are the formal reviews which take place every six to twelve months to assess overall performance against (typically) long-term objectives. Yet these are the discussions which are often the most badly run.

So, use your skills as a manager to reverse that by following these three points:

  • Be clear with your feedback

Make sure your employee knows the difference between your positive and negative feedback. This is not the time for the “Sandwich method.” Instead, focus on praising those aspects where the individual’s performed well. And use clear, corrective feedback for anything which needs improvement.

  • Avoid recency bias

Think about the different performance conversations you’ve had during the year. Use details from check-ins and 1:1s to review what’s actually happened. Have they had a great year, or were there some wobbles four months ago which are improving and still being worked on? Have they really had a terrible year, or is it the last few weeks when performance has dropped?

  • Reach a shared understanding and agree next steps together

Make sure you’re both clear on expectations and any deadlines for follow up from your discussion. That way, you can deliver any support needed. And the individual can take responsibility for ensuring they achieve their goals.

Having looked at the scheduled discussions, it’s now worth reviewing the types of performance conversation which are specific to certain situations. You will use these less often, but it’s still important to understand what they each are and how best to use them.

5 other types of performance conversations

1. Underperformance meetings

Many people try to avoid this performance conversation – it’s the one many managers dread. In fact, for most managers, the only thing worse than having to talk to an employee about their poor performance is to be the employee being spoken to.

These conversations only happen when something’s gone wrong. It might be a minor slip or a major issue. Either way, you need to deal with it straight away and identify the root cause of the problem.

That isn’t code for “immediately go into a disciplinary process”. It means genuinely listen and be curious to establish the facts as there are many reasons why performance can drop, including:  

  • Lack of engagement
  • Signs of poor wellbeing
  • Obligations or stressors which originate away from work
  • A disruptive work environment
  • Workplace conflict

Talking to people, in a timely manner, not only allows you to work out the cause of the issue, but also means you can provide support and guidance where it’s needed. So seek to develop a shared understanding of the situation and establish next steps for everyone.

2. Overperformance meetings

On the opposite side of the coin, you have overperformance meetings. These might be needed because your employee is doing exceptionally and needs a new challenge. They may also be burning themselves out and need support to put boundaries in place.

  • If they’re burning out

They need to slow down. Otherwise, you risk losing them entirely. When people are focused on over-delivery, check if they’re taking breaks, or using their vacation days. Are there other signs they might be pushing too hard? You won’t fix it all with one conversation, overworking and burnout aren’t that easy to change. But point them to resources and furnish them with support so they can work sustainably for you and for them.

  • If they’re doing brilliantly (and there are no red flags for wellbeing)

Great. Give them a boost by telling them what amazing work they’re doing. Check up on their professional goals (if you don’t already know) and enable them to flourish. Look for opportunities where you can recognize them, promote them, make them a mentor, or even expand their responsibilities to work closely with other departments

3. Project reviews

As the name suggests, these are specifically for assessing projects. There are different phases of project reviews, depending on whether you’re just starting or wrapping up, but the principles remain the same. These are opportunities to check things are on track with a project, and reflect on any learnings for the future.

This type of performance conversation will be group-based. They’re a way to bring everyone together to check progress against goals, identify any slips against timelines, and flag any changes in direction (from the client or your CEO). So, use them to make sure everyone’s travelling in the same direction, and to check you’re still aligned with business objectives like you were at the start.

4. Ad-hoc catch-ups

These are conversations prompted by your employee. They often request them to raise an issue privately. So, go in ready to listen, even if you already think you know what it’s about.

These ad-hoc chats are often about aspects of performance. But they can also be about sensitive personal issues, like an emerging health problem or harassment at work. That’s why it’s essential you go in with an open mind, so you can really hear what the individual shares.

5. Pay review meetings

This type of performance conversation might be initiated by either party. As a manager, you might need to talk to someone about their pay rise (or lack of one). But employees can request this meeting too.

Some employees want to make their case for a raise or promotion. They’ll highlight their contributions, hard work, and readiness for the next level. So be open to having the conversation. If there’s a process to follow, tell them how it works. If there are no vacancies for the next role, think about other opportunities they could explore.

Equally, if you’re sharing with someone that no increase is coming, be clear on the reasons why. There should be no surprises at pay review, so if someone isn’t performing, make sure you have the underperformance conversation as soon as you can.

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