In this first part of the training we discuss with participants why organisations need performance reviews and why the process is beneficial to both employees and management.

We provide team leaders, supervisors and even individuals with some new ways of setting performance standards and goals for either their team or personally.

Providing constructive feedback is a skill in itself. We provide tools to participants to become better at feedback delivery and information gathering.

Learning more about the interview process can help with a professional and relaxed process. Using and learning the proven interview process will allow you to be able to concentrate on the review and not the process itself.

Of course there is a legal aspect to the review process. We discuss this area and help participants learn about the legalities involved.

Would you like to learn more about the responses provided to you? Are they truthful? Are you able to make a judgement on the information? Body language signals will help with more of an understanding throughout the review process.

Setting clear expectations is important in providing your team with a great start to increasing their performance. We provide some tools for individuals in this regard.

We provide a brief discussion on how you can work with poor performance within your organisation.

Giving Constructive Feedback
Dealing effectively with poor performance and sensitive issues
Pitfalls to avoid
List specific ways for the employee to improve
The appraisal meeting process
Understand and be able to apply important techniques to plan and prepare for appraisal meetings
Set targets for staff performance that help you address inferior performance and reward effectiveness.
How to use concrete examples of performance and behaviour to make ratings and provide feedback
Identifying training and development needs, and completing a Performance Optimisation Plan
Development plans
Conducting the appraisal
Facilitating Through Questions
How to counsel employees to improve performance, including identifying where the boundaries are (eg how not to become involved in personal problems, and how to focus on job performance only)
How to set and communicate appropriate performance standards, and gain employees’ agreement with them
Common errors made when rating performance and providing feedback and how to avoid them
What performance reviews are meant to achieve
Acquire the critical knowledge, skills and confidence to undertake effective performance appraisal discussions with their direct reports
How to develop/improve listening skills
Apply SMART principles in developing work objectives
How to conduct performance review interviews
The need to evaluate all factors that contribute to an employee’s performance on the job
Effective Listening
Responding With Empathy
Assessments and giving feedback
What is needed to achieve good or excellent performance — including employee skills/ability, employee engagement, Understanding/Perception of job role, support provided by organisation, management style
How to provide specific, realistic and tactful feedback to employees
Understand common assessment errors
Hold structured conversational performance appraisal meetings
How to deal with conflict, objections and defensiveness, such as disputes over performance ratings
How to describe the difference between standards and goals and explain the importance of both in improving employee performance
Improve the performance of their direct reports through the effective use of the performance management process
How to avoid common performance review errors that reduce their effectiveness for the employee, the manager and the company
Understand the performance review development cycle, processes and supporting materials
Identify skill gaps and develop targeted development plans
The need to evaluate the performance, not the person
Planning and preparing for the appraisal
Handling Difficult Appraises
Setting objectives
Focus on outcomes over which the employee has control
Common assessment deficiencies
Reward staff who are bringing value to your business
How to give feedback to employees, both positive and negative
use review processes to evaluate performance and behavioural issues and take steps to address them. Identify training and development needs and help staff plan their career development
Document both positive and negative accomplishments, using examples
Identifying environmental barriers impacting on performance
How to conduct annual performance reviews that is more comfortable for the manager and the employee—and more effective in attaining higher levels of performance
Include specific compliments for positive outcomes
Administrative issues such as completing forms, communicating progress with employees, arranging interviews, documenting discussions and outcomes, following up on commitments
Use objective, job-related data that support ratings

Setting Standards

In this part of the training session we will show the importance of standards through a short exercise, and then we’ll talk about the exercise and some general points. Our trainer will provide additional advice on setting standards in the workplace.

Feedback and Communicating

Both feedback and communication is important for employees to grow. The need for proper feedback and basic communication skills will be demonstrated through an individual exercise. Participants can interact with each other while proving the points discussed. Then, we’ll discuss some advanced communication techniques. The participants will increase their abilities in asking questions, listening, and giving comments.

The Performance Management Cycle

This session will explore the initial two phases of the performance management cycle: the basis for the performance standard as well as review. BARs and KRAs will also be discussed. Learning more about the performance management cycle will assist the team in the process.

Maintaining Performance

Once an employee has reached a certain level of functionality, we generally want them to maintain that level. This session will explore some ways of keeping employees on track and performing well. We discuss how to work with employees to establish performance standards and targets.

Goal Setting

We’ll continue our work with the topic of goal setting completing a brief exercise for each participant. We develop this area with more advanced training for several concerns in Goal Setting.

Behaviour Contracts

This session will examine a tool that can be used to help an employee achieve a level of performance or a goal. They are called behaviour contracts. We’ll also have a look at rewards that may be used to keep the employees motivated and achieving more.

Handling Operation Issues

In this session, we will discuss what to do if an employee isn’t reaching a particular level of operation. There may be several factors that may be impacting the individual. Learn how we can find out more information to assist the individual or find out how to deal with someone who refuses to reach a performance level.

Principles of Performance Appraisals

This session will start with a lecture on the history performance appraisals. Afterward, participants will move into small groups to discuss the value of appraisals. Our trainer will provide case studies and examples of the benefits of appraisals within an organisation. The importance of getting a performance review process is also illustrated.

Performance Management Checklists

We will review some checklists you can use during the performance management process to help keep you on track. Participants will learn more about simple planning and documenting systems to enhance their effectiveness in Performance Management.

Stereotypes

There are four ways that an individual can stereotype without necessarily being conscious of it. Participants will even investigate their own stereotypes in an individual exercise. Our trainer will develop this area with detailed information on how we stereotype in Psychology and why we need to be unbiased in the review or appraisal process.

Performance Development Plan

An element in the performance management cycle is a performance development strategy. We will briefly discuss the elements of this kind of strategy in this session and help participants be able to create a plan.

Employees’ Concerns about PA’s

We will investigate some concerns in a discussion about assessments and possible responses.

The Performance Management Procedure

Participants will consider the four-phase performance management procedure by means of a discussion. Subsequently, participants will work in small groups to review some sample appraisal forms. This session is quite interactive with several activities to engage the participants.

The Worst Case Scenario

The worst case scenario for many employers needs to fire an employee. We will look at how to handle this situation in a discussion with the team. Afterward, participants will practice their skills in a role-play.

SMART Goals

In this session, we will learn about the SMART acronym for targets and re-write some goals to fulfil these standards.

Features of Powerful Responses

There are six characteristics of effective feedback. In this session, we’ll examine each characteristic by means of a discussion and case studies. Real examples for real learning.

What Makes PA’s a Defensible Process?

This session will talk about some matters that participants can do to make certain that their performance appraisal process is defensible.

The Interview

During this session, we will examine a basic interview format. We’ll practice the format by means of a role play. A proven interview procedure to generate the performance review and to make it officially defensible.

Pre-Duty Review

Participants will examine their pre-assignment, identify areas of progress, and develop an action plan.

Comments

Feedback is another crucial element of the performance management process. After a brief discussion on opinions, participants will work through several case studies to further explore responses principles.

Planning the Interview

This session will look closely at some things that you need to do before delivering the performance appraisal.

Listening and Asking Questions

We will explore both of these crucial communication abilities through a mix of lectures, individual exercises, and small group work.

Accepting Criticism

Accepting criticism from others can be very difficult. We’ll offer participants some ways to make accepting criticism a little simpler.