A review meeting: Appraiser's perspective
Featured in the Skills of Appraisal and Performance Review training manual
By Val Rowland & Ken Birkett
Category: Performance Management
Credit price: 4 download credits (Single user)
Performance review is a continuing process throughout the year as managers communicate with their team about ‘how things are going’. More formal appraisal interviews, usually on an annual basis, are central to the appraisal procedure in any organisation. They provide an opportunity to assess, formally, achievements made during the year and to agree and plan action for the future. A performance review meeting is as important for the appraisee as the appraiser. Staff have the opportunity to tell their manager honestly how they feel about their job. They find out how their performance is seen and discuss their ambitions and career goals. Adequate preparation for the content, arrangement and conduct of the meeting has to be carried out by both parties. The handling of the meeting needs to be effective to gain positive results. Training for staff responsible for controlling an appraisal interview is absolutely essential. For the appraisee, training encourages preparation and helps to alleviate anxiety, a common feeling for those who are unsure of what will happen at such an interview.
The training activity opens with an exercise about the content and arrangements of a review meeting. The participants work in pairs considering the preparation needed by the appraiser and appraisee for an effective appraisal to take place. They also think about any additional preparation a manager may have to make. The participants next look at what interests and concerns an appraisee may have before and during an appraisal interview. The effective handling of the meeting is addressed as the participants prepare for a role-play exercise aimed at emphasising what is required of anyone in control of a performance review interview. The final session examines how to achieve an effective meeting by identifying the key points to be taken into account by an appraiser. The training activity closes with a brief review of the key learning points.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers as a practice session, alongside ‘A review meeting: Appraisee’s perspective’, to give participants the opportunity to bring all the learning together. You act as a general facilitator and observer.
- Themes:
- Influencing skills,
- Managing change,
- Process improvement,
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 12 |
| Typical Duration: | 02:05:00 |
| No of Pages: | 24 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to provide an opportunity to put into practice much of the work covered in the activities from the ‘Skills of Appraisal and Performance Review’ trainers resource. The role-play activity centres on the needs of the appraiser. In a complementary activity, ‘A review meetings: Appraisee’s perspective’, the role-play centres of the demands placed on the appraisee by performance review systems. If you should run this training activity shortly after ‘A review meetings: Appraisee’s perspective’, with the same group of participants, you can omit the preliminaries and go straight to the work on appraiser needs and concerns, which immediately precedes the role-play. The same role-play is used in both activities to enable the changes in emphasis from the needs of one party to those of the other party to be identified.
Download the training activity, A review meeting: Appraiser's perspective as featured in the Fenman training manual; Skills of Appraisal and Performance Review