Short answer
An effective performance conversation is a prepared discussion about work, evidence, support, and next steps. The manager should share the purpose in advance, invite the employee to prepare their view, distinguish observation from interpretation, and agree one action with a date to revisit it. It does not require a manager to settle every disagreement in the meeting.
Prepare both sides
| Before the conversation | Employee preparation | Manager preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | What work do I want recognised, improved, or supported? | What decision or support can I responsibly discuss? |
| Evidence | Two recent examples, including a blocker or success | Specific work examples and relevant expectations |
| Questions | What do I need clarified or changed? | What should I ask rather than assume? |
| Boundaries | What needs a separate HR or employee-relations route? | What must be escalated rather than handled alone? |
A regular conversation can sit alongside a formal review. CIPD's performance review guidance places structured reviews within the wider process of managing performance. Make clear whether this meeting is a work check-in, a development discussion or part of a formal process. Do not silently change its purpose halfway through.
Turn an impression into a fair question
Use examples that both people can examine. A dashboard number is one input; it does not explain the circumstances on its own. Equally, one person's account is relevant experience, not independent proof of every cause.
| Starting impression | Evidence to examine | A question that leaves room for another explanation |
|---|---|---|
| “You are not communicating well.” | A specific handover, the expected information and what was available | “What did you understand the next person needed, and what was missing?” |
| “The work is too slow.” | Agreed scope, completion expectations, changed requirements and dependencies | “Which step took longer, and what could you control?” |
| “You are ready for more responsibility.” | A recent work example, the support available and the person's interests | “Which part would you like to take on again, and what support would you need?” |
| “This keeps happening.” | Dated examples, previous agreements and any counterexamples | “Is this the same problem as before, or does the context differ?” |
These are proposed discussion prompts. Avoid turning a small number of examples into a verdict about personality or potential. Share the material early enough for the employee to add context and corrections.
Run the discussion in a useful order
Agree the purpose. A practical opening is: “I would like us to understand what happened with the handover and agree what support or change would help. What would you like to make sure we discuss?” State any decision that is already fixed, so the invitation to contribute is honest.
Hear the employee's account. Ask for a concrete example, then summarize what you understood and invite a correction. Do not use a prepared list of questions to ignore a relevant issue the person raises.
Compare with the expectation. Explain the expected work and the evidence you used. Separate the observed result from your interpretation. If the expectation was unclear or changed during delivery, record that rather than assuming the person failed to meet a shared standard.
Decide what can change. Distinguish an action within the employee's control from a staffing, tooling or process decision owned elsewhere. A request for additional capacity is not resolved by assigning the employee a development action. Likewise, a useful training action needs time and support to happen.
Read back the agreement. Confirm who will do what, what completion would look like and when both people will review it. Ask whether the written record accurately represents the discussion, including unresolved disagreement.
A fictional dialogue
In a fictional support team, Priya says: “The new escalation process makes my cases slower.” Her manager, Sam, avoids replying that the dashboard shows the team is meeting its target. Sam asks which step adds time and what happened in two recent cases. Priya explains that the new form requires information the customer cannot provide at first contact.
Sam disagrees that the process should be removed because it records information needed by another team. They write down both views: the required information has a purpose; the timing of collection may be the problem. They agree that Sam will test a later collection step with the operations owner, and Priya will bring two examples from the next week. They schedule a follow-up after that week’s cases have been reviewed.
The disagreement is not hidden or converted into a rating. It becomes a testable work question with named ownership.
Reusable conversation sheet
- Purpose: What is this discussion intended to improve or decide?
- Employee view: What examples, support needs, or concerns should be heard?
- Manager view: Which observations and expectations are relevant?
- Points of agreement and disagreement: What is known, and what needs checking?
- Action: One change, owner, and completion date.
- Return date: When will both people review the action?
- Escalation: What requires HR, employee relations, or another owner?
Follow up on the action, not just the meeting
At the agreed return date, ask what was attempted, what changed and what still gets in the way. A completed training session is different from being able to perform the task with the expected support. A process edit is different from the next team receiving a usable handover.
If the manager has not delivered promised support, record that explicitly and reset the plan. Do not repeatedly carry an impossible action forward as if the employee simply needs another reminder. If evidence remains disputed, note both accounts and decide how to check the issue. Concerns needing a separate organizational procedure should go to its responsible owner rather than being settled through an improvised performance rating.
Where Lontra fits
Lontra can help prepare a work conversation with a manager brief. People still check the context, discuss the issue and decide what action to record. Managers do not receive raw conversations. The product does not replace the manager or determine a performance outcome.
Explore a fictional manager brief to assess whether that preparation would help your own discussion. For choosing an agenda and follow-up workflow, see the employee check-in software guide. For passing on a practical skill, use the frontline manager enablement guide.