09/01/2022
Start by asking questions:
Gaining the other person's perspective on their performance may provide you with hints on how to steer the conversation. Do you have an unaware underperformer? Is there an event affecting employee performance? Or on the other hand, is this improvement sustainable over time?
Don't voice your concerns after hearing the answer to "How do you think that went?", instead show your evidence in the form of "I asked you because I saw X or I heard Y".
Offer appreciation before you offer criticism:
Individuals are more receptive to constructive criticism if they’re first told what precisely they did well.
Be as specific as possible, "You did well" does not cut it anymore. And for the constrictive criticism, bring examples.
State your good intentions:
You may have good intentions, but you should always remind to the feedback recipient, as it improves how the other person receives the bad news.
Clarify and contrast:
Contrasting statements can help clarify your feedback and pre-emptively address any negative spins the other person might entertain.
For example, "I am concerned about your delivery right now. I am not saying that you don't have the capacity".
Have the other person state their key takeaways:
If you need to end the meeting abruptly, ask them to send you back an email with the three takeaways from the conversation at the end of the day, in that case, reframe the message.
If you need to end the meeting abruptly, ask them to send you back an email at the end of the day with the three takeaways from the conversation.