DialogLab
Performance review conversations
How to run a performance review when results slipped: examples, expectations, and a recovery plan managers can practise.
Performance reviews fail when they become verdicts delivered from a script. The employee’s job in that meeting is to survive; yours is to create clarity. A good review names evidence, acknowledges context, and leaves a path that is measurable.
Why it matters
Slipped performance often hides blockers - unclear priorities, burnout, skill gaps, or team friction. A review that only scores the past without diagnosing the present guarantees repeat failure.
Common mistakes
- Surprising someone with a low rating they never heard about
- Discussing personality instead of deliverables
- No written summary after verbal agreements
- Promising promotion timelines you cannot control
A practical approach
- Open with data
Share 2–3 concrete examples of missed expectations - dates, deliverables, quality markers.
- Invite their narrative
“What contributed from your side? What was outside your control?” Listen fully before correcting.
- Agree on 30-day priorities
Fewer goals, clearer success criteria, weekly check-ins if needed.
- Document and follow up
Send a short recap email within 24 hours - same tone as the meeting.
GROW for the forward look
Goal: What must improve in the next month? Reality: What is true today? Options: What could each of you do? Will: What will happen by when? GROW turns a review from judgment into a plan.
Before you meet
- Collect examples from the last 6–8 weeks
- Align with HR on rating language
- Block 45–60 minutes
Practise before the real conversation
Practise a performance drop conversation with AI role-play before your real review.