What should a manager or supervisor do to prepare for the actual appraisal interview?

• Set up the appointment and choose a location where you will not be interrupted.
• Give the employee some advance notice (at least a week).
• Most importantly, decide what is to be discussed and in what order. Appraisers can easily overwhelm the employee with things that need improvement. Pick those that are most outstanding for praise, and those performance challenges that most need to be addressed—usually no more than two or three items.
• Have documentation on hand for any criticisms.
• While goals should be those of the employee, you can be a part of that goal-setting process. In fact, you must be if you have never asked an employee to develop goals for themselves before. This is a learning process for them too, and as such, they need your guidance and coaching.
• Gather personnel files, last year’s performance appraisal, the position profile or job description, and any documentation gathered through the year.
• Remind participants that they are being evaluated on the whole review period (usually six or 12 months).
• Provide them with adequate time to review a draft of your written comments before the meeting. You may also want them to complete a self-assessment.
• Mentally prepare for interviews. On a receptivity scale, how receptive will the employee be to your feedback? Can you prepare for their reaction?

Up Next:

Session 16: The Interview