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BEP 75 - Performance Appraisals 1: Giving Feedback

Performance appraisals – sometimes also called performance evaluations or reviews
– are a powerful way to develop staff’s potential.

For appraisals to succeed, however, it’s important that they are conducted in a
structured way. In addition, it’s important that skill and diplomacy are used to
handle the two main tasks of the appraisal – giving feedback and setting goals.

So this is the first in a two-part series that focuses on structure, skill and diplomacy
in performance appraisals. In this episode, we will deal with giving feedback. In the
second, we will handle setting goals.

This episode focuses on giving effective feedback that creates a positive

environment and builds trust. These feedback skills are useful not only in
performance appraisals, but also in any situation that requires making critical
comments to someone about their work.

In the listening for this episode, Wendy is a new hire at ConStar’s videoconference
call center. She has been working there for about 10 months, including training, so
now it’s time for her first six-month performance review. Derrick, the manager of
the operations department, will be giving Wendy her appraisal.

As a “videoconference coordinator” for ConStar, Wendy’s job requires using special

equipment to set up and connect videoconferences for Fortune 500 clients.
ConStar’s customers hold regular remote meetings among multiple locations all
around the world. Wendy’s job is to make the connections between locations and to
solve customer’s problems when they call into the help desk.

What kind of feedback will Derrick give Wendy? She is really smart, but she tends
to get hot under the collar when she works under pressure. That means, she gets
upset when she feels job stress. Sometimes she loses her temper, and her
colleagues have complained about it.

As usual, try to answer the following questions while you listen. The answers will be
posted in a few days at www.businessenglishpod.com.

Listening Questions

1) How many meetings is Wendy handling per day at the moment?

2) What’s Wendy’s main issue that Derrick wants to give her feedback about?
3) What advice does Derrick give Wendy to help her correct the problem?

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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

Dialog
Derrick: Hi Wendy! Come in and have a seat.
Wendy: Thanks.
Derrick: How are things today?
Wendy: Fine, I guess.
Derrick: Good. So I’ve been reviewing your performance, and it looks like there have
been some big improvements the last six months.
Wendy: Yeah?
Derrick: Yes. I’m really pleased with your progress.
Wendy: Great!
Derrick: We set a goal of handling eight meetings per day, and you’re already up to 11.
Wendy: Yes. It’s busy, but I love it.
Derrick: That’s great. Watch out, though. We all turn into a bunch of workaholics here.
Wendy: Yes. Sometimes it’s a real rush.
Derrick: And sometimes it’s stressful.
Wendy: Sure.
Derrick: So how do you feel? Are there any specific areas you want to improve?
Wendy: Uh… well, to be honest, I guess I fly off the handle a little bit sometimes.
Derrick: Uh huh. Yes. That’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk about.
Wendy: Uh oh.
Derrick: No worries. Just listen. Your reviews are positive, but they mention this. And
I’ve seen it myself.
Wendy: You have?
Derrick: Yes, the other day when I was walking through the control center I could
see you were pretty worked up.
Wendy: Ahh… the customer was upset and I couldn’t get the bandwidth I needed…
Derrick: I know. I understand. Sometimes it’s like that.
Wendy: I just get so into it, you know.
Derrick: I can tell you really care about your work - that’s great. That’s just what we
need.
Wendy: Uh huh. But I should chill out?
Derrick: Yeah. Look, we’ve all been through that kind of thing, and I’m very
sympathetic.
Wendy: Mh hmm.
Derrick: But when we get into a pickle like that, we just need to calm down. Put it
into perspective.
Wendy: I got it.
Derrick: You should explain to the customer that you’re doing your best address the
issue, then take 10 deep breaths.
Wendy: Okay.
Derrick: Then ask your team leader for help. That’s what she’s there for.
Wendy: Uh huh.
Derrick: Does that makes sense?
Wendy: Yeah. I think I can do that.
Derrick: Now, let’s talk about your customer satisfaction KPIs… They look good too…
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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

Debrief

Derrick has handled his feedback very skillfully, hasn’t he? Not only did Wendy
bring up the problem herself, but she agreed to change her behavior without a
fight.

Let’s go through the dialog to study how Derrick manages the feedback.

First, at the beginning, he makes a little informal small talk with Wendy to set her
at ease.

Derrick: Hi Wendy! Come in and have a seat.

Wendy: Thanks.
Derrick: How are things today?
Wendy: Fine, I guess.

Then he kicks off the appraisal on a positive note.

Derrick: Good. So I’ve been reviewing your performance, and it looks like there
have been some big improvements the last six months.
Wendy: Yeah?
Derrick: Yes. I’m really pleased with your progress

Even if an employee’s performance is not satisfactory, you should usually find

something good to say at the beginning of the interview. Praise the employee. That
way, you create a good atmosphere, and the employee will be more receptive to
your suggestions. Of course, in some cultures, you won’t seem “like a boss” if you
begin by being nice; almost everyone, however, likes to hear positive comments
about themselves, so try to find an appropriate way to do it. The key here is to
sound sincere. Make sure what you say is true, or that you have seen it with your
own eyes.

Let’s listen to other possible ways to start off on a positive note:

For example, to someone who is always talking to his workmates when he should
be working, you might say this:

Well, Matthew, I can really see you’re getting along well with your co-workers.

And to someone who has good technical skills but lacks people skills, you might say
this:

Honestly, George, you really have learned the technical side of the business very
quickly.

After Derrick kicks off the meeting on a positive note, what happens next?
Remember, he has just said to Wendy that she has made big improvements over
the last six months.

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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

Wendy: Great!
Derrick: We set a goal of handling eight meetings per day, and you’re already up
to 11.

“Meetings per day” refers to the number of videoconferences that Wendy

successfully connects on an average day. Wendy’s original goal at the end of six
months was eight meetings per day, but now she’s already handling 11. In this
exchange, Derrick is still praising Wendy. His praise is a method of carefully moving
into the critical comments that he has. Let’s see how he does that. What does
Wendy say next?

Wendy: Yes. It’s busy, but I love it.

Derrick: Ha! That’s great. Watch out, though. We all turn into a bunch of
workaholics here.
Wendy: Yes. Sometimes it’s a real rush.
Derrick: And sometimes it’s stressful.
Wendy: Sure.

Talking about the number of meetings per day is a way for Derrick to bring up the
topic of work stress. The idioms “workaholic,” and “it’s a real rush,” refer to being
addicted to your job and to work pressure. You can look at the study notes or the
online exercises for this episode for complete definitions and examples.

By talking about work pressure, Derrick has opened the way for Wendy to bring up
her problem of losing her temper. If possible, get the employees themselves to
bring up any problems. Encourage self-criticism. This is a way of preventing a
defensive reaction: People are generally much more open to criticism when it
comes from themselves. Derrick uses a skillful type of question to get Wendy
talking about her temper. What does he say?

Derrick: So how do you feel? Are there any specific areas where you want to
improve?

This is a question used to encourage self-criticism. What are some other ways to do
this?

 So maybe you have some thoughts on your performance?

 How about you? What’s your self-assessment at this point?
 Maybe you wouldn’t mind first sharing your own thoughts about how you’ve
been doing?

How does Wendy respond to Derrick’s encouragement of self criticism? She uses an
idiom, “to fly off the handle,” which means, “to lose one’s temper.”

Wendy: Uh… well, to be honest, I guess I fly off the handle a little bit sometimes.
Derrick: Uh huh. Yes. That’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk about.
Wendy: Uh oh.

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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

Next, Derrick talks about what he has seen with his own two eyes.

Derrick: No worries. Just listen. Your reviews are positive, but they mention this.
And I’ve seen it myself.
Wendy: You have?
Derrick: Yes, the other day when I was walking through the control center I could
see you were pretty worked up.

In this exchange, Derrick is using another classic technique of effective feedback:

He focuses on what he has seen or heard himself. Keeping the feedback detailed
and specific enables you to deal with the real situation at hand. Avoid making moral
evaluations or general comments. Focus instead on the specific behaviors you wish
to change. Listen to a couple more examples.

 This is something that I’ve noticed too.

 Let’s focus on something specific.
 Let me give you a concrete example of what I mean.
 I just want to talk about what I’ve seen with my own two eyes.

How does Wendy respond to Derrick’s comments?

Wendy: Ahh… the customer was upset and I couldn’t get the bandwidth I needed…

“Bandwidth” refers to the amount of data that can pass over internet cables.
Videoconferencing requires a lot of bandwidth. Larger conferences with higher-
quality video require even more bandwidth; in the situation Wendy is describing, for
some reason, the bandwidth wasn’t available, and the customer got upset. Then
Wendy got upset too.

How does Derrick respond?

Derrick: I know. I understand. Sometimes it’s like that.

Wendy: I just get so into it, you know.
Derrick: I can tell you really care about your work – that’s great. That’s just what
we need.

Wendy explains that she gets “so into it,” which means that she gets excited and
absorbed by her work.

Obviously, she is having a bit of a defensive reaction, that is, she is attempting to
defend herself from Derrick’s criticism by explaining the situation from her point of
view.

But Derrick responds by calming Wendy down or defusing her defensive reaction.
He does this by showing “empathy,” or compassion. That means he feels with her.
How does he do this? He says,

“I know, I understand. Sometimes it’s like that.”

and

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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

I can tell you really care about your work – that’s great. That’s just what we need.

What are some other expressions you can use to show your empathy?

 Look, I understand that it’s a really tough kind of situation to deal with.
 I’m very sympathetic.
 I have those kinds of days too.
 I know what you mean.
 I know that that this kind of thing can be very challenging.
 I really hear what you’re saying.
 You’re not the first person to feel that way.

Back in the dialog, Derrick continues to show compassion. Meanwhile, Wendy

responds well to his empathy, doesn’t she?

Wendy: Uh huh. But I should chill out?

Derrick: Yeah. Look, we’ve all been through that kind of thing, and I’m very
sympathetic.
Wendy: Mh hmm.
Derrick: But when we get into a pickle like that, we just need to calm down. Put it
into perspective.
Wendy: I got it.

Wendy says she needs to “chill out” or calm down. Derrick advises her that when
we “get into a pickle” like that – that is, encounter a difficult problem – we need to
“put it into perspective.” This means, relax, and take a larger, philosophical view of
things. For complete definitions and examples of these idioms, remember to check
out the study notes and the online exercises for this episode. As with the beginning
of the dialog, Derrick’s use of informal language helps create a relaxed and friendly
atmosphere.

What happens next? Derrick continues to give Wendy advice.

Derrick: You should explain to the customer that you’re doing your best address
the issue, then you can take 10 deep breaths.
Wendy: Okay.
Derrick: Then you can ask your team leader for help. That’s what she’s there for.
Wendy: Uh huh.
Derrick: Does that makes sense?

Derrick uses a range of expressions to advise Wendy. Grammatically, he uses

modal verbs to tell her what “can” and “should” be done. These forms are often
easier to accept then direct commands. Finally, he makes sure to check
understanding. Checking back and confirming is a critical communication skill that
we’ve handled before, most notably in BEP 35, Clarifying What was Meant. That

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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

would be a very good episode to review, since confirming understanding is a very

important part of the feedback process.

How does the dialog finish off?

Wendy: Yeah. I think I can do that.

Derrick: Now, let’s talk about your customer satisfaction KPIs… They look good
too…

Success! Wendy has identified the problem through self-criticism. Then, after a
brief defensive response that Derrick defused with empathy, she has accepted his
advice on how to correct her behavior. Now they are ready to talk about other KPIs,
that is key performance indicators. A “KPI” is a key measurement of performance of
an employee or work process. In the second part of this series, we’ll study how
Derrick and Wendy negotiate and set goals for various KPIs.

But before we finish this episode, let’s practice some of the skills we learned today.

Imagine you are a manager at ConfraTech conducting a series of performance

reviews. You are giving feedback to your employees, but they are having defensive
reactions. What will you say to calm them down? You will hear a series of cues in
which you employees, who are a little upset, defensively explain the situation. After
each beep, give an appropriate expression of empathy, such as “I’m very
sympathetic,” or “Look, I understand that it’s a really tough kind of situation.” Are
you ready? Let’s give it a try.

Cue 1: I just get so angry when the customer is unreasonable.

Learner:

Cue 2: It’s hopeless. No matter how hard I work, it’s never good enough.
Learner:

Cue 3: Sometimes the pressure is just so intense I want to scream!

Learner:

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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

How did you do? Let’s listen to some example answers:

Cue 1: I just get so angry when the customer is unreasonable.

Answer: You’re not the first person to feel that way.

Cue 2: It’s hopeless. No matter how hard I work, it’s never good enough.
Answer: I have those kinds of days too.

Cue 3: Sometimes the pressure is just so intense I want to scream!

Answer: I know what you mean.

Of course there are many possible ways to respond to each question. Can you think
of even more original language to express empathy? I’m sure you can. Be sure to
go back and do the practice again. Substitute different phrases to build fluency.

That’s it for this episode. We’ve covered a series of useful techniques for giving
feedback – starting off on a positive note, encouraging self-criticism, and showing
empathy. Be sure also to read the study notes and do the online exercises, which
you can access at www.businenglishpod.com. There you’ll find definitions of the
vocabulary and idioms in today’s dialog, along with a full transcript and extensive
language and listening practice.

See you in part two of this series when we’ll be talking about another important
part of the appraisal interview – setting goals.

Thanks for listening!

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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

Study Notes

Language Review

A. Encouraging self-criticism and being specific about behavior

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences to review key language for encouraging
self-criticism and being specific about behavior to be changed, that is, focusing on
what you have seen or heard yourself.

sharing two concrete noticed

assessment performance specific

1) So maybe you have some thoughts on your______________?

2) How about you? What’s your self-________________ at this point?
3) Maybe you wouldn’t mind first _____________ your own thoughts about how
you’ve been doing?
4) This is something that I’ve ______________ too.
5) Let’s focus on something_______________.
6) Let me give you a ______________ example of what I mean.
7) I just want to talk about what I’ve seen with my own ____________ eyes.

B. Showing empathy
Put the jumbled sentences in order to review expressions for showing empathy.

1) I look that with it’s a really situation tough understand kind of to deal
2) sympathetic very I’m
3) those too I have kinds days of
4) what know mean you I
5) challenging I that that know kind of this thing be very can
6) really I what saying you’re hear
7) not first the you’re person feel that to way

Study Strategy

Giving critical feedback to people is something that we have to do on a daily basis,

whether it is at work or in our personal lives. Take out a piece of paper and list five
times when you have had to give someone feedback and five times when someone
gave you feedback. Can your remember what kind of strategies you/they used? Act
out the situation in your mind, using English. Pick your favorite example, and
rewrite it using the strategies that we learned in this episode.

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BEP 75 ADV – Performance Apprais als 1: Giving Feedback

Answers

Listening Questions:
1) She is handling 11 meetings per day. The original goal was eight, but she’s
already up to 11.
2) As Wendy says herself, sometimes she “flies off the handle” a little when the
pressure is heavy, that is, she loses her temper.
3) Derrick says Wendy should take 10 deep breaths, try to put the situation into
perspective, and ask her team leader for help.

Language Review

A. Encouraging self-criticism and being specific about behavior

1) So maybe you have some thoughts on your performance?
2) How about you? What’s your self-assessment at this point?
3) Maybe you wouldn’t mind first sharing your own thoughts about how you’ve
been doing?
4) This is something that I’ve noticed too.
5) Let’s focus on something specific.
6) Let me give you a concrete example of what I mean.
7) I just want to talk about what I’ve seen with my own two eyes.

B. Showing empathy
1) Look, I understand that it’s a really tough kind of situation to deal with.
2) I’m very sympathetic.
3) I have those kinds of days too.
4) I know what you mean.
5) I know that that this kind of thing can be very challenging.
6) I really hear what you’re saying.
7) You’re not the first person to feel that way.

Links (click a link to open the exercise)

BEP 75 ADV – Performance Appraisals 1 - Quiz

BEP 75 ADV – Performance Appraisals 1 - Gap-fill

BEP 75 ADV – Performance Appraisals 1 - Dialog & Vocabulary Definitions

BEP 75 ADV – Performance Appraisals 1 - Language Review 1

BEP 75 ADV – Performance Appraisals 1 - Language Review 2

BEP 75 ADV – Performance Appraisals 1 - Language Review 3

BEP 75 ADV – Performance Appraisals 1 - Vocabulary Flashcards

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