logo new templ
    Monthly E-Tip                                                                                                                      May 2007
This Month
Conversational Performance Evaluations
IPMA-HR Conference
Vendor List
 
Quick Links
 

 

 

Join Our Mailing List 

PPE Book cover
Greetings!
 
Last month we tackled "writer's block" and provided tips for writing a performance evaluation document.  If you missed it, you can find the article in our archives.  This month we'll explore one element of effectively written performance evaluations:  tone.  Today's performance evaluations are much more personal and informal.  Read on to learn how to write a performance evaluation that will build rapport and trust with your employees.   
 
Conversational Performance Evaluations 
header articles

 
            
Click here to share these important ideas with the managers and supervisors in  your organization.
 
 
 
 

When you write a performance evaluation, who are you writing for?  Do you write "about" the employee or do you write "to" the employee?  The traditional approach to writing evaluations is to write about the employee as if they were an object - in the third person.  We would say, "Mr. Finley provided satisfactory service to his clients."  This approach is formal and creates a distance between you and the employee.  It also ignores the person who really cares about the document: the employee.

The ideal tone for writing a performance evaluation is to write it to the employee.  Here are some examples:

  • "Steve, you met four of the six goals that were set for you this year." 

  • "Your ability to solve customer problems has benefited the organization in numerous ways this year.  For example,  Mr. Abbett of XYZ Industries told me that you called his office on a Saturday to make sure their issues were resolved." 

  • "John, you struggled this year to achieve your production goals."

These are examples of performance comments being conversational in nature.  By using the employee's name and by using pronouns like "you" and "your," the written comments take on a softer, friendlier appeal.  When the comments are written "about" the employee, as in "Mr. Finley met four of the six goals that were set for him this year," a distance is created between you and the employee.  While some supervisors would like to hide behind this more formal tone, it does nothing to develop rapport between you and the employee.  And besides, who really cares about what is written in the evaluation document?  Clearly, it's the employee who will be most interested to read your thoughts.

The next time you sit down to write a performance evaluation, think about your tone.  Are you using the evaluation as an opportunity to build trust and rapport or to distance yourself from employees?

 
Western Region IPMA-HR Training Conference
 
IPMA picJoin us next week for the Western Region IPMA-HR Training Conference.  This is an exciting opportunity to network and learn about the best practices in public sector human resource management.  Click here for last minute details about this year's conference, held in Scottsdale, Arizona on May 7 - 11, 2007. 
                                                                                         
 
Vendor List
 
Our Employee Performance Management vendor list is still availible to those who are researching the electronic performance management tools available in the marketplace.  Please contact us to recieve a copy of our vendor list.
 
 
 
We are interested in hearing from you.  Please send us any comments or feedback you might have.  We love to hear from you!
 
 
Sincerely,
 

Marnie Green
Management Education Group