Communication Tips for Performance Reviews: What to Say in Your Performance Review

Summary

This video offers valuable communication tips for excelling in yearly performance reviews. It emphasizes the importance of highlighting achievements using the PCOR method (Project, Challenges, Overcome, Results), discussing personal progress and skills acquired, and identifying areas for improvement with a plan for development. Additionally, it encourages viewers to inquire about the company's future plans and their role within them, as well as to understand future expectations to align personal goals with professional growth. The video also touches on the necessity of seeking opportunities for growth and the potential need to reassess one's current position if the employer does not support professional development.

Takeaways

• 😀 Performance reviews are important for employers to understand your success, provide feedback, and help you think critically about your professional growth.
• 📝 To prepare for a performance review, highlight your achievements and start the conversation on a positive note to demonstrate your enthusiasm and positivity towards your job.
• 🏆 Use the PCOR method (Project, Challenges, Overcome, Results) to articulate your achievements clearly and effectively during the review.
• 🎓 Discuss your progress by reflecting on what you have learned since your last performance review and how you have grown professionally.
• 🛠 Be open about areas for improvement, showing a learning mindset and a proactive approach to your personal and professional development.
• 📈 Link your areas for improvement to your career goals, demonstrating how you plan to strengthen your skills and take on greater responsibilities.
• 🔮 Show interest in the company's future by asking about department or company plans, which can help align your professional growth with the organization's objectives.
• 🤔 Ask about future expectations to understand what will be required of you and how it ties in with your career goals, signaling your commitment to growth and success.
• 🚀 If your employer does not offer opportunities for growth and development, it might be time to consider if you are with the right company.
• 🗣️ Practice speaking confidently, especially if you tend to get nervous during performance reviews, to ensure you can effectively communicate your value and aspirations.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of a yearly performance review?

The main purpose of a yearly performance review is to help employers understand an employee's success, provide feedback on performance, and encourage critical thinking about how to improve and grow professionally.

Why is it important to start a performance review on a positive note?

Starting a performance review on a positive note is important because it sets a constructive and optimistic tone, making it easier for the employee to discuss their achievements and strengths, which can positively influence the boss's perception.

What is the PCOR method mentioned in the script, and how does it help in discussing achievements?

The PCOR method stands for Project, Challenges, Overcome, and Results. It helps in discussing achievements by providing a structured way to talk about specific projects, the challenges faced, how those challenges were overcome, and the results generated, making the achievements more prominent.

Why should employees think about their achievements before a performance review?

Employees should think about their achievements before a performance review to be prepared to discuss them confidently and to ensure they can highlight their successes and contributions effectively during the review.

How can discussing progress help an employee during a performance review?

Discussing progress helps an employee by showing their growth as a professional, the skills they've learned, and how they've improved since their last review, which can be overlooked by busy managers.

What is the significance of talking about areas for improvement during a performance review?

Talking about areas for improvement demonstrates a learning mindset and a willingness to grow, which can prevent an employee from appearing egotistical and can help them set goals for future development.

Why is it beneficial for an employee to ask about the future plans of the department or company during a performance review?

Asking about future plans shows an employee's interest in the bigger picture and helps them understand how they fit into the company's or department's goals, which is valuable for career advancement and leadership aspirations.

What does discussing future expectations during a performance review reveal about an employee?

Discussing future expectations reveals an employee's proactiveness and their commitment to learning and growing within the company, which can be appealing to employers who value personal and professional development.

What should an employee do if their current employer does not offer opportunities for growth and development?

If an employer does not offer opportunities for growth and development, an employee might need to reconsider whether they are working for the right company that aligns with their career goals and aspirations.

How can an employee prepare for discussing their weaknesses and areas of improvement during a performance review?

An employee can prepare by identifying one to two areas they need to improve on, reflecting on past projects to pinpoint weaknesses, and discussing these areas along with their intent to improve, a timeframe for improvement, and any learning and development opportunities they are interested in.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Mastering Communication for Performance Reviews

This paragraph focuses on the importance of communication during yearly performance reviews. It emphasizes the need to highlight achievements, discuss progress, and identify areas for improvement. The speaker introduces the PCOR method (Project, Challenges, Overcome, Results) to articulate accomplishments effectively. Additionally, it suggests discussing lessons learned and linking improvements to career goals, which can help in making the review process more beneficial for both the employee and the employer.

05:00

🚀 Demonstrating Proactivity and Aligning with Company Goals

The second paragraph delves into strategies for a successful performance review. It advises employees to inquire about the department or company's future plans to show their interest in the bigger picture and understand their role within it. The speaker also recommends asking about future expectations to exhibit a proactive attitude and a willingness to learn. This approach can reveal valuable information about the company's direction and how it aligns with personal career goals, potentially leading to a reassessment of one's current position if growth opportunities are lacking.

Keywords

💡Performance Review

A performance review is a systematic assessment of an employee's job performance. It is a key process in many organizations, typically conducted annually or semi-annually, to provide feedback, set goals, and discuss areas for improvement. In the video, the theme revolves around how to effectively prepare for and engage in a performance review to enhance one's professional growth and potentially receive a promotion.

💡Achievements

Achievements refer to the accomplishments or successes one has attained in their professional life. The script emphasizes the importance of highlighting personal achievements during a performance review to showcase one's value and contributions to the company. For example, organizing a successful webinar or getting a difficult client to pay an invoice on time are mentioned as achievements that should be discussed.

💡PCO Method

The PCO Method is a structured approach to discussing achievements, standing for Project, Challenges, Overcome, and Results. It helps individuals articulate their accomplishments in a clear and impactful way. The video script uses this method to guide viewers on how to talk about their achievements during a performance review, making them more memorable and significant to their bosses.

💡Progress

Progress denotes the development or advancement in one's skills, knowledge, or career. The video encourages individuals to reflect on their growth since their last performance review and to share this with their manager. This could include learning new skills or improving existing ones, such as time management or team leadership, as mentioned in the script.

💡Improvement

Improvement refers to the act of making something better or enhancing one's capabilities. The script advises viewers to identify areas where they can improve, demonstrating a growth mindset and a willingness to learn. It's important to discuss these areas during the performance review to show self-awareness and a proactive approach to personal development.

💡Career Goals

Career goals are the objectives or targets one sets for their professional development and advancement. The video suggests linking areas of improvement to one's career goals, such as aspiring to lead a larger team in the future. This shows ambition and a strategic approach to one's career path, which can be beneficial during performance reviews.

💡Department Goals

Department goals are the targets or objectives set by a specific department within an organization. The script encourages viewers to inquire about these goals during their performance review, indicating an interest in the bigger picture and how their role contributes to the department's success.

💡Future Expectations

Future expectations refer to the anticipated requirements or standards that an employee is expected to meet in the future. The video advises asking about these expectations during a performance review to understand what skills or responsibilities will be needed moving forward. This helps align personal development with the company's needs.

💡Professional Growth

Professional growth is the process of developing and enhancing one's professional skills and knowledge. The video emphasizes the importance of discussing opportunities for learning and development during a performance review. It suggests that if an employer does not support this growth, an individual may need to consider whether they are in the right company.

💡Feedback

Feedback is the process of providing comments or evaluations about someone's performance or work. In the context of the video, feedback is a crucial aspect of performance reviews, helping employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement. It is a two-way communication process that can lead to better performance and professional development.

Highlights

Importance of yearly performance reviews for employers and employees.

Performance reviews help in receiving feedback and thinking critically about professional growth.

The significance of having one-on-one conversations with your direct boss during performance reviews.

Highlighting achievements at the beginning of a performance review sets a positive tone.

Using the PCOR method to discuss achievements: Project, Challenges, Overcome, and Results.

The value of remembering and discussing specific achievements from the past year.

Discussing progress and what you've learned since the last performance review.

The importance of making your progress and growth as a professional clear to your manager.

Identifying and discussing areas for improvement with a learning mindset.

Linking areas of improvement to specific projects and expressing intent to improve.

Asking about the department or company's future plans to show interest in the bigger picture.

Inquiring about future expectations to demonstrate proactiveness and willingness to learn.

The potential need to reconsider your current position if there are no opportunities for growth.

Walking away from a performance review with clear future expectations.

The upcoming series of videos on getting a promotion and the call to subscribe for updates.

Advice on how to speak confidently to people who make you nervous at work in a separate video.

Transcripts

in this video we're going to talk about

communication tips for your performance

reviews specifically your yearly

performance review i'll go through what

to say in your performance review so you

can approach it with clarity and

confidence hopefully leading you to

getting a great performance review i've

got a few videos coming out in the

coming weeks on getting a promotion so

if you are interested in those videos

make sure you subscribe and hit the

notification bell too why do we even

need performance reviews well there are

a number of reasons why they're

important first it helps your employer

know about your success it helps you get

feedback about your performance at work

and it helps you think critically about

how you can improve and grow as a

professional performance reviews only

happen a couple of times a year they're

usually a one-on-one conversation with

your direct boss but it's really

important that you get them right here's

what you need to do to be prepared for

your performance review so you can ace

your performance review number one

highlight your achievements it's really

important to start off the performance

review conversation

on a positive note and when you talk

about your achievements when you talk

about your strengths you look excited

you look positive your boss will pick up

on this vibe and they will know that you

just love your job but the main problem

is you might find it difficult to think

about things that you've achieved or to

be confident when you're talking about

them now i know for a fact that there

are things you should be proud of in

your career there are things that you

have achieved in your professional life

you just need to remember them for that

performance review for example maybe in

the past year you successfully organized

a webinar for your company or maybe you

got a difficult client to pay their

invoice on time the when you have the

achievements that you think of it will

depend on your specific job and on your

role but i want you to start thinking

about this and i want you to choose one

to two achievements you've had over the

last three to six months in your

professional life and use the pcor

method p stands for project so what was

the project

c stands for challenges

what challenges did you face

o stands for overcome

how did you overcome those challenges

r stands for results what were the

results you generated using the pcor

method it will help you to talk about

your achievements with your manager and

to highlight them in a way that makes

them more prominent which leads us to

the next point where you talk about how

you have progressed what did you learn

in those achievements you just told your

boss about what have you learned

generally since your last performance

review or what are the biggest lessons

in the projects or the teams you've

worked in talking about your progress

can help your manager understand how you

have grown as a professional what you've

learned how you've improved sometimes

your boss might not see this sometimes

they might overlook the things that

you've achieved they're so busy in their

job it's really easy for them to just

overlook these things but it's up to you

to highlight this to them to bring it to

the forefront so they cannot deny it and

so they can see all the fantastic

achievements that you've made

highlighting your progress like this in

the performance review meeting makes it

obvious to them and it makes you more

memorable as a professional so before

your performance review think of three

to five skills that you have learned

since your last performance review and

use before and after examples like this

before working on project xyz i had

never been in charge of a group project

before now i know how to clearly

communicate goals to people get them

motivated to work towards those goals

and set specific deadlines to work

towards so we can achieve the desired

result the third strategy is to talk

about areas you can improve on in a

professional's life there will always be

areas that you can improve on it's part

of having a learning mindset don't be

the person who thinks they don't need to

learn anything because they are already

great at everything if you are like this

you will get the reputation of being

egotistical you need to recognize and

talk about the areas that you can still

improve on and make sure you discuss

this during your performance review so

to prepare think of one to two areas

that you need to improve on think back

to projects that you've worked on where

did your weaknesses lie and talk about

those areas of possible improvement in

your performance review it could be a

role related skill or it could be a soft

skill for example when i was organizing

the webinar i felt i could have managed

my time better this is something i'd

like to work on and improve on in the

next three to six months and i'd like to

take a course that will teach me good

time management skill do you see how

i've talked about a weakness as well as

your intent to improve on that weakness

a time frame in which you want to

improve on that weakness and a hint at l

d opportunities that you would like you

can also link this to your career goals

for example for our next performance

review in 12 months time i want to have

led a project with a bigger team i feel

i did a great job leading five people

achieving the goals i aimed for and i'd

like to strengthen my team management

ability with a bigger team so to sum up

when you talk about areas that you would

like to improve on it makes you look

like a proactive dedicated professional

and will definitely win your points in

your performance review the fourth tip

is to ask about future plans of the

department or your company this shows

that you have interest in the big

picture and helps you understand how you

as a professional are linked to that big

picture as well this is great

information for aspiring leaders or

anyone who wants to advance in their

career when it comes to future plans you

can also reference information you've

read or you've heard about simply ask

what are the main goals for our company

in the next 12 months or what are the

main goals for our department in the

next 12 months these questions will

definitely make you look like you are

interested in the progress of your

company and you might be surprised at

the information you can uncover if

you've done a good job with the first

three points i discussed in this video

then your boss will feel a lot more

comfortable and confident revealing this

information to you number five is to ask

about future expectations this

highlights your proactiveness and your

willingness to learn and employers

respond really really well to this they

want to know the people they've hired

are invested in their own growth are

invested in their own success just like

the company is when they recruited you

and it also helps you understand what

will be expected of you in the future

what skill set will you be required to

develop what level of responsibility

will you be required to have and does

this tie in with your future career

goals now if your employer does not

provide any opportunity for you to grow

if they do not want to discuss your

growth or learning or development in

that company then you might need to

rethink your current position the

reality is you might not be working for

the right company to help you achieve

the goals that you want to achieve now i

don't say this lightly i don't recommend

anyone to just go out there and quit

their job but if your current employer

isn't offering any learning and

development opportunities if they don't

want to invest in your future growth and

career progression then you may need to

rethink are you working for the right

company so when you finish your

performance review i want you to walk

away with three to five future

expectations for yourself three to five

expectations your boss has of you now if

you're nervous in your performance

review because your boss makes you

nervous you need to watch this video

right here where i teach you how to

speak confidently to people who make you

nervous at work