Appraisal Training DVD
This DVD is created for trainers and coaches who are helping to develop Appraisal and Performance Management skills.
It is a fantastic way to show managers how their behaviour directly effects the outcome of the Appraisals or Performance Management Meetings they run.
Some of the scenes could also be used to enhance training on giving feedback and dealing with difficult people or situations.
Eight different scenarios are role-played, showing a range of different issues and personalities that managers may have to deal with when conducting appraisals.
For each scenario, there is a “Getting it Wrong” scene and a “Getting it Right” scene, followed by a slide listing the key learning points demonstrated.
The full list of scenarios featured is as follows:
1. Appraisal Opening
In the 'Getting it Wrong' scene, a manager is not prepared for the appraisal, she does know what the person's role is and also belittles her contribution to the business by making her feel unimportant. She ends the session by answering her mobile phone which she has left switched on. In the 'Getting it Right' scene the manager is prepared and ready for the appraisee welcoming them in and running through the agenda for the meeting. The manager makes the appraisee feel welcome and sets a friendly but professional tone for the meeting.
2. Alison’s Interpersonal Issues
In these two scenes Alison, an appraisee, wants to talk about an issue she is having with another member of staff whom she finds difficult to deal with. In the first scene the manager dismisses the problem saying 'That's just how she is really' and telling Alison that she's probably too sensitive. In the second scene the manager takes her concerns seriously and together they devise a strategy for dealing with the issue.
3. A Quiet Appraisee
In these scenes a manager is faced with trying to appraise a member of staff who is very quiet and shy. In the 'Getting it Wrong' scene the manager does virtually all of the talking and takes the appraisee's silence as agreeement for what he's saying. He gets no real contribution from her at all. In the 'Getting it Right' scene the manager shows how to use praise and open questions to encourage participation from the appraisee. He gets her talking and a little more relaxed and ends up having a much more productive conversation.
4.Greg's Timekeeping
In these scenes an appraisee has poor timekeeping and his manager is trying to address it with him, but he has lots of excuses and tries to wriggle out of any committment to improve. In the first scene the manager finds it very difficult to get around his excuses, and ends up agreeing with him that a work life balance is very important. In the second scene the manager listens but is firm with Greg that he must be in the business on time. He gets the message and clarity is established for him and his manager.
5.Clive gets Angry
In this scene Clive is a senior manager who gets aggressive when his manager suggests improvements. In the first scene his manager cannot get him to see the importance of what she is saying and gets sidetracked by his threats to leave the business or to sack other staff members. In the second scene the manager sticks to her point and doesn't allow Clive to distract her with his threats or aggression. She also deals with his inappropriate level of anger and gets him to be calm enough to have a conversation that is constructive.
6.Kathy gets Upset
In this scenario the staff member cries when her manager tries to give some necessary performance feedback. In the first scene the manager panics and backs down completely in the face of Kathy's tears and agrees that she shouldn't be upset and that it's the manager's responsibiltiy to put things right and reduce the amount of pressure. In the second scene the manager deals much more directly but also gently with Kathy and allows her to take a break, but does come back to the performance issue which needs to be dealt with.
7.Getting Distracted
In these scenes the staff member tries to take his manager off track during the appraisal. In the first scene the manager ends up talking about football and not the appraisal issues which should be discussed. In the second scene the manager deals with the distractions in a friendly but assertive way bringing the appraisal back on track, even when the appraisee tries to get him to discuss other things.
8.Setting Objectives
These scenes show the process of setting objectives in appraisal. In the first scene the manager and member of staff set very unclear goals with no way of measuring their success. In the second scene the manager uses SMART objectives and gets agreement from the appraisee as to how he will approach these objectives.
(Please note the music does not run over the scenarios on the DVD - this is for demonstration purposes only)
Appraisal Scenarios
Training DVD
£150 plus VAT
How we use the ‘Appraisal Scenarios’ DVD
In our training courses, we use this DVD as part of a session to get people to understand and identify the more common mistakes managers make when conducting appraisals, and to identify and practice better ways of dealing with difficult people or issues.
• First we play the ‘getting it wrong’ scene from a scenario
• We ask course participants to identify ten things the manager gets wrong during the short role-play
• We lead a discussion about whether these are common mistakes, asking if anyone has examples of similar experiences they have had in the workplace.
• Participants can then be asked to role-play a similar scene but this time trying to improve the situation shown
• The final scene or scenes can then be played and lessons are drawn from the DVD through discussion
Remember the role plays are not perfect, they represent real life. Ask the participants for their views, and then you may want to make comments on other options or approaches the manager has open to him or her in order to manage the situation shown.
On most courses we select one or two scenarios which we think are most suitable for that business, or that people have identified as problems they have faced and would like to work on ways of dealing with those should they come across them again in the future.
You may, of course, just want to show the more positive examples on the DVD, and you may want to use the bullet points on the slides following the scenarios to lead further discussions.