Performance Management Training

Getting Employee Cooperation: Win-Win Feedback Skills to Improve Workplace Performance

Course Outcomes

This employee feedback course will:

  • Give participants a model for gaining cooperation and buy-in from employees.
  • Prepare those attending to deliver feedback to others with confidence.
  • Provide a road map for handling employees who do not perform after receiving feedback.

Course Overview

Supervisors and managers in every organization need to give employees feedback during formal performance reviews and informally throughout the year.

Their conversations might include such issues as using cell phones for personal calls during work hours, not following procedures, or spreading negative gossip.

Unfortunately, many charged with this task find it difficult and hesitate because they don’t know how to handle defensiveness, blame, excuses, or complaints if they must give employees negative feedback.

Using the skills emphasized and practiced during this course, participants will learn how to deliver feedback effectively, recognize and deal with resistance, provide measures to improve employee performance, and develop more productive manager-employee work relationships.

This program is based on the skills explained in How to Give Employees Performance Feedback & Resolve the Resistance You Know You’re Going to Get, written by program facilitator Ross Blake.

Program Objectives

At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Gain cooperation by giving feedback the way employees want it to be given.
  • Deliver employee feedback comfortably and confidently.
  • Successfully manage employee resistance.
  • Develop performance solutions with employee input.
  • Resolve concerns employees have about what they’re being asked to do.
  • Provide positive reinforcement and show employees the value of their work.
  • Make “feedback agreements” with employees to avoid future problems.
  • Approach employees who agree to improve their performance but don’t.

The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).

Workshop Outline

Developing an Effective Feedback Model: Participant Input and Agreement
In this opening discussion, participants will examine how they want to be given feedback by their own bosses for the purpose of developing a model they can use with their employees. In addition to the preferences they cite during this discussion, participants will validate the model with input from thousands of supervisors, managers, and employees who have taken this course.
 
Overcoming Employee Resistance to Feedback: Two Skills for Win-Win Outcomes
Some managers hesitate to give feedback because they fear negative employee reactions and don’t know how to respond. In this segment, participants will learn two skills for effectively handling employee defensiveness, anger, excuses, and complaints following feedback.
 
Agreeing in Advance: How to Give and Receive Feedback
When managers and employees agree in advance on how feedback will be given and received, they can avoid arguments and hard feelings. If ground rules are already in place, feedback sessions will then be more comfortable and productive for both parties.  During this portion of the program, participants will practice setting the stage and develop an action plan for use back on the job.
 
Defusing Anger and Avoiding Misunderstandings: Focus on Solutions, Not Emotions
During this part of the training course, participants will learn how to confirm what employees have said in order to avoid misunderstandings and defuse anger. They will also learn the importance of body language and tone of voice when communicating.
 
When Employees Agree to Improve Performance but Don’t: New Agreements
Participants will learn a simple skill that puts responsibility on employees for their own performance improvement when it is not immediately forthcoming. By developing a new agreement that includes progressive discipline steps, they will learn how managers can speed up the improvement process.   Through active discussions and practice, those in the course should become comfortable addressing employees’ performance shortcomings.
 
Using a Powerful Managerial Skill: Positive Reinforcement
Most managers think they give positive feedback effectively, but they don’t.  During this discussion of how to use positive reinforcement, participants will learn how to help employees understand the value of their work and motivate them to do their best.
 
Improving Manager-Employee Work Relationships: More than Feedback Skills
When managers can give feedback effectively and employees can accept it comfortably, other aspects of their work relationship should improve.  In this final part of the program, participants will discuss having conversations with their employees that go beyond criticism of personal behavior. Furthermore, they will learn how to identify employees’ needs, clarify expectations and solicit recommendations.

By the conclusion of this training course, participants should be well prepared to deliver formal and informal performance feedback to those they supervise.

Available Formats

Onsite Training Course Reminders

Our instructor-led training courses are available to private groups.  These workshops are not offered in a public seminar format.  Please contact us to speak with a facilitator about your needs and bringing training to your organization.

We offer training in the District of Columbia and the following US states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

We also travel to Africa, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, Canada, Central America, Continental Europe, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom.

Please contact us about your location.

Onsite Workshops