Available Now! Writing Performance Reviews: A Write It Well Guide

Does it take you a long time to write performance reviews? Do the reviews that you write clearly describe what employees need to improve and the strengths they can continue to build? Do you know the criteria for acceptable performance documentation?

Write It Well’s new book, Writing Performance Reviews:  A Write It Well Guide, will help you write performance objectives, reviews, appraisals, and other performance documentation that is clear, descriptive, objective, and acceptable in today’s workplace.  Full of job-relevant examples and activities, this lively and engaging book will give you the tools you need to efficiently write better performance reviews.

We also have onsite training, online training, and facilitator kits ready for you to roll out to help employees complete end-of-year reviews.

Author: Natasha Terk

ISBN: 978-0-9824471-0-9

Price: $24.99

Publication date: December, 2009

Chapter Summaries:

Lesson 1: Writing performance objectives and standards

If performance objectives are specific, measurable, actionable, reasonable, and include a timeframe, then employees know how to meet their job requirements.   This lesson offers examples, activities, tips, and tools for writing performance objectives that encourage optimal performance.

Lesson 2: Criteria for acceptable performance reviews

Performance reviews should describe behaviors and results.  Keep yourself out of trouble by following some basic legal guidelines.  This lesson offers opportunities to identify the reviews that follow the criteria and those that do not.

Lesson 3: Using descriptive language

An evaluation of a person’s performance must be based on observations of behavior and results of performance.  This lesson highlights the difference between reviews that feature observations and results and those that are based on impressions, opinions, or assumptions.

Lesson 4: Explaining and supporting evaluations and decisions

Your evaluations and recommendations must be based on facts.  This lesson provides strategies for making sure that you’ve backed up what you say in a review.

Lesson 5: Writing descriptions that are specific and complete

A description is only useful if the details it includes answers all the readers’ questions.  This lesson offers exercises and activities to make sure that your review doesn’t leave the reader confused or create any misunderstandings.