Training course:
Performance management
Give your managers the skills and confidence to turn appraisals into ongoing conversations that lift performance, not just tick boxes. We focus on practical tools, clear language and habits that make progress visible and meaningful for everyone.
Two hours • In-person or remote • 4-15 participants
Rated 4.7/5 ★★★★★ from 47 recent reviews
Who this course is for
First-line and middle managers who run appraisals and regular one to ones
HR and People leaders who coach managers on performance
Project leads and supervisors who align goals across teams
Perfect forManagers and team leads who want to:
Set clear expectations and keep people on track
Turn annual reviews into useful, regular check-ins
Give candid feedback that strengthens trust
Support underperformance fairly and confidently
Why this course?
Strong performance starts with clear expectations, regular conversations and the confidence to address issues early.
This course helps managers make performance management part of everyday working life — not something saved for annual appraisals or difficult situations. They will learn how to clarify what good looks like, give timely feedback and have more productive conversations about progress, priorities and development.
Managers leave with practical language and simple frameworks they can use straight away, whether their teams work together in person, remotely or in a hybrid environment.
For HR and L&D teams, this means more consistent one-to-ones, earlier intervention when performance slips and fewer issues escalating unnecessarily. It also helps create a culture where feedback feels fair, constructive and focused on helping people succeed.
The result is stronger engagement, clearer standards and managers who feel better equipped to help their people perform at their best.
What participants will learn
By the end of this manager training course, participants will:
Set SMART objectives that align with business goals and are easy to monitor
Identify suitable measures and capture relevant evidence of progress
Run focused one to ones and regular check-ins that keep momentum high
Give praise and constructive criticism with confidence, securing buy-in for change
Prepare for and conduct a fair, forward-looking appraisal meeting
Use performance management as a development tool, not a paper exercise
Core topics covered
-
We clarify how performance management creates clarity, builds accountability and strengthens culture. Participants see how a simple rhythm of goals, feedback and review improves results across hybrid and in-person teams.
-
Managers learn to write specific, measurable and motivating goals that align to business priorities. We share tips that keep objectives alive during the year, so progress is visible and performance management training translates into everyday habits.
-
Attendees discover quick, fair ways to capture the right data, from success metrics to real examples of behaviour. We show how to avoid recency bias and build a balanced picture that supports confident decisions.
-
We practise short, focused check-ins that keep people on track and reduce surprises at appraisal time. Managers take away language for praise and course correction that lowers defensiveness and secures commitment to next steps.
-
Participants use a clear structure to run fair, future-focused conversations that feel supportive, not transactional. We cover preparation, questions that unlock insight and how to agree meaningful outcomes and follow-up.
-
Everyone leaves with a simple framework that turns insight into practical next actions with owners and timelines. This keeps momentum high after the workshop and embeds performance management training for managers back on the job.
Duration
2 hours, packed with high-impact learning
Format
Delivered in-person anywhere in the world, or virtually for remote teams
Group size
Best for 4–15 participants to maximise engagement
Style
Live, interactive, discussion-based with no long lectures or death by powerpoint
Performance management works best when managers have the wider skills to handle the conversations and behaviours that sit around it.
Depending on the challenges in your team, you may also want to combine this course with:
Managing Difficult Conversations
Performance issues are not always straightforward. This session helps managers prepare for sensitive conversations, communicate clearly and address concerns in a way that is fair, constructive and focused on moving forward.
Conflict Resolution
Where performance concerns have started to affect trust or working relationships, this course helps managers address conflict early, restore productive communication and maintain clear standards.
Coaching Skills for Managers
Performance should not be managed only through formal reviews. Coaching skills help managers ask better questions, build ownership and support people to make progress between one-to-ones and appraisals.
“Maximal learning in a short, but intense, session. This is definitely the way forward for management training, as far as I am concerned.”
Professor Niamh Moran, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland ★★★★★
Frequently asked questions
-
Yes. We focus on the essential mindset, models and phrases that managers can put into practice straight away. For teams who want more practice or to explore complex cases, we can add coaching clinics or combine this with complementary sessions.
-
Yes. We explore how to keep goals visible and feedback flowing in virtual settings, and how to rebuild momentum when face-to-face time is limited.
-
Absolutely. We adapt scenarios, terminology and policy references to your context. If you have particular themes or cases you want to explore, we will build them into the practice in a sensitive way.
-
Yes. Short, realistic exercises help people try out language for praise, course-correction and end-of-period reviews.
-
Each attendee gets concise course notes to support transfer to the workplace.
-
This course is designed for in-house groups. If you have a smaller group, speak to us about any future open courses by getting in touch here.
Client Reviews
“A really well paced course, with lots of insights into how I should conduct future performance meetings.”
“Our trainer was excellent at getting us all engaged in the topic, and provided lots of information, plus ideas for further reading for us to improve ourselves.”
“The facilitator was outstanding at pulling all our answers together and was extremely engaging with us.”
