Improve Your Communication Skills, 2nd Edition

• What are your strong points? 
• Where do you think you could develop? 
• What particular problems have you had? How do you 
think you could have handled them differently? 
Look for possibilities rather than uttering closed judgements. 
Instead of saying, for example, ‘You’re aggressive with our 
customers’, you might say ‘Some of our customers seem to 
perceive your behaviour as aggressive. What do you think about 
that?’ Use behaviour as the basis for your comments. Have 
evidence to hand. Be ready to reinterpret the evidence from the 
jobholder’s point of view. 
Supply 
This is the problem-solving part of the interview. Analyse 
what you have found, and focus on opportunities for action, 
( c) 2011 Kogan Page L imited, All Rights Reserved.

---

98 Improve your Communication Skills
change and improvement. Generate alternatives. Seek agreement 
on what could be done. You might be looking for new moves 
towards targets, performance standards or even amendments to 
the job description. 
Questions at this stage include: 
• What might we do to alter our targets or standards? 
• Do we need to rewrite any part of the job description? 
• How could the job be improved? Have you any ideas? 
Part 
You and the jobholder confirm your agreement and part on 
the clear understanding that these actions are recorded and will 
be monitored. 
Look back at the essential elements of a conversation for 
action in Chapter 3. Remember that you will gain more 
commitment from the jobholder if you make requests and invite 
them to give a considered response. 
Don’t complete any forms during the interview. It will take too 
long and distract you from your real business. Take time to fill 
out any paperwork carefully, after the interview has ended. You 
need time to assemble your thoughts and summarise them in 
your mind. You should, of course, at least show any completed 
paperwork to the jobholder and involve them in any changes. 
You must make sure that you carry out any actions that you 
agree to in the interview: support, procedural changes, delegation 
or training. If you do not, you undermine both your own 
authority and the credibility of the appraisal process itself. And 
you will find it harder next time to generate the respect and trust 
that form the basis of the whole system.