PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
(PDP)
MANAGER GUIDE
Internal
April 2017
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Table of Contents
Part 1: Preparing ................................................................................................................................................... 3
Part 2: Discussion .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Before the Meeting:...................................................................................................................................... 4
During the Meeting:...................................................................................................................................... 5
1.
Opening the Meeting: .......................................................................................................................... 5
2.
Review Performance ............................................................................................................................ 5
3.
Review Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 6
4.
Discuss next steps ................................................................................................................................ 6
5.
Close the meeting ................................................................................................................................ 7
Part 3: Finalizing.................................................................................................................................................... 7
Appendix ............................................................................................................................................................... 8
Resources for Managers ................................................................................................................................... 8
PDP Manager Checklist ..................................................................................................................................... 8
Techniques For Active Listening ....................................................................................................................... 9
Coaching Conversation Guide......................................................................................................................... 10
Conversation Starters for Manager-Employee 1:1 Meetings ......................................................................... 12
Manager and Employee Communication Guidelines ..................................................................................... 15
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Part 1: Preparing
Communicate regarding upcoming PDP reviews
PDP reviews should not be a surprise to employees; they are simply the final step in
the overall process. Managers should regularly monitor, coach, and provide
feedback to employees regarding performance throughout the year.
Ensure employees understand the importance of the PDP review
Provide employees with notice of the meeting well in advance to allow time for
employees to prepare for the meeting. This will help to better facilitate a two-way
discussion.
Tell employees what to expect in the PDP review meeting including what they need
to prepare and bring to the meeting.
Ask the employee to review their SMART objectives in the Halogen Talent Space
prior to the meeting and to reflect on their accomplishments and challenges
Initiate a meeting
Set a date and time well in advance that is mutually convenient for you and the
employee.
Set up a private meeting space in a convenient location that is free from disruptions.
Set aside sufficient time to conduct the review, for example 1 – 1.5 hours.
Make sure the meeting location is accessible to the employee.
Gather and review data and information about performance
Review your notes about the employee’s performance over the past year
Gather concrete examples, where possible, that demonstrate what the employee
has done to work toward meeting their objectives
Request feedback on the employee’s performance from other managers, peers or
clients who work closely with the employee to create a complete picture of the
employee’s performance
Set aside some time to reflect and prepare for the PDP meeting.
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Part 2: Discussion
Before the Meeting:
Prepare an agenda for the meeting
Arrive on time
Remove/turn off any potential distractions in the meeting space
Have your review notes available for reference
Typical Year End Review Agenda
1. Open the meeting
2. Review employee's performance
3. Review employee's objective completion
4. Discuss next steps
5. Close the meeting
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During the Meeting:
Tips and Tricks for
1. Opening the Meeting:
Set a positive tone for the meeting – welcome
the employee, ask them if they need any
accommodations before starting, ask them how
their day is going
the Meeting
 Use Active Listening Skills
(see graphic on next page)
Encourage active listening and two-way
 Take notes
communication throughout the meeting
 Ask clarification questions
Review the purpose of the meeting with the
employee – make sure the employee
understands the purpose of the Professional
Development Process, the expected outcomes,
 Be respectful and calm
 Be transparent and honest
 Focus on performance, not
personality
and the benefits to the university, the
 Encourage two-way
conversation
department and the employee.
 Be supportive and
understanding
2. Review Performance
Discuss the employee’s perceptions of his/her
performance
 Ask the employee how they think they
performed over the past year
 Actively listen to the employee
 Ask follow up questions
 Clarify concerns, then address them
Discuss your (the manager’s) perceptions of the
employee’s performance
 Celebrate successes
 Provide concrete examples,
where possible
 Use open body language -- lean
forward, eye contact
 Paraphrase your
understanding of what you
heard
 Disagree diplomatically. Use “I”
messages instead of “You”
messages
 Use examples – from your own
observation, customer reviews, feedback
from coworkers and other managers,
etc.
 Emphasize strengths first, as well as areas of improvement
 Explore any areas where there are differences of opinions – be transparent
and prepared to discuss discrepancies calmly and professionally
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3. Review Objectives
Review the employee’s performance against their SMART objectives that were set at
the beginning of the process
 Celebrate successes first, then identify areas for improvement
 Were they successful? If not, why?
Discuss with the employee what was and was not achieved
 Be open and prepared to hear feedback about your own performance as a
manager – ask the employee how you could be more helpful as a manager in
the future
 Ask for the employee’s input about how to approach issues
 Work through challenges and solutions with the employee
Discuss development plan accomplishments
 Are SMART objectives helping the employee progress in their professional
development?
Provide feedback and discuss next steps
 Discuss challenges
 Identify solutions – is there a new potential objective to set?
4. Discuss next steps
Encourage the employee to start thinking about new objectives, including objectives
for learning and development and career development that they would like to set
for the upcoming year.
There will be a separate meeting after the PDP review to set SMART objectives for
the upcoming year.
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5. Close the meeting
Summarize the meeting, next steps, and estimated timing
Ask the employee if they have any questions
 Let the employee know that they can contact you if they think of questions
later
End the meeting on a positive note!
Part 3: Finalizing
Ensure any training, workshops, or other solutions discussed in the PDP meeting are
scheduled
Update Halogen and sign-off
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Appendix
Resources for Managers
PDP Manager Checklist
Manager Name:
Department:
Employee Name:
Job Title:
Date:

Ongoing (Prior to Meeting)

I have previously met with the employee to discuss
o Department/University standards of performance
o Employee roles and responsibilities
o SMART objectives, professional learning and development and career
development, as well as any accompanying action plans

I have regularly monitored and documented the employee’s performance throughout the
year
I have provided the employee with regular feedback and coaching in the past year

Planning


I have communicated with the employee regarding the upcoming PDP meeting, taking
care to communicate what to expect and how/what to prepare
I have scheduled and confirmed the meeting with employee, taking care to ensure the
meeting is accessible and convenient for the employee
Preparation

I have reviewed my notes regarding the employee’s performance over the past year

I have gathered concrete examples that demonstrate the employee’s performance


I have sought feedback from the employee’s peers and clients, if applicable
I have set aside time to thoughtfully reflect on the employee’s performance, taking care
to determine questions and items that I would like to discuss in the meeting
Participation


I was on time and prepared for the meeting
I established an agenda for the meeting and explained to the employee the importance
and benefits of the PDP meeting
 I reviewed the employee’s personal SMART objectives and their achievements
 I provided positive feedback first, then provided constructive feedback
 I worked with the employee to identify challenges and solutions
 I discussed next steps with the employee – new objectives, training and support and
career development
Finalizing

I ensured any agreed upon training, workshops, etc. are booked

I updated PDP documents – online tool
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April 2017
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Techniques For Active Listening
Active listening is an important skill that takes both time and practice to acquire. It is an
essential component of productive discussions because it allows for the respectful exchange of
ideas. This handout will help you to understand and practice this skill.
 Listen in order to fully understand what is being said to you.
 Rephrase what you heard the person say so you can be sure you heard correctly.
 Ask questions that help you get more information. For example, “What did you mean
when you said…?”
 Offer encouragement and support.
 Ask how the person feels. Be careful not to assume that you know how the person
feels.
COMMUNICATION BLOCKERS
Blaming and attacking.
Lecturing/moralizing.
COMMUNICATION ENHANCERS
Asking for more information and problem
solving together.
Making eye contact, leaning toward the
other person, giving full attention.
Showing empathy, validating the other
person’s feelings.
Staying silent until the person is finished
speaking.
Withholding judgment.
“Yes…but” statements.
“Yes…and” statements.
Being distracted or using other body
language that is non-attentive.
Dismissing or making light of someone’s
problem.
Interrupting.
Explanation and Diagram adopted from Tutu and Franklin: A Journey Towards Peace Teachers Guide, a production of Wisdom Works, Inc.
(www,wisdomworks.net)
60 Masonic St./Northampton MA 01060/TEL 800.897.0089/413.584.8500/FAX 800.659.6882/
413.586.8398/[email protected]/www.mediaed.org
This handout may be reproduced for educational, non-profit uses only. ©2005
Internal
April 2017
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Coaching Conversation Guide
Coaches instruct, train, develop, assist, and support ongoing performance. They use an effective
feedback process to direct and redirect work efforts and behaviors. When coaching your
employees, you help them gain self-awareness and insight into their demonstrated behavior.
Successful coaching helps the employee understand what behaviors they should continue and
which do not support their development.
Here are some tips for effective coaching conversations.
Coaching tips for reinforcing successful behavior:
Focus on one successful behavior
Recount the successful behavior, its outcomes and impacts in detail to the
employee.

Use a specific example.

Point out the elements that contributed to the result being such a success.

Work with the employee to identify the root causes for this successful behavior.

Brainstorm with the employee about ways that the behavior can be replicated in
the other circumstances.

Describe the benefits of this behavior and your confidence in the employee’s
ability to continue to demonstrate it.

Document notes of this discussion.

Watch for and praise repeated demonstration of the successful behavior.
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Coaching tips for addressing poor performance:
Focus on one specific behavior that you consider to be poor performance.
Rather than describing in detail the behavior that is causing lower than desired
performance, describe one thing the employee could do differently to achieve
greater success.

Describe the benefits of this new desired behavior and your confidence in the
employee’s ability to demonstrate it.

Use specific examples.
 Listen
carefully
andup
be on
open
to the
employee's perspective without judgment.
Coaching
tips for
following
poor
performance:

Involve the employee in identifying how they can master and apply the new desired
behavior.

observation, specific work results, reports and records, feedback shared from others.
Ifdirect
required,
draft a mutually agreeable development plan.

Document
key
elements
of this discussion.
made by the
employee
in demonstrating
the new desired behavior as well as on their

Set dates for a follow up discussion.


insufficient,
look
for reasons
why.
Watch
for and
praise
demonstration
of the new desired behavior.
Ensure that you have gathered sufficient evidence of demonstrated behavior and results:
Review the initial discussion around poor performance, and commend any progression
development or performance improvement plan.
Engage the employee in discussions about why an improvement in behavior may still be

Describe again, in detail the desired behavior and when/how it should be exhibited.

Discuss consequences of poor performance (these should be consistent across the
organization), and agree on next steps.

Check in with employee to ensure they have all the support and resources they believe
necessary to help them change their behavior; allocate as required.

Set dates for improvement milestones.
Source: Halogen Software, www.halogensoftware.com (2016)
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April 2017
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Conversation Starters for Manager-Employee 1:1 Meetings
As a manager, you play an integral role in ensuring lines of communication between yourself and
your employees remain open and healthy. One way to do this is by ensuring you and your
employees participate in regular, meaningful one-on-one meetings. But sometime, it can be
difficult to know how to start the conversation — and keep it going.
Here are some questions to keep conversations relevant, focused and valuable.
ENGAGEMENT:
Description
Asking employees jobrelated questions can
increase engagement
while at the same time
conveying just how
important employees are
to the organization.
Use these questions to
zero in on what’s important
to your employee, including
what
motivates/demotivates,
what they like/dislike about
their job and what they
need to be successful.
Questions
What things de-motivate you at work?
talents or skills do you have that you aren’t using often
What
enough in your work today?
you could change one thing about your work, your role, or your
Ifresponsibilities,
what would it be?
type of support or assistance would help you to do your job
What
better?
What are the pressures/issues that affect your daily work?
aspect of your work do you think is most worthy of recognition
What
or praise?
What do you find most rewarding about your current work/role?
What do you enjoy least/most about your job/work?
What would make your job easier? More fulfilling?
What do you need from me that you are not getting?
If your role changed completely, what would you miss the most?
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GOALS
Description
Effective goal alignment and
management requires a
regular continuous dialogue
between managers and
employees to see what’s on
track, what’s not —and
determine what support is
needed.
If you’d like to have a goalfocused meeting with your
employee, here are some
questions that can help
drive the discussion.
Questions
How do feel your goals progressing?
Are any of your goals causing concern to you?
What could I start or stop doing to help you achieve your goals?
What barriers are preventing you from achieving your goals?
skill gaps do you see, that, if left unattended, may might
What
prevent you from reaching your goals?
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Description
Employees need to know they
have the opportunity to
progress in their careers and
expand or enhance their
knowledge, skills and
experience.
Gain a deeper understanding
of your employees’
aspirations and career goals
by asking these questions.
Questions
In thinking about your long-term career, what’s most
important to you?
What are your career aspirations — short and long term?
What do you need me to do to help you on your career path?
training, skills and development do you see as helping
What
you in your career progression?
Would you be interesting in working with or becoming a
mentor?
Are there other areas of the business you would like to learn
more about?
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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
Description
Today, employees expect the
organization to commit to
developing and enriching
their skills and experiences.
The result? Improved
engagement and retention.
Start off your discussion
about learning and
development by asking
employees what they want
and need.
Questions
What would you like to learn more about?
What might be one area for development that would allow you
to perform more effectively?
types of training or development opportunities would
What
interest you in the weeks and months to come?
How do you learn best?
Would you like to participate in a special work project?
PROJECT-SPECIFIC
Description
Special focus on a recent
project can help you learn
more about your employee
and also help your
employees learn more about
themselves.
Use these experience/project-related to
demonstrate your interest
in your employees and to
gain deeper insight into
them.
Questions
What was most challenging about a recent
project/experience?
Do you think the project was a success?
at a recent project/experience, where do you see
Looking
opportunities to improve the process (or quality, timing, etc.)
What most surprised you while working on a recent project?
What would you do differently next time?
Source: Halogen Software, www.halogensoftware.com (2016)
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April 2017
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Manager and Employee Communication Guidelines
Source: Stanford University, https://stanford.app.box.com/v/communication-guidelines, (2015)
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