PLANNING YOUR CONVERSATIONS STRUCTURED VS. ANYTIME CONVERSATIONS There are two ways to approach planning conversations: 1. Structured conversations These planned and scheduled interactions are typically part of your organization’s or team’s established performance management practice. They might comprise periodic performance reviews or monthly or weekly check-ins that begin in your performance management or goal-tracking software. The interactions will be scheduled and follow a standardized template. PROS » Consistent, frequent opportunity for communication » Creates clear expectations on both sides » Familiar templates help both parties stay on topic and yield more substantive conversations » Templates can ensure attention is paid to both performance and career conversations » Written responses can be recorded and provide better insights for performance evaluation CONS » May become formulaic, neglected, or a check-the- box exercise » Timing may be delayed from events as they happened THE MANAGER’S ULTIMATE GUIDE TO GREAT CONVERSATIONS 10