Read on to learn why preparing your workers for feedback is a better approach.

Some people are really good at answering questions on the spot and speaking off the cuff. It’s a skill that not everyone has.

Your employees might not be one of those lucky people who exhibit grace under pressure. When you surprise them with an evaluation, they might be so flustered that they can’t think about their accomplishments and triumphs over the course of the last year.

If someone put you on the spot and questioned your professional record, how would you respond? Most likely, you’d be defensive.

That’s how your employees feel when you don’t give them notice that you’re evaluating their performance. They sense that they have to stand up for themselves against your negative comments. If you give them time to prepare, they’ll be more confident and have the chance to develop their answers.

Your intention might not have been to put your employee on the defensive. However, that was the outcome. And the employee was so focused on defending him or herself from the perceived attack that he or she might have missed out on feedback.

When people feel as though they are under attack (even if the attack is verbal and not physical), they go into fight mode. That means that their bodies tense and their nervous system actually overheats. Your employee is physically and mentally unable to take in any new information because he or she is so busy defending his or herself.

Conversely, when a person is calm and relaxed, he or she is receptive to listening. People will be calm and relaxed when they have advanced notice that a performance review is going to take place.

Take the hassle and inefficiency of traditional employee reviews out of the equation, and introduce 360 degree feedback software into the process. Our survey tool assists you in creating, distributing, managing, and evaluating all stages of the review process, easily and efficiently. And, you can track survey participation and follow up as needed. For more information, please contact us today, or take a tour of our product.