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AI Coaches: Pre-built Coaches

Learn about the AI Coaches included in every Small Improvements account, where to find them, what they do, and which company resources help them provide better guidance.

Every Small Improvements account includes a set of ready-to-use AI Coaches to help employees and managers throughout the performance review process and in their day-to-day work.

The included Coaches are designed to cover common performance management and HR scenarios. They're intended as a starting point; you can use them as they are, customize them to fit your organization's needs, or create additional Coaches for your own use cases.

To learn how to edit, create, or assign Coaches, see AI Coaches: Configuring Coaches and Company Resources.

Tip: AI Coaches can use connected company resources, such as career frameworks, company values, performance expectations, HR policies, review-writing guidance, and other internal resources, to provide recommendations that are tailored to your organization.

Note: Some Coaches are available only in specific parts of Small Improvements, such as the review screen or the AI Workspace.

Choose the Right Coach

If you're not sure which Coach to use, start here.

Review Screen Coaches: Manager and Self-Assessments

When you're completing a performance review or self-assessment, open the Review Coach from the Helpful Resources panel. Then choose either Assess or Inspire, depending on what you need.

Use Case

AI Coach

Improve the overall quality of a manager assessment

Evaluate the Review Generally

Improve the overall quality of a self-assessment

Evaluate the Self-Assessment Generally

Review the tone of your feedback before submitting

Evaluate Tone

Make sure your Objectives are reflected in your review

Compare with Objectives

Check that previous feedback has been addressed

Compare with Previous Feedback

Compare this Review with the previous Review cycle

Compare with Previous Review

Identify additional topics to include

Topics Based on Role and Level

Prepare for your review conversation

Delivering This Review in Person

Recommended resources

To get the most helpful recommendations from these coaches, consider connecting:

  • Career framework or career matrix

  • Company handbook

  • Company values

  • Performance expectations

  • Review-writing guidance

  • Communication guidelines

  • Role descriptions

  • Competency model

  • Company Objectives

Note: Some Coaches also use information that's already available in Small Improvements, such as Objectives, previous Reviews, and previous Feedback.

Workspace Coaches

Select AI Coach from the left navigation to access coaches that you can use anytime. Unlike Review Coach, these coaches aren't tied to a performance review and are organized by category.

Use Case

AI Coach

Prepare for a compensation discussion

Role-play a Pay Raise Request

Explore future growth and development opportunities

Career Trajectory

Find answers to company policies and procedures

Ask Questions About Our Policies

Get guidance on career growth within your organization

Career Advice

Prepare for a sensitive or challenging conversation

Get Advice on Tricky Topics

Prepare to report inappropriate behavior or workplace concerns

Report Inappropriate Behavior

Recommended resources

To tailor these coaches to your organization, consider uploading:

  • Company handbook

  • HR policies

  • Company values

  • Career framework or career matrix

  • Role descriptions

  • Competency model

  • Learning and development resources

  • Compensation philosophy

  • Promotion guidelines

  • Benefits documentation

  • Internal procedures

  • IT policies

  • Code of conduct

  • Ethics policy

  • Anti-harassment policy

  • Whistleblower policy

  • Manager guidance

Evaluate Your Review Assessment

These Coaches help you review the quality, completeness, and tone of your reviews or self-assessments.

Evaluate the Review Generally (Manager Assessment)

Reviews the overall quality of a Manager Assessment and provides suggestions for improvement. If your organization has connected a career matrix, it also considers role expectations and competencies.

Use it when: You've finished writing your review and want a final quality check before submitting it.

Evaluate the Self-Assessment Generally (Self-Assessment)

Reviews the overall quality of a Self-Assessment and provides suggestions for improvement. If a career matrix is available, it also considers role expectations.

Use it when: You want to make sure your Self-Assessment is complete and aligned with your role.

Evaluate Tone (Manager and Self-Assessments)

Reviews the language used in a review or Self-Assessment and suggests improvements to help the feedback sound clear, respectful, and constructive. It can also identify language that may come across as overly defensive, overly modest, or unintentionally patronizing.


Use it when: You want to polish your writing before sharing or submitting it.

Compare the Review Against Existing Information

These Coaches compare what you've written with other information available in Small Improvements to help ensure important topics haven't been missed.

Compare with Objectives (Manager and Self-Assessments)

Compares completed Objectives with what's been written in the review or Self-Assessment to help ensure key achievements, progress, and outcomes have been covered.

Use it when: You want to confirm your Objectives are reflected in your review.

Compare with Previous Feedback (Manager Assessment)

Compares the current review with previous 360° Feedback and Anytime Feedback to identify important themes that may have been overlooked.

Use it when: You want to make sure recurring strengths and development areas are included.

Compare with Previous Review (Manager Assessment)

Compares the current Manager Assessment with the employee's most recent review to highlight topics that may have been missed or deserve a follow-up.

Use it when: You're checking progress against feedback from previous review cycles.

Get Ideas and Prepare for Conversations

These Coaches help you strengthen reviews, explore development opportunities, and prepare for meaningful conversations.

Propose Topics Based on Role and Level (Manager and Self-Assessment)

Suggests additional topics based on the employee's role, level, and available career framework to help create more complete reviews and self-assessments.


Use it when: You're looking for ideas to strengthen your review before submitting it.

Delivering This Review in Person (Manager Assessment)

Provides suggestions for structuring a performance review conversation so it is clear, constructive, and engaging.

Use it when: You're preparing for an upcoming performance review conversation.

Role-Play a Pay Raise Request (Workspace)

Simulates a conversation in which the employee argues their case for a pay increase, using information from current and previous reviews. This helps managers prepare for compensation discussions from the employee's perspective.

Use it when: You're preparing for a compensation discussion and want to consider the employee's perspective.

Career Trajectory (Workspace)

Suggests ideas for future growth and career development based on the review or Self-Assessment. If your organization has connected a career matrix, the Coach also considers role expectations and progression paths.


Use it when: You're discussing long-term development or planning next career steps.

Get Help in the AI Workspace

Unlike the Review Coaches, these Coaches are available anytime from the AI Workspace and aren't tied to a performance review.

Ask Questions About Our Policies

Answers questions using your organization's HR policy documents to provide accurate, company-specific guidance.

Use it when: You need a quick answer about an HR policy or workplace guideline.

Career Advice

Provides career guidance using your organization's career matrix, if one has been connected to AI Coaches.


Use it when: You're exploring career growth or trying to understand role expectations.

Get Advice on Tricky Topics (Managers)

Supports managers in preparing for difficult conversations with team members by combining practical guidance with relevant HR policies.


Use it when: You're planning a sensitive or challenging conversation with a team member.

Report Inappropriate Behavior

Provides a confidential space to prepare for reporting inappropriate behavior, harassment, or ethics concerns to HR.

Use it when: You need help preparing to raise a workplace concern.

Customize Available Coaches

The included Coaches are designed to cover common performance management and HR scenarios, but you can customize them to match your organization's language, processes, and priorities. You can also create entirely new Coaches for additional use cases.

For instructions on editing Coaches, creating new ones, and connecting company resources, see AI Coaches: Configuring Coaches and Company Resources.

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