Deciding when to share a written performance review is just as important as what you write. Sharing at the right time ensures your team member feels prepared—not overwhelmed—and keeps the focus on a productive face-to-face conversation.
This recipe shows you how to link Reviews in Small Improvements to the important 1:1 you have with your reports to discuss them!
The "Timing Recipe" for success
Depending on your management style and the employee’s needs, you can choose between two main "preps" for your meeting.
Option 1: The "Conversation First" approach
Share the written feedback immediately after your face-to-face meeting.
Best for: New managers, delivering sensitive or difficult feedback, or when you want to ensure your tone isn't misinterpreted.
The Benefit: It prevents "sleepless nights" or pre-meeting anxiety, as the employee hears the context from you directly before reading the document.
Option 2: The "Prepared Professional" approach
Share the written feedback 1–2 hours before the meeting.
Best for: Experienced managers and teams who value time to reflect before speaking.
The Benefit: It gives the employee just enough time to process the highlights and prepare their thoughts, leading to a more balanced, two-way dialogue.
Tip: We recommend avoiding "The Friday Afternoon Share." If you share a review on Friday but don't meet until Monday, any small misunderstanding has a whole weekend to grow.
How to turn the core themes from a review into a 1:1 agenda
Once you've decided on your timing, you can use the AI Manager Summary to automatically prep your meeting "ingredients" (talking points).
Complete your Manager Review and click Share.
Review the AI-generated summary, which highlights a Strength, an Area for Improvement, and a Learning Opportunity.
Select Confirm and Share to save these points to the review.
When prompted to schedule a meeting, select the points you would like to add to the agenda.
Set the meeting date and time and click Create Meeting.
Your summary points will now appear as Talking Points in your 1:1 agenda.
Note: The AI-generated summary points only display to the Manager and HR - They are not shown to the employee.
Pro-tips for a smoother delivery
Make sure to review and edit the AI-generated points so they sound like "you" before adding them to the 1:1.
Use the summary as a prompt, not a final script. It’s a great way to ensure you don’t miss the most important takeaways during the live chat.
Keep it positive. Even when discussing areas for improvement, framing the conversation around "Learning Opportunities" helps keep the employee engaged and empowered.