Communication Leadership

Performance Review Template

Provide structured, candid, useful feedback to a direct report.

When to use

Quarterly or annual performance reviews.

Audience: Direct report.

Template structure

  1. Step 1
    Strengths

    Specific, evidence-based.

  2. Step 2
    Areas for Growth

    Specific, actionable.

  3. Step 3
    Impact This Period

    Outcomes, not activity.

  4. Step 4
    Development Plan

    Concrete next steps.

Example

...

Best practices

  • Specific examples beat general adjectives.
  • Be candid; vagueness is unkind.

Customization guidance

Treat this template as a starting structure, not a script. Adapt the section order to match how your audience expects information — for example, lead with the recommendation for time-pressed executives, or with context when writing to less-familiar stakeholders. Replace placeholder language with specifics from your situation; substitute jargon with the vocabulary your reader actually uses; and shorten or expand sections based on the decision weight of the communication. The structure exists to ensure you have covered what matters, not to constrain how you communicate.

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