Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward Training – London, 30 Aug – 3 Sep 2027

Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward is a 1-week training course for team leaders and supervisors who run regular one-to-ones and annual appraisals, and each participant builds a Check-In Conversation Playbook for their own team. Many organisations have replaced the single yearly appraisal with frequent check-ins, so the quality of each short conversation now shapes ratings, engagement and retention. The course is delivered by Jupiter Prime Training.

Why Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward Matter Now

Two shifts drive this subject. Continuous performance approaches ask supervisors to hold short, frequent check-ins instead of one formal review, and employees expect specific, timely comments rather than vague annual verdicts. A third pressure comes from fairness: ratings that cannot be traced to recorded conversations invite disputes. Supervisors who describe observed behaviour, look forward with feedforward and note agreed actions build trust and defensible ratings; those who rely on memory and general impressions trigger defensiveness. The course borrows coaching discipline from the GROW model and listening practice from the ICF Core Competencies, applied to everyday performance talk.

Who Gains Most from Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward

• Supervisors who hold weekly or fortnightly one-to-ones with frontline staff
• Team leaders who must justify ratings at calibration meetings
• Shift leads who correct behaviour on the spot during operations
• Project leads who give feedback to people who do not report to them
• Newly promoted leaders managing former peers

A function that sends several supervisors who share one rating scale gains most, because their check-in records become comparable.

Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward Capabilities

Participants rehearse turning an observation into a specific comment, a forward-looking request and a recorded next step.

• Design a repeatable check-in agenda for each direct report — the employee and supervisor
• Apply the situation, behaviour and impact structure to observed events — the person receiving feedback
• Build feedforward requests that focus on the next assignment — the employee's growth
• Communicate calmly through denial, blame and silence — the working relationship
• Specify agreed actions in a short check-in record — HR and calibration panels
• Align conversation evidence with the rating scale — fair year-end decisions

Key Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward Terms

• Check-in — a short, regular one-to-one focused on progress, obstacles and support since the last meeting.
• Feedforward — suggestions about future behaviour rather than critique of the past, offered to shape the next attempt.
• Situation-behaviour-impact — a feedback structure that names when something happened, what was observed and its effect.
• Defensive reaction — denial, justification, counter-attack or withdrawal triggered when feedback feels like a threat.
• Check-in record — a brief note of topics discussed, actions agreed and owners, stored for later reference.
• Rating calibration — a session where leaders compare ratings against shared evidence to keep them consistent.

Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward Day by Day

Day 1: From Annual Appraisal to Frequent Check-Ins

• Continuous Performance Approaches — Replacing the Single Yearly Review
• Check-In Rhythm Planner — Setting Frequency for Each Direct Report
• Recency and Halo Bias Spotting — Protecting Ratings From Memory Errors
• Employee Expectations Scan — What Staff Want From One-to-Ones
• Check-In Agenda Template — Progress, Obstacles, Support and Next Steps

Day 2: Feedback on Observed Behaviour

• Observation Log — Separating What Was Seen From Interpretation
• Situation-Behaviour-Impact Structure — Framing Specific Feedback Comments
• Reinforcing Feedback — Naming Behaviour Worth Repeating
• Redirecting Feedback — Raising a Gap Without Labelling the Person
• Timing and Setting Choices — Private, Prompt and Proportionate Feedback

Day 3: Feedforward and Forward-Looking Requests

• Feedforward Request Format — Asking for Ideas About the Next Attempt
• GROW Questions in Check-Ins — Letting the Employee Shape the Plan
• Peer Feedforward Rounds — Gathering Suggestions From Colleagues
• Strength-Based Prompts — Building on What Already Works
• Stretch Goal Wording — Agreeing a Specific Next Challenge

Day 4: Defensive Reactions and Rating Links

• Defensiveness Pattern Map — Recognising Denial, Blame and Withdrawal
• De-Escalation Phrases — Keeping the Conversation on Behaviour
• Check-In Record Format — Documenting Actions, Owners and Dates Agreed
• Evidence-to-Rating Matrix — Linking Conversations to the Rating Scale
• Calibration Preparation Note — Presenting Ratings With Recorded Evidence

Day 5: Practising the Check-In Conversation Playbook

• Live Check-In Rehearsal — Running an Agenda With an Observer
• Feedback Rehearsal With Defensive Responses — Applying De-Escalation Under Pressure
• Feedforward Drafting — Preparing Requests for Each Direct Report
• Record and Rating Walk-Through — Testing Evidence Against the Scale
• Check-In Conversation Playbook — Finalising Agendas, Phrases and Records

Applying Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward After the Course

• Hold a check-in with every direct report using the agenda template and store each record within a day.
• Give one situation-behaviour-impact comment and one feedforward request to each person before the next calibration.

Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward Questions (FAQ)

What are performance check-in conversations and feedforward, and why do they matter now?

They are short, regular one-to-ones that combine specific feedback with forward-looking suggestions. They matter now because frequent check-ins are replacing yearly appraisals, and ratings increasingly depend on what supervisors record in them.

Which roles gain most from performance check-in conversations and feedforward?

Supervisors and team leaders who run one-to-ones and propose ratings gain most. In a retail chain or an engineering services firm, they hold most performance conversations staff experience.

How does performance check-in conversations and feedforward training differ from a performance management system course?

It focuses on the conversation itself rather than system design. Courses on performance systems cover cycles, forms and policies; this course rehearses what a supervisor says, hears and records in each check-in.

What do you bring back from performance check-in conversations and feedforward training?

You bring back a set of check-in agendas, feedback and feedforward phrases, de-escalation lines and a record format linked to your rating scale, ready for your next one-to-ones.

Performance Check-In Conversations and Feedforward: The Way Forward

The Check-In Conversation Playbook gives a supervisor one reference for agendas, wording and records. Its first use is planning next week's one-to-ones, and HR partners rely on its records at calibration. After the first rating cycle, revisit whether the recorded evidence matched the final ratings and adjust the check-in rhythm accordingly.