Communication, Feedback, and Coaching Skills for Managers to Use with Staff Members During the Performance Appraisal Process
Dr. David E. Bartz

Abstract
Three crucial skill areas for managers performing effective performance appraisal of staff members are: communication, feedback, and coaching. Effective verbal communication skills needed for managers are: attending, reflecting, exploring, self-disclosure, and acceptance. Feedback is the activity of the manager providing information to staff members in relation to how their performance is meeting clearly identified expectations. Feedback answers the question from a staff member’s perspective, “How am I doing?” Effective feedback to staff members, specifically linked to job targets, will improve performance and lead to increased job productivity and satisfaction. Coaching and feedback are highly interrelated concepts, with the distinction being that feedback is information and data that describe performance, while coaching is the assistance given to improve performance when feedback indicates expectations are not met. Effective performance coaching by a manager is key to helping staff members meet their job expectation.

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