Annual Performance Review & Development Planning
An employee meets with their manager to discuss their past year's performance, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and collaboratively set goals for their professional development in the coming year, including potential training needs.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
dedication
Dedication means strong commitment and hard work towards a task or job. In a performance review, it's used to praise someone's effort, like 'your dedication to the project'.
contributions
Contributions refer to the work or efforts someone adds to a team or company. It's useful in reviews to discuss what you've done, e.g., 'your contributions to the report'.
knocked it out of the park
This is an idiom meaning to do something exceptionally well, like hitting a home run in baseball. Use it casually to praise great performance, e.g., 'You knocked it out of the park on that project.'
room for improvement
Room for improvement means there is space to get better at something. It's a polite way to suggest areas to work on in feedback, like 'There's room for improvement in communication.'
proactively
Proactively means taking action ahead of time without waiting. In work, it shows initiative, e.g., 'I need to proactively contact the team.'
loop in
Loop in means to include someone in a discussion or process by keeping them informed. Common in business emails, e.g., 'Please loop in the manager on this update.'
workshop
A workshop is a short training session focused on practical skills. Use it for professional development, like 'a workshop on communication skills.'
mentoring
Mentoring means guiding and advising someone less experienced. In careers, it's about helping others grow, e.g., 'taking on a mentoring role.'
aspirations
Aspirations are long-term goals or ambitions. In job talks, use it for career plans, like 'my career aspirations include becoming a leader.'
metrics
Metrics are measurable standards to track progress, like numbers or goals. In planning, say 'set concrete metrics for success.'
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
I've been reflecting on your contributions over the past year.
This sentence uses present perfect continuous 'I've been reflecting' to show ongoing thought up to now. It's useful in reviews to introduce positive feedback politely and professionally.
You really knocked it out of the park with the Q3 report.
This is an idiomatic expression for excellent performance. It's informal praise in work settings; use it to motivate or compliment after a big success.
I think there's still room for improvement in cross-functional communication.
This politely suggests areas to improve using 'room for improvement'. Great for giving constructive feedback without being too direct; common in evaluations.
Sometimes I get so focused on my tasks that I forget to loop in other teams proactively.
This uses a 'that' clause to explain a result of being focused. It's useful for self-reflection in discussions, showing honesty about weaknesses and suggesting fixes.
Would you be interested in signing up for that?
A polite question using conditional 'would' to offer opportunities. Use this in professional talks to suggest training or roles without pressure.
Your experience would be invaluable there.
This compliments someone's value using 'would be' for hypothetical situations. It's encouraging in career planning to highlight strengths for new roles.
It aligns well with my long-term career aspirations.
'Aligns with' means matches or fits. This sentence connects opportunities to goals; use it to show how plans support your future in job discussions.
We'll set concrete metrics for these goals.
This future 'will' promise uses 'concrete metrics' for specific measures. Useful in planning to make goals clear and trackable in performance talks.