Workplace expression
Workplace expression: what to say first in a review
VWeiwo (vweiwo.com) is a communication assistant app: pick who you’re talking to, send their words in, and get hints you can say out loud. The moment people stall most at work is the few seconds after a follow-up question. It answers managers, direct reports, and colleagues separately.
Your review is questioned and your mind goes blank—what now?
Drop “say it all” and only try to “start talking.” The first sentence carries one conclusion.
“My main contribution this half was moving a metric from X to Y.”
Use a number when you have one; without one, say what changed from before. The second sentence adds two specific facts, and the third hands the choice back. While preparing, compress each item into one conclusion-plus-number line on a single sheet; when questions come, you are looking for one line on that sheet.
Your report gets cut off—how do you get back on track?
Take their question first, then return to the main line. Do not repeat the background from the top.
“Let me answer that first: …; back to the progress, two items are left.”
Being cut off is not being rejected; they only want the answer now. Continue from the main line once you have given it, and the room stays with you.
Cross-team work is stuck—how do you open?
Turn the ask into a choice they can judge, instead of “a little support, please.”
“I need you to confirm A or B by Wednesday. I have listed the work for both; pick one and I will take it from there.”
People stall when the decision costs too much. Cut the options to two, make the deadline specific, and it moves faster than asking “how is it going?”
Talking to a direct report—how do you start?
Standard and facts first, then room to improve. This is the reverse of reporting to a manager: conclusion first up, basis first down.
“This one missed the bar, so let us look at where: the standard is this, what you handed in is this. How do you plan to close it next week?”
FAQ
How is talking to a manager different from talking to a direct report?
To a manager, conclusion and numbers first. To a direct report, standard and facts first, then room to improve.
Can I use it in a performance review?
Yes. Paste your self-review and the facts, send your manager’s words in, use the Concise hint for the conclusion and the Follow-up hint to ask what they care about.
How early should I prepare for the year-end review?
Two weeks. Compress each item into one conclusion-plus-number line, then run several rounds of follow-up questions with the manager audience.
Read next: interview practice, clients and negotiation, or back to all scenarios.
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