Workshop overview

Employee performance seldom improves through instruction alone. People perform at their best when they understand what is expected of them, feel connected to the purpose of their work, receive meaningful support and are equipped to take ownership of their growth.

The 9 Steps to Improve Employee Performance Workshop offers leaders, managers and supervisors a practical framework for strengthening performance through clearer goals, more effective communication, purposeful employee engagement and constructive feedback.

Through guided discussion, practical tools, self-assessment and interactive exercises, participants will explore how to lead performance conversations with greater clarity, confidence and care—while creating an environment in which employees can grow, contribute and succeed.

Workshop Objective

The objective of this workshop is to equip leaders and managers with practical leadership, communication and coaching tools that can help them:

• establish clear performance expectations
• align individual and team goals with organisational priorities
• communicate more effectively across different behavioural and communication styles
• strengthen employee engagement and ownership
• identify strengths, opportunities and development needs
• provide timely, constructive feedback
• approach performance challenges with greater confidence
• develop practical growth and performance-improvement plans and
• build a workplace culture of accountability, support and continuous improvement.

Workshop Outline

1. Understanding the Leader’s Role in Performance

Explore how leadership influences employee performance, engagement and development. Participants reflect on the importance of intentional leadership, credibility, communication and consistently modelling the standards they expect from others.

2. Setting Goals and Clarifying Expectations

Learn how to translate organisational priorities into clear, meaningful and measurable expectations.

Participants work with practical goal-setting tools, including SMART principles and the PLAN AHEAD framework, to develop a structured course of action for an individual or team goal.

3. Planning for Successful Execution

Move beyond goal-setting to consider the practical steps required for implementation, including priorities, responsibilities, possible obstacles, timelines, communication and progress reviews.

4. Communicating for Understanding and Connection

Explore the role of clear, open and respectful communication in supporting performance.

Participants consider how communication can either build or weaken trust, teamwork and accountability, and how misunderstandings may arise through verbal and non-verbal communication.

5. Adapting to Different Communication Styles

Develop greater awareness of the four DISC communication styles:

• Dominant
• Influencing
• Steady
• Compliant

Participants explore how different styles may approach tasks, decisions, relationships, change and feedback—and how leaders can adapt their communication to connect more effectively with individual team members.

6. Strengthening Employee Engagement

Examine the factors that help employees feel valued, involved and motivated to contribute.

Using the SOAR framework, participants explore:

• Strengths – what is working well and can be built upon;
• Opportunities – where growth and improvement are possible;
• Aspirations – what the employee or team hopes to achieve; and
• Results – how progress and success will be recognised and measured.

7. Coaching and Developing Team Members

Reflect on the leader’s responsibility to identify potential, support development and create opportunities for employees to grow.

Participants may complete leadership and coaching self-assessments to identify current strengths and areas requiring further attention.

8. Giving Constructive “In-the-Moment” Feedback

Learn how to address performance in a timely, specific and supportive manner rather than allowing concerns to accumulate.

Participants practise a constructive feedback process that includes:

• clarifying the purpose of the conversation;
• focusing on observable behaviour or actions;
• balancing developmental feedback with positive reinforcement;
• agreeing on appropriate next steps;
• identifying the support required; and
• setting a time for follow-up.

9. Creating a Practical Growth and Performance Plan

Bring the learning together by developing a practical action or growth plan that defines expectations, agreed actions, support, follow-up and measures of progress.

Participants leave with tools that can be applied immediately within their teams and everyday performance conversations.

The Workshop Experience

This is not simply a presentation about performance management. It is an interactive learning experience that may include:

• guided leadership discussions
• workplace-based reflection
• practical worksheets and planning tools
• individual and group exercises
• communication and team-building activities
• leadership or coaching self-assessments
• facilitator demonstrations
• role-play and skills practice, and
• the development of an individual workplace action plan.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is suitable for:

• business owners
• directors and partners
• senior and emerging leaders
• managers and supervisors
• team leaders
• human resources practitioners, and
• professionals responsible for developing or managing others.

What Participants Will Take Away

Participants will leave with greater clarity about how to:

• lead performance more proactively
• set clear and achievable expectations
• engage employees in meaningful development conversations
• communicate across different behavioural styles
• provide constructive feedback without avoiding difficult issues
• support both accountability and employee growth, and
• convert workshop insights into practical workplace action.

Better performance begins with better leadership conversations.

This workshop helps leaders move from simply managing tasks to intentionally developing people, strengthening teams and creating the conditions in which sustainable performance can grow.

Got any questions? You are welcome to contact Lynette Berger at [email protected]