Questions for employee and development conversations

Good questions open a conversation instead of implying the expected answer. Select a small number that match the purpose and leave room for follow-up. A conversation does not improve merely because a long list was completed.

Prepare the conversation together

Clarify in advance whether you are reflecting on a period, discussing a current feedback topic or exploring a next development step. For a formal annual or performance review, participants should also know the assessment criteria and planned process.

• As a manager: Choose the questions below that fit the purpose and share them in advance. Gather concrete observations about responsibilities, results and collaboration. Separate the behaviour you observed from your assessment.
• As an employee: Note your own examples, open questions and the support you need. Consider which development topics you would like to raise yourself.
• Together: Agree on the focus. Preparation is a starting point; leave room for another perspective and new information during the conversation.

Reflection and context

• What are you particularly proud of from this period?
• Which task or situation was especially challenging?
• What helped you do your work?
• Which assumption would you make differently today?
• Which results need more context?

Role, strengths, and development

• Which strengths have you used particularly well?
• Which responsibility would you like to expand?
• Which capability matters for your next development step?
• What concrete experience would support that learning?
• What would progress look like?

Collaboration and leadership

• Where does team collaboration work particularly well?
• Where is there avoidable friction or ambiguity?
• Which information or decision are you missing?
• What should the manager continue doing?
• What should the manager do differently or more often?

Goals and next steps

• Which goal currently matters most?
• Which obstacle should be resolved first?
• What support is needed, and from whom?
• What is the smallest useful next step?
• When will we review progress together?

Use questions deliberately

Share central questions in advance where possible. Both participants can then gather observations and prepare. Separate description from evaluation: first clarify what happened, then discuss its meaning and the appropriate next step.

For sensitive topics, sequence matters. Begin with the employee's perspective, add specific observations, and check whether there is a shared understanding. The outcome should be a few clear agreements, not the largest possible number of answers.

A practical conversation agenda

1. Agree on the purpose and focus. Clarify what both participants would like to discuss and what a useful outcome would look like.
2. Reflect together. Let the employee share their perspective first. Add concrete observations and ask about the context before drawing conclusions.
3. Give feedback in both directions. Discuss what works in collaboration and where support is missing. The manager also receives feedback. Formal assessments use the previously agreed criteria.
4. Agree on a next step. Record what will be tried, who will support it and when you will discuss the experience together. Not every topic needs to become an immediate action.

Fictional example: make project handovers clearer

The following example illustrates a conversation method. It is not a customer story and does not describe measured product results.

Starting point: During a project handover, it was unclear who would handle outstanding questions. In the development conversation, the manager and employee want to clarify how to make the next handover easier to follow.

Relevant question: “Which information or decision are you missing?”

Possible answer: “At the last handover, I did not know who would answer the outstanding questions. I would like us to have a shared overview before I hand the project over.”

Agreed next step: Use a jointly agreed checklist for the next two handovers. It identifies outstanding tasks, responsible people and decisions that are still pending.

Support from the manager: Help coordinate with the people involved and clarify outstanding responsibilities. The employee does not carry responsibility for the improvement alone.

Follow-up: In the next one-on-one, discuss which parts of the checklist helped, which questions remained and whether the agreement needs to change. The conversation builds on concrete experience rather than a blanket judgement about the person.

Connect individual conversations with a shared process

When HR wants to connect conversation preparation, formal reviews and ongoing development, riteful can help: structure employee reviews with templates and approvals. The comparison of annual reviews and continuous feedback explains how formal milestones and ongoing dialogue complement each other.