The title of this post was sparked by my recent reading of a book about how to communicate ideas simply and in a way that sticks - a central tenet is that of simplicity; finding what is the absolute core of your message and making sure that it is presented in a concise and meaningful way.

Bill Clinton navigated his way to success in his 1992 election campaign by repeating his core message to voters 'It's the economy, stupid' and Tony Blair followed him with 'Education.Education.Education' - it clearly signals where the focus is and what is believed to be most important.

In the same way, as I look to where our own focus is and what we believe to be truly important in 360 degree feedback and performance appraisal processes, it always comes back to the conversation which happens at the end; the software has delivered things efficiently, the conversation ensures effectiveness.

Such a mantra can help guide decisions in setting up these processes; if we believe the conversation to be most important, then everything we put in place should serve to make that conversation go well - relevant 360 questions and appraisal forms which engage the employee, reports which provide insight and are useful to all parties, and training for both employees and Line Managers to build their confidence and capabilities so they can hold meaningful conversations around the outputs.

John

www.bowlandsolutions.com