# Manager Conversation Guide: Questions to Ask

Resource One

### Manager Conversation Guide

Managers can use this guide to help with performance conversations. Each set of questions opens a different kind of discussion, and the two panels below help managers read the room and know when to bring someone else in.

Set 01

#### Career Check-In

When someone is steady but you don't know what they want next.

1. 01 What part of your role energizes you most right now, and what drains you?
2. 02 If nothing changed for the next year, how would you feel about that?
3. 03 What's one skill you want to build that we haven't talked about yet?
4. 04 Where do you want to be in two years, and what's the gap between there and here?
5. 05 What would make this role feel like real progress to you, not just more of the same?

Set 02

#### Performance Concern

When something has slipped and you need to name it without shutting the conversation down.

1. 01 Here's what I'm noticing—does that match how you'd describe it?
2. 02 What's getting in the way, from where you sit?
3. 03 What would need to be true for this to turn around in the next 30 days?
4. 04 What kind of support from me would actually help here?
5. 05 What's one small change we could try this week and check back on?
6. 06 How will we both know this is actually improving, not just discussed?

Set 03

#### Growth Plan

When the direction is clear and you're turning it into a first step.

1. 01 What's the next skill that would open the most doors for you?
2. 02 Who does this well already, and could you learn from them directly?
3. 03 What's one stretch assignment that would let you practice this for real?
4. 04 What's the smallest first step you could take this month?

#### Signals to Listen For

Cues that a conversation is worth having sooner rather than later.

Disengagement: shorter answers, less initiative, meetings feel like an obligation.

Stalled growth: same responsibilities for 12 months or more with no stated plan to change that.

Quiet frustration: venting to peers more than to you, or going flat when asked how things are going.

Overcommitment: saying "I'm fine" while visibly stretched thin.

A shift in energy: a sudden change in tone from someone who's usually consistent.

#### When You Can't Solve It Alone

Four moments to bring in someone else, and who to call.

Skills or role-fit gap beyond your coaching—loop in your L&D or talent partner, and bring specifics rather than "they need training."

Compensation, title, or leveling questions—bring these to HR before you make any commitment to the employee.

Burnout, mental health strain, or personal crisis—point them to HR directly. This isn't yours to coach alone.

Conflict with a peer or another team—loop in your own manager or HR before it escalates further.

Rule of thumb: if the fix requires authority, budget, or expertise you don't have, name that to the employee and say who you're bringing in—don't go quiet on them.

Resource Two

### Manager Brief Generator: An AI Prompt for Performance Conversations

A ready-to-use prompt that turns what a manager has already noticed into a focused starting point for their next conversation.

Managers often know when an employee could use more support. The harder part is deciding what to focus on, how to bring it up, and what a helpful next step might look like.

That's where this prompt can help. It gives managers a simple way to turn what they've already noticed into a focused brief for their next conversation. Instead of producing a long report or trying to evaluate the employee, AI helps the manager organize their thoughts, identify the most important point to discuss, and find a constructive way to begin.

The manager still brings the context, judgment, and understanding of the person. AI simply helps them move from "I've noticed something" to "Here's how I can talk about it."

No system connection required. This prompt doesn't pull information from a performance platform, assessment tool, or HR system. It works entirely from the observations the manager chooses to provide, so there's nothing to connect or set up. Any manager can copy the prompt, add what they know, and use it to prepare for a conversation today.

#### The Prompt

Manager Brief Generator — Paste Into Any AI AssistantCopy promptYou are helping a manager prepare for a coaching conversation with one of their employees. You have no direct access to any company system — everything you know about this situation comes from what the manager tells you below. Do not assume additional context or invent specifics that weren't provided. CONVERSATION TYPE: [career check-in / performance concern / growth plan — pick one] EMPLOYEE ROLE: [brief description — title, team, what they're responsible for] WHAT I'VE OBSERVED (the manager's own notes — as much or as little detail as you have): [Write freely here. Examples of what to include if you have it: - specific things you've noticed in their work or behavior recently - anything they've said to you directly, in their own words if you remember it - how this compares to how they were a few months ago - any context about their goals, workload, or team situation that might be relevant - what's prompting this conversation now] WHAT I'M UNSURE ABOUT (optional): [Anything you suspect but aren't certain of — e.g., "I think they might be feeling passed over for a promotion, but they haven't said that directly."] --- Using only what's provided above, help me prepare for this conversation: 1. FOCUS AREAS (1–2 max) Based on what I've described, what are the one or two things most worth focusing on in this conversation? Don't try to address everything I mentioned — help me prioritize. If what I've provided isn't enough to say anything with confidence, tell me that directly and ask me one clarifying question instead of guessing. 2. WHY IT MATTERS For each focus area, explain in a sentence or two why it's worth raising — for the employee, the team, or a goal I've mentioned. Stay grounded in what I actually told you; don't invent business impact I didn't describe. 3. NEXT STEP Give me one specific way to open this part of the conversation — an actual question or opening line I could use, not a general instruction like "have an honest conversation." Make it sound like something I'd naturally say, not a script. 4. CHECK YOURSELF Close with a reminder, specific to what I described: something like "This is built entirely from your read of the situation — if [specific thing] turns out to be off once you're actually in the conversation, that's useful information too, not a sign you did this wrong." CONSTRAINTS: - Do not fabricate details, scores, or history I didn't provide. - If my notes are too thin to say anything useful, say so and ask a follow-up question rather than filling the gap yourself. - Keep the whole response under 200 words. - Write like a thoughtful colleague helping me think, not a report.#### A Few Things to Know Before You Use It

##### Use this to think through a situation, not analyze employee data.

It only works with the information a manager chooses to provide. It doesn't connect to another system, pull a score, or access anything the manager doesn't already know.

##### Specific notes lead to more useful guidance.

If the information is too vague, the AI should ask a follow-up question rather than fill in the gaps or make assumptions.

##### You don't need to have the problem figured out first.

The "WHAT I'M UNSURE ABOUT" field gives managers a place to share a hunch. The AI will explore it as a possibility, not treat it as a fact.

##### Use it with the Manager Conversation One-Pager.

The one-pager can help a manager spot something worth discussing. This prompt can then turn that observation into a clear, constructive way to start the conversation.

##### Keep sensitive employee information out of AI.

Remind managers not to share sensitive information about the employee with AI, or to ensure that private information is anonymized. Challenges like bereavements or health concerns will impact performance, and it makes sense for managers to seek guidance. Having clear guardrails will keep sensitive employee data safe.

### Put These Tools in Managers' Hands

Both resources work on their own. They work better when the information behind them is already connected—when a manager sees the skills, goals, and feedback for their team in one place instead of piecing it together from memory.

Bridge brings learning, skills, and performance together so managers walk into these conversations prepared, and L&D can see what changed afterward.

[Watch Our Two-Minute Guided Tour](https://www.getbridge.com/walkthrough/talent-suite/)