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Performance review fiasco?


December 13, 2023


It’s almost the end of the year and the chances are you’ve recently had your annual performance review. How did it go? Were you able to convey everything you wanted? Were you able to react appropriately to your manager’s questions? Or, are you still mulling over the whole conversation kicking yourself for not responding differently and not being able to promote yourself better?


Spoken communication isn’t what introverts tend to excel at and when you’re also highly sensitive and a non native speaker the stress of a performance review can be overwhelming. So why is it that introverts struggle more than extroverts to represent themselves not just during their annual performance review, but throughout the year?


One problem comes from the fact that people tend to think predominantly in pictures, which then need to be translated into words, which of course takes effort. The pathways in the brain for translating these thoughts are different for spoken and written communication. You might not be surprised to hear that the written communication pathway is more dominant in introverts, and the spoken pathway is more dominant in extroverts.

This strengthens introverts’ skill and preference for written communication over spoken and supports one reason why extroverts have the edge over introverts when making a strong impression during social interactions such as networking and interviews.


In highly sensitive people, the thought and communication process can also be affected by other stimuli. Some people are sensitive to people’s energies and emotions and take these into consideration during the thought process. This can make communication in a highly sensitive person challenging and mean that processing and communicating about highly charged topics can be overwhelming for some. So much so, that highly sensitive people tend to put off dealing with such topics, putting themselves under more pressure in the process.


So how does all this relate to the topic of the annual performance review and how you can take the pressure off yourself and perform better?


First of all, realise that your performance is being reviewed all year around, not just at your annual review. This means you have literally thousands of opportunities throughout the year to build relationships, create a good impression and promote your skills.


Secondly, figure out what type of thinker you are, what the benefits are of thinking in this way, as well as where it could be making your life more complicated. As an energetic thinker, if you allow myself to get too involved in the topic there’s a good chance you’re not going to be able to find a solution. But by being aware of different thinking and communicating strategies you can ‘plan’ your process to make it more manageable.

Seeing things in black and white rather than being too connected with them emotionally in your mind makes dealing with them more manageable. Tackling problems in stages and not allowing yourself to become overwhelmed by the enormity of the task can also make a huge difference.

On the flip side if you’re a very logical thinker, considering the emotional connections can be of benefit, particularly when you need to communicate an opinion to others.


Thirdly, keep in mind that there is no one single best way to communicate something and that communication is a two way process. This is essential when you have a tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist and your review isn’t in your native language.  If you’re concerned that you need more time to process the language and respond to it, be honest about the language barriers that exist. Ask for clarification and a couple of minute’s thinking time before responding. It’s easy for others to forget that you’re not a native and believe that you understand every word if you don’t remind them.


Finally, why not take some of the pressure off next year’s review by making a commitment to have small social interactions on a daily basis with all your colleagues. Find ways to start speaking up in meeting about your ideas, as well as ways to get more comfortable networking. So that by next year’s performance review, you’ll have created more social interactions and opportunities to create an impression, rather than feeling under pressure to do it all during your annual performance review.

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