Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations (Plastic Comb)

by James E. Neal (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Now in its ninth edition, the guide has been continuously revised to meet changing employment conditions. This widely acclaimed handbook is a practical and valuable aid to making the completion of performance appraisals fast, easy and accurate. Combed bound.

Product Details

• Plastic Comb: 208 pages
• Publisher: Neal Publications; 9th Sprl edition (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882423097
• ISBN-13: 978-1882423095
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #245,611 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential guide for written performance appraisals, July 31, 2000

By	E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

"Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals" is the equivalent of a "Roget's Thesaurus" for supervisors and managers who have to evaluate employee performance on a regular basis. It organizes effective phrases under headings such as 'Communicative Skills" and "Leadership". You pick the most appropriate phrase to describe your employee's performance, e.g. "optimally utilizes all channels of communications", and write the review. Even if you don't want to use phrases out of this book, I've found that it is a good pattern book for brainstorming my own phrases.

The only omission (in my opinion) in "Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals" is the lack of phrases for below average performance. Try "The Definitive Performance Writing Guide" by Douglas L. Drewry for your below average performance appraisals.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best guide to "filling in the blanks" on perf. reviews!, August 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations (Paperback)

I've been writing performance reviews for five years now, and found this to be the best guide ever to help fill in the blanks. Almost every appraisal form requires analysis and precise commentary about the employee's behavior, and this book is well-organized and chock-full of helpful phrases to adapt for just about every performance situation. I also used this book as a resource for a class I teach, How to Conduct Effective Performance Appraisals.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful For New Managers, February 20, 2003

By	A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "RIP MJ" (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations(10th Edition) (Plastic Comb)

New to management? Have to give a performance review and you don't know how to approach it? This book will get you there.
"Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations" by James E. Neal isn't the snappiest book you'll read, and it is not the best value.

It is alphabetically organized by main topic terms, from 'accuracy,' ' achievement' and 'administration' to 'versatility' 'vision' and 'writing ability.'

You'll find 25,000 phrases under 58 such topics. For 'accuracy' there are 24 phrases, like "expects perfection" and "meets precise standards."

The drawback is twofold: the layout wastes space, and the content is easily found in other, more substantive books. It could easily be reduced to a 50 pages booklet.

There are guidelines for appraisals spread across several short appendices.

Useful for the new supervisor, or as a refresher for an experienced middle manager, but not the best of its field. Try "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Performance Appraisals" by Adele Margrave instead. You'll get more bang for the buck.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com