Best Practices for Manager–Rep Performance Review Role Plays

Table of Contents

1. Core Structure: tailoring contexts and personas for manager-rep conversation simulations

   1. Context Prompt - best practices and a template prompt
   2. Persona Prompt - best practices and a template prompt
2. Scoping questions to guide role play design for your Organization
3. Evaluating and Refining Your Role Plays
4. Summary
5. FAQs

Overview

Manager–rep performance reviews, performance improvement talks, or other “HR‑type” conversations are some of the most sensitive and impactful role plays you can build in Brevity.

This guide shows you how to:

• Configure a realistic performance feedback scenario using a simple two prompt structure
• Gather the right context from stakeholders with a few high‑leverage scoping questions
• Build strong personas so the AI “rep” responds in believable, coachable ways
• Collect feedback on whether the conversation is actually helping people get better

Use this as your best‑practice playbook whenever you design high‑stakes workplace conversation role plays.

 

Core Structure: tailoring contexts and personas for manager-rep conversation simulations

For Manager–Rep performance reviews (and similar HR‑type conversations), you’ll get the best results by separating your setup into two distinct prompts that define a Course in Brevity:

1. Context Prompt (See also: Creating Contexts)
2. Persona Prompt (See also: Creating Personas)

This keeps instructions clear for the manager while giving the AI enough backstory to act like a real person.

1. Context Prompt 

Goal: Frame the meeting, clarify success criteria, and set expectations for how the AI “rep” will behave.

Use this template and customize the bracketed sections:

I am a [Manager Title] at [Company / Division] conducting a [frequency] performance‑feedback meeting with one of my [seniority level] sales reps. By the end of the call I must: acknowledge at least two recent accomplishments, address one specific improvement area with data‑backed examples, co‑create two measurable goals for next quarter, and confirm follow‑up dates or checkpoints.

The rep (played by AI) should be professional yet candid—ready to explain recent deals, accept constructive feedback, and negotiate next‑step commitments.

Best practices for the context prompt:

• Be explicit about the manager’s objectives. Spell out what “good” looks like (e.g., praise + coaching + next steps). Substitute the milestones above for your company's coaching framework, if relevant.
• Name the meeting type and cadence. “Mid‑year review,” “Monthly 1:1,” “Performance improvement check‑in,” etc.
• Describe the rep’s tone. Professional but candid, frustrated but open, nervous but willing to try, etc.

Sample Context Prompt

I am a Regional Sales Director at NovaTech running a mid‑year review with a Senior Account Executive. My objectives are to: (1) praise at least two achievements, (2) diagnose one pipeline management issue, (3) agree on two SMART goals for H2, and (4) schedule a follow‑up in 30 days. The AE will be forthright about challenges but wants actionable feedback.

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2. Persona Prompt / Attributes (Hidden; Only for the AI “Rep”)

Goal: Give the AI a believable backstory and current situation so its responses feel realistic and relevant to coaching.

Build this as a structured block with the sections below.

a. Identity & Role

Include:

• Name
• Job title
• Tenure
• Territory or focus area

Example:

Name: Jordan Lee Role: Senior Account Executive, Mid‑Market Tenure: 3 years at NovaTech Territory: US East, healthcare & legal verticals

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b. Recent Wins (2–3 bullets)

Provide concrete achievements with metrics so the manager has something real to praise.

Example:

• Upsold Nimbus Health from 200 → 350 seats, adding $320k ARR.
• Led a multi‑stakeholder demo that opened the legal vertical and closed $180k in new business.

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c. Development Area (1–2 bullets)

Document one clear gap that naturally invites coaching.

Example:

• Pipeline slipped 18% vs. commit due to late‑stage churn; needs stronger deal qualification.

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d. Current‑Quarter Goals (2 bullets)

List the targets the rep is actively working toward. This makes it easier to co‑create specific goals and follow‑ups.

Example:

• Rebuild top‑of‑funnel to 3× quota coverage.
• Reduce average sales cycle by 20 days for expansion deals.

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e. Personality Snapshot

Add 2–3 adjectives plus one behavioral note—especially how they respond under pressure or criticism.

Example:

• Goal‑oriented, data‑driven, occasionally defensive under criticism.

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Sample Persona Prompt

Name: Jordan Lee

Role: Senior Account Executive, Mid‑Market (3 years)

Territory: US East, healthcare & legal

Recent Wins: Upsold Nimbus Health from 200 → 350 seats, adding $320k ARR. Led a multi‑stakeholder demo that opened the legal vertical, closing $180k in new business.

Development Area: Pipeline slipped 18% vs. commit due to late‑stage churn; needs stronger deal qualification.

Current‑Quarter Goals Rebuild top‑of‑funnel to 3× quota coverage. Achieve 20‑day average sales cycle reduction on expansions.

Personality Snapshot: Goal‑oriented, data‑driven, occasionally defensive under criticism.

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Scoping Questions: Design the Right Scenario Up Front

Before you start configuring a Manager–Rep performance review (or any high‑stakes workplace conversation), ask the requestor a few simple but powerful questions. These give you the context you need without turning this into a heavy homework assignment.

A. Context‑Building Prompts

Use these when someone asks: “Can you build a role play for this situation?”

1. Relationship & Power Dynamics

   • How are the participants connected (e.g., peers, manager–direct report, cross‑functional partners)?
   • What formal or informal power dynamics should the role‑play reflect?

2. Trigger for the Conversation

   • Briefly describe what has led to this conversation—what recent incident(s) or ongoing pattern triggered the need to talk?
   • Example 1: “In our last three meetings, Dana has spoken over me whenever I present data, which has caused confusion about project ownership.”
   • Example 2: “For six months the team has missed delivery deadlines; Sam and I keep blaming each other in email threads.”

3. Definition of Success

   • What specific change in behavior or outcome would make you say, “That conversation was a success”?

4. Current Relationship Perception

   • How does each person involved currently view the relationship (e.g., supportive, tense, avoidant)?

5. Expected Emotional Reactions

   • What emotions or reactions are you most concerned the other person might display (e.g., defensiveness, denial, anger)?

6. Desired Next Step

   • After the conversation, what next step or follow‑up action do you want both parties to agree on?

These prompts surface the desired end state, relationship context, evidence, emotional landscape, and concrete next steps you need to script an effective practice scenario.

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B. Persona‑Building Prompts

Once you know the situation, use these to shape the AI persona:

1. Role, Seniority, Tenure

   • What is the other person’s role, seniority, and tenure?
   • Example: “Portfolio Analyst with 8 years at the firm,” “First‑time manager who joined six months ago.”

2. Goals, Pressures, and Values

   • What professional goals, pressures, or personal values drive their decisions?
   • Examples: “Hitting quarterly risk targets,” “Maintaining reputation as the team’s technical expert,” “Balancing work and childcare.”

3. Communication Style & Temperament

   • How would you describe their normal communication style and temperament—especially under stress?
   • Examples: “Direct and data‑heavy,” “Reserved until they’ve processed details,” “High‑energy and persuasive.”

Translate the answers directly into the Persona Attributes block for the AI.

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Evaluating and Refining Your Role Plays

After learners run a few practice conversations, gather feedback to see if your design is doing its job.

Use these general feedback questions for any high‑stakes workplace conversation role play:

1. Authenticity of Dialogue

   • Does the dialogue—including tone, emotional reactions, and vocabulary—sound authentic for your organization and the people involved?
   • If not, what felt off?

2. Real‑World Effectiveness

   • After running the role‑play, would a participant likely achieve the real‑world objective you have in mind (e.g., clear next steps, restored trust, behavior change)?
   • What gaps do you see?

3. Depth of Context & Motivations

   • Are the situational triggers, context, and persona motivations detailed enough to mirror the actual workplace dynamic?
   • What elements should be added, removed, or tweaked?

Incorporate this feedback by adjusting:

• The Context Prompt (if learners are confused about goals or structure)
• The Persona Attributes (if the AI feels too generic, too extreme, or not aligned to your culture)

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Summary: The Simple Recipe

For realistic Manager–Rep performance reviews or HR‑type role plays, follow this recipe:

1. Scope smartly using the context‑building and persona‑building questions.
2. Create a clear Context Prompt that tells the manager exactly what success looks like.
3. Build a structured Persona Prompt so the AI acts like a real rep with specific wins, gaps, goals, and personality.
4. Collect feedback using the general questions and refine the prompts over time.

Using this two‑block structure in Brevity will give you conversations that are concise, realistic, and highly coachable—without overloading either the learner or the AI.

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FAQs

1. How detailed should my persona attributes be for a Manager–Rep review? Aim for 5–10 short lines: identity, 2–3 wins, 1–2 gaps, 2 goals, and a brief personality snapshot.

2. Can I reuse the same persona across multiple performance‑feedback scenarios? Yes. Start with a core persona (role, wins, gaps) and slightly tweak goals or context for different practice assignments.

3. How do I avoid making the AI rep either too agreeable or too combative? Use the personality snapshot and guardrails to specify tone: e.g., “open to feedback but occasionally defensive, not hostile.” Note that adjectives like "skeptical" or "cautious" often translate to a more closed-off persona.

4. What’s the difference between a Sales 1:1 role play and a formal performance‑review role play? Performance reviews should include explicit objectives around feedback, goals, and follow‑ups; sales 1:1s may focus more on deals and pipeline.

5. How do I adapt this structure to non‑sales HR conversations (e.g., behavior issues, conflict)? Keep the same two‑block structure—just replace “recent wins” and “quota goals” with relevant achievements, behavior patterns, and expectations for that role.

6. What if the conversation feels too short or too long? Adjust the number and expected time for passing milestones in the Course Context (see also: Cloning and Editing a Context)