The Review Meeting Kit · for managers
The words for every year-end review meeting.They rated themselves Exceeds. You’re giving Meets.When the review turns, the next sentence is already written.The hard ones on this year’s list. Each one has its own script.Calibration moved the rating. Here’s what you say.The not-yet talk, word for word.AI wrote the review. Here are the words for saying it.Writing the review now. Saying it in January. Every meeting, word for word.If they cry, the next sentence is already written.When the number is smaller than they hoped.
Cody covered his old lead’s accounts all summer, and Dalton Foods renewed at plus 6%. Two of his five goals still fell short.
I carried this team and you gave me a Meets?
You did carry it. Dalton renewed at plus six because of you, and that’s written in your review. Exceeds asks for two more things, and we just went through both.
It wasn’t my call.
I made the case for you, and the final rating is Meets.
So when is it my turn?
I can’t give you a date, and I won’t make one up. The partners decide in August. Between now and then, the steps and the dates I gave you are what I can stand behind.
That’s it? After the year I had?
You had a good year, and it’s in your review in writing. The number doesn’t match it, and I won’t pretend it does.
Sorry. Give me a second.
It’s all right. I’ll wait.
I can see this hit hard. I’d rather you hear the rest from me today than wonder about it tonight. I’ll go slowly.
Sorry. Give me a second.
It’s all right. I’ll wait.
Okay.
Then nothing.
I’ve given you a lot just now. What are you thinking?
That’s not fair.
Is there more? I want the whole case before I answer any of it.
I’m going to HR.
That’s your right. Marian Tully in HR, extension 4127. I’m going to stop here and let HR know today.
Names and extensions in the kit are examples to replace with your own.
Word-for-word scripts for each rating and each hard moment, with what to say when they push back. Ready before you walk in.
Each one written out: what to say first, what to say when they push back, what never to say and why, and the email after.
The review gets written before the holidays. The meeting happens in January, across a small table, and the first thing you say is the rating.
AI can draft the written review in a minute. The meeting is the part nobody can do for you: they read the rating, look up, and wait.
- Meets, when they put Exceeds
- Calibrated down
- Not this cycle
- The small number
One payment. Instant download. Full refund until Jan 31, 2027, or 30 days if later.
The Review Meeting Kit has each rating and each hard moment written out like this, from the opening line to what you say when they push back.
You told me I was on track for Exceeds.
I said plenty that sounded like Exceeds, and I meant it. I never told you how the final rating gets set here. That part’s on me.
What you can commit to yourself, and the line that never promises a date, written out with a one-page run sheet for the room.
Saying the number plainly and explaining what went into it, without promising anything about next year.
If it doesn’t pass, the kit has the break, with a time to come back, and the rating stays where it is.
And the other year-end meetings in the kit, word for word.
The Review Meeting Kit
What’s in the kit.
Read the script for your meeting the night before, and take its one-page run sheet into the room.
The Review Meeting Kit
$97
One payment. Instant download.
- Word-for-word scripts for 14 year-end meetings: each rating and each hard moment
- An “if it turns” section in every script, and a protocol for each turn: tears, silence, “That’s not fair.” and “I’m going to HR.”
- A one-page run sheet for each year-end meeting
- The prep before each meeting and the follow-up email after it
- A comment bank of 526 lines for the written form, each a behavior and its effect, with a slot for your own example
- Phone PDF, print PDF and an editable Word file
Full refund until January 31, 2027, or for 30 days if that’s later. No questions, and the files stay yours. Refund policy
Expensing it? The kit includes a short note for whoever approves your expenses, and your order email is the receipt.
Buying for a team? The Team License covers up to 10 managers in one organization and includes the Paperwork Pack. Get the Team License · $197
The kit is written for workplaces in the United States: practical wording and process guidance, not legal advice. Your company’s policy and HR come first.
How you get it
- Pay once, through Shopify’s checkout.
- A download button for each file appears the moment you pay.
- The same links arrive by email. No account to create, nothing to install.
A sample from the kit
One meeting, the way the kit writes it.
The self-rated Exceeds you’re giving a Meets
Cody Walsh has been an account coordinator at your insurance brokerage for four years. His self-review runs three pages and rates him Exceeds on all five goals. Part of it is true. When his account lead, Phil, left in July, Cody carried the accounts through September, and Dalton Foods renewed at plus 6%. Two goals fell short: certificates averaged 3.1 days against a two-day standard, and the CRM cleanup went back to the team on September 12, half done. Your rating is Meets, and his raise is 3%.
I read your self-review twice. You made a real case, and parts of it are right. You rated yourself Exceeds. My rating is Meets. I’ll show you where we agree and where we don’t.
Then stop. Don’t fill the quiet with a softer version.
I carried this team and you gave me a Meets?
You did carry it. Dalton renewed at plus six because of you, and that’s written in your review. Exceeds asks for two more things, and we just went through both.
The script then points you to → Protocol P1: When they argue the rating
If it were up to me, you’d have Exceeds.
WhyIt was up to you, and you wrote Meets. Disowning it makes the rating sound fake and you sound powerless, and he’ll repeat both.
The script goes on: the beats in between, what to say when it turns another way, what never to say, and the email to send that afternoon. Every meeting in the kit is written this way.
Get the kit$97If it turns
The minute after the rating is where a review turns.
They cry, go quiet, say “That’s not fair.” or “I’m going to HR.” The kit has a protocol for each of these turns, with the next sentence, what never to say and why. The rating doesn’t move in the room.
Sorry. Give me a second.
It’s all right. I’ll wait.
I can see this hit hard. I’d rather you hear the rest from me today than wonder about it tonight. I’ll go slowly.
If it doesn’t pass, the kit has the break, with a time to come back, and the rating stays where it is.
Okay.
Then nothing.
I’ve given you a lot just now. What are you thinking?
A fast “okay” is often the quickest way out of the room, not agreement. Then you wait.
That’s not fair.
Is there more? I want the whole case before I answer any of it.
Hear all of it before you answer. Facts get checked by a date, and the judgment stands.
I’m going to HR.
That’s your right. Marian Tully in HR, extension 4127. I’m going to stop here and let HR know today.
Going to HR is their right. You give them the contact and change nothing in the review in that meeting.
Names and extensions in the kit are examples to replace with your own.
Every meeting
Find your meeting.
The kit’s 14 meeting scripts, in four groups. Each has the same shape: the situation, before you walk in, the opening, the beats, if it turns, never say, and afterward.
The rating conversations
- The top ratingExceeds, said so it means something, with nothing promised that you can’t deliver.
- The solid MeetsSaid so steady work doesn’t sound average.
- The self-rated Exceeds you’re giving a MeetsThey made a real case, and parts of it are right.
- The calibrated-down ratingYou made the case for more, and the final rating came back lower. Also: when the company caps top ratings.
When it lands lower
- Great results, held back by how they workStrong numbers, and documented conduct that pulled the rating down.
- The rating is lower than last yearLast year’s rating is in the room before you say a word.
- Below expectationsAn official low rating that may cost them money, and not yet a formal plan.
What the rating triggers
- Does not meet, and a plan comes nextThe most formal review there is, set up with HR.
- The raise is small, or zeroA small number, a top performer near the top of their pay range, or a freeze.
- Promotion, not yetNot ready, or ready with no opening. You say which one is true.
The situations
- Reviewing people who used to be your peersOld friendships, and the months you didn’t see.
- The remote reportRating the work when you rarely see the person.
- The year with time awayGoals set to the months worked, with HR, and protected time away never held against them.
- The review after a complaintThey raised a complaint this year, to you or to HR, maybe about you.
Mid-year
- The June versionThe 3 short mid-year meetings: on track, an early warning, and the top performer.
Also in the kit
- Before: a prep sheet for each person, the gap map for a self-review that runs high, what to get from HR, and the check to run before any rating below Meets.
- Calibration: making the case for your people before ratings are final, and what you may say after.
- After: the follow-up emails, the same-day note, and the first one-on-one after the review.
- The written form: how to write it, the words that get reviews challenged, and the comment bank.
- Run sheets: one printable page per year-end meeting, to keep face down on the table.
The refund
Use it for this season’s meetings.
Prepare with it. If it isn’t worth it to you, email support@ratingtalk.com by January 31, 2027, or within 30 days of your order if that’s later. You get a full refund, no questions asked, and the files stay yours.
Before you buy
Why not ask AI for a script?
You can, and for a first draft of the written review it can help. The meeting is different. A chat answer covers the case you describe. Whether it keeps to the rules a review meeting runs on depends on what you think to ask: never talk about anyone else’s rating or pay, never promise a raise or a date, and bring in HR the same day when a complaint comes up.
The kit is built on those rules and on how these meetings turn. Each script has the opening, the beats, what to say when it turns, what never to say and why, and the email to send after. It’s ready before you walk in, with a one-page run sheet for the table.
Is this legal advice?
No. It’s practical wording and process guidance: what to say, and when to stop and bring in HR. State laws and company policies differ, and when the kit says one thing and your policy, HR or your company’s lawyer says another, follow them. For a question about a specific situation, ask HR or an employment attorney.
My company’s ratings have other names.
Yours probably does. The kit uses Exceeds, Meets, Below and Does Not Meet, and its first pages match the common scales to them: 5-point scales, Outstanding to Does Not Meet, Strong, Solid and Developing, Needs Improvement, and reviews with no ratings at all. In the room you say the word printed on your form.
When do I get it?
Right after you pay. The thank-you page has a download button for each file, and your order confirmation email has the same links. No account to create, nothing to install.
On a phone, a PDF opens in your browser. Tap Share, then Save to Files to keep it.
Can my company pay for it?
If your company covers work tools for managers, ask it to cover this. The kit includes a short email to the person who approves your expenses, with the amount in it, and a one-page justification if they want one. Your order confirmation is the receipt.
Can my whole team use it?
One kit is for one manager. For up to 10 managers in one organization, the Team License includes the kit and the Paperwork Pack, and the files may live on a shared drive or go to each licensed manager. Get the Team License · $197
We don’t have an HR department.
Then the kit has you name one outside contact before your first meeting: an HR consultant, an employment lawyer, or the HR help line that comes with your payroll provider. Wherever the kit says HR, that’s who you call.
What formats are the files?
A PDF sized for your phone, a print PDF (US Letter), the run sheets as their own printable PDF, and an editable Word file that also opens in Google Docs and Pages. The Paperwork Pack comes as Word and PDF files.
What if it isn’t right for me?
Email support@ratingtalk.com by January 31, 2027, or within 30 days of your order if that’s later, and we’ll refund you in full. No questions, and you keep the files. Refund policy
Can I buy it outside the United States?
Yes. Anyone can buy, wherever they are. The kit is written for workplaces in the United States, so outside the US, check it against your local rules and your company’s policy.
Walk in knowing your next sentence.
Each rating and each hard moment, word for word, ready before your first meeting.
Get the kit$97One payment. Instant download. Full refund until Jan 31, 2027, or 30 days if later.
Not ready yet?
Take a sample with you.
Five sentences for the review they won’t like, and one complete script from the kit, free by email.