Quality Discussions: Practice and Prep
The ‘Quality’ in ‘Quality Discussions’ comes from being prepared, listening and asking the right questions. Before your meetings, take the time to reflect on the performance and delivery of your team members, gather feedback from relevant stakeholders and plan what you want to share and discuss. Gemini can help with practicing conversations - and as they say, practice makes perfect.
The below prompts cover what you need to ask Gemini to do, providing some context (note: you need to personalise the highlighted sections).
Edit, copy and paste the below prompt into Gemini to help you practice before your meeting.
Prompts to use in Gemini: Role Playing Conversations as Practice
The situation:
My role is [insert title] and I manage a team of [x] people. I have [x] years experience as a line manager. I am about to have mid-year check-in conversations with my team. Please use the information in this link to understand the purpose, topics to cover, what a manager should keep in mind and other context.
[INSERT YOUR SPECIFIC EXAMPLE e.g. This person did well in the first year and settled in the team. They work hard and are committed, but over the last 6 months I have been getting feedback about them dismissing the ideas of others, and not being as collaborative as they need to be in order to be successful in their role. Particularly given the new matrix structure, this is critically important and so this needs to be improved.]
I think they will react [defensively/constructively/angrily/in an open way/other?] to this feedback. The key messages I want to land are [insert]. The point I would like to get to by the end of the meeting is/what I would like to agree in the meeting is [insert here]. What I am concerned/optimistic about in this meeting is [insert].
I want you to:
Assume the persona of this person in the role of [insert job role]. They have been working in my team for the past [x years/months]. [Give further information if appropriate/helpful]. Give further information/context as appropriate.
Please note:
I want to practice giving feedback with you playing the role of the individual. After we have finished the practice conversation I would like you to assume the persona of an expert in giving and receiving constructive feedback, particularly in global innovative values driven businesses, and I would like you to make suggestions about what I could do differently in this conversation.
Bespoke Digital Science information:
Digital Science is a global company with over 700 employees and £100 million+ turnover, targeting 25% annual growth. Our AI-powered products tackle complex challenges for researchers, universities, funders, enterprises, and publishers. By delivering better data, collaboration, and insights, we enable researchers to focus on advancing knowledge. We’ve evolved from a product-focused to a market segment-aligned matrix structure. Innovation, agility, and true customer focus are vital as we scale for efficiency, consistency, and speed. While cross-team collaboration and segment leadership are underway they need more focus and we must accelerate innovation, AI adoption, efficiency, and reduce churn. Our passionate experts care deeply about our work, business, and inclusive culture. As leaders, we prioritize people’s growth, care about their experiences, and embody our values: Brave in pursuit of better; Always open-minded; Collaborative and inclusive; From and for the community.
Ok, let's start the practice conversation. Hi, as you know this is our mid-year check in. How are you?
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