No matter which option you select, the content will vary depending on the process step you are taking. Here are the basic differences:

•   Process Step 1: Verbal discussion
Documentation for this step focuses on the information conveyed, and the performance-improvement plan developed and agreed on, during the performance counseling session. It is a clear, faithful record of the session.

•   Process Step 2: Written discussion
Documentation for written discussion focuses on unmet expectations for improvement; it reminds the employee of his or her agreement to carry out the performance-improvement plan in Step 1, and of any developments that took place in follow-up meetings. This documentation sounds a danger alarm: it lets the employee know that the next course of action will be final discussion unless change indeed occurs.

•   Process Step 3: Final Discussion
The content focuses on unmet expectations and plans, and reminds the employee about the previous verbal and written discussions. It details the additional reasons why the meeting was necessary. This session is a wake-up call and a last chance for the employee to live up to his or her agreements to change; there is no “next time.”