Using Conversations

Contents

Access Scheduled Conversations

From the Conversations module, you'll see a list of current conversations along with the conversation name, type, and end date. The checkmarks indicate who has completed their step in the process. Gray means that a conversation participant hasn't shared their answers, while green means that they have:

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Additional Contributors

If "Allow managers to invite additional contributors" is enabled in the scheduled conversation template, managers will be able to invite additional contributors by going to the Conversations module, clicking the user icon beside the individual conversation, and selecting a user (or users):

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The checkmark above the contributor's icon will be grayed out until they share:

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For their part, the contributor will receive a notification and see the conversation listed in their Conversations module (under Additional Conversations):

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The manager will receive a notification when the contributor shares and the checkmark above their icon will change to green:

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Lastly, managers will see the contributor's response beneath their own:

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Note: For more information on conversation notifications, see this article

Skip Level Visibility

This feature allows skip level managers to view the conversations of managers who report to them and can help give leaders in an organization a better idea of what types of conversations are happening on the teams they manage, where they can better support the managers who report to them, and how they can best steer their organizations toward better performance.

Skip level visibility can be enabled by an administrator on a per-template basis to ensure that the conversations that need to be between a manager and their direct report can remain so. As such, some conversations may not visible to skip level managers. Additionally, some conversations may allow skip level managers to see one level down, two levels down to all levels downs (if there are more than two levels below them in the reporting hierarchy). 

A user who has direct reports will automatically have a Skip Level Conversations tab in their Conversations module. This tab has a search field in the top-left corner which allows the skip level manager to select the manager for whom they wish to view conversations:

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Note: Skip level manager can see a manager's responses to confidential questions. 

Launch An Anytime Conversation

To launch an Anytime Conversation, click "Create" at the top-right corner of the Conversations module and select a conversation template from the drop-down menu: 

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Lastly, click "Start". 

Note: Anytime Conversation templates are created by an organization's administrators. For more information on configuring Anytime Conversations, see this article

Manager Changes (Taking Ownership)

NotesIn order for a new manager to take ownership of a scheduled conversation, the new reporting structure must be defined via user management

In some cases, a conversation participant may be assigned to a new manager during a scheduled conversation cycle. When this occurs, current conversations can be assumed by the new manager. The new manager can do this by going to: 

1. Conversations

2. Clicking on the direct report's name in the left-side panel

3. Opening the applicable conversation

4. Answering "Yes" to the ownership prompt

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Administrators cannot complete these steps on behalf of the new manager.

Note: Depending on the configuration of system notifications, the new manager may receive a notification prompting them to take ownership. They can then take ownership as long as the previous manager didn't share responses and the conversation cycle hasn't ended (grace periods are not considered part of the cycle). The new manager can view, edit and even delete responses that were saved, but not shared by the previous manager. However, the previous manager may receive a notification of the changes made if they are still an active user. 

Request to Edit

In order to reopen a conversation and add responses, you will need to submit a request to edit. This can be done by going into the conversation, clicking the sprocket icon (top-right corner) to trigger the drop-down menu, then selecting the "Request to edit" option.​

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This action will add your name to the list of requests that are sent via automated email to the organization's administrators at approximately 5pm (your organization's time zone). If the request is approved, you'll receive an automated email informing you of the decision. You'll then have an additional 7 days to complete your part of the conversation. If the request is denied, no email will be sent given that an administrator will likely reach out to you directly to discuss the policy and/or reason.

View Past Conversations

When a conversation cycle is over (meaning when you have passed both the due date and any applicable grace period), your Conversation will be placed in the "Past". To locate those conversations, simply go to the Conversations module and click the drop-down menu to move from "Current" to "Past":

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Note: Once a user shares their responses, the "share" button in the conversation will no longer be clickable, instead it will be greyed out. This is because the conversation has already been shared. You can confirm by checking if the grey circle is now green.

Related Downloadable Resource(s)

Conversations User Guide