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Performance review template for a communications manager
A ready-to-use, section-by-section template with the competencies that matter for a communications manager, role-specific example phrases, and a guard against the stock filler that makes most reviews read as generic. Copy the structure, fill in your evidence, or skip the writing entirely with Crestento.
The template
Four sections, in this order. Length should match the evidence you have — a thin section is honest; an invented paragraph is not.
Summary
One or two paragraphs setting the context: what was expected of communications manager this period, and your overall verdict. Lead with the headline.
Example phrasing
“Drafted the CEO's quarterly all-hands narratives with consistent engagement-survey 'understands company direction' scores in the top quartile, led the response to the Q3 incident with no negative press coverage, and rebuilt the internal-comms cadence around a monthly newsletter that hit 89% open rate.”
Strengths
The behaviours and outcomes that made the work happen. Anchor in evidence: engagement-survey 'understands direction' / 'feels informed' scores, all-hands attendance and Q&A signal, newsletter open / engagement rate.
- Evidence for: internal communications strategy.
- Evidence for: executive communications and ghost-writing.
- Evidence for: public relations and media handling.
- Evidence for: crisis communications.
Areas for Growth
Forward-looking development edges. Frame as opportunities, not deficiencies. Specific behaviours to develop, not generic communications manager criticism.
- One pattern observed across the period.
- One specific behaviour to develop.
- One concrete next step.
Goals for the Next Period
Two or three concrete goals. Each should name a specific behaviour change, a measurable target, and a deadline. Avoid vague aspirations.
Competencies to evaluate
The 7 competencies a strong communications manager review structures around, in priority order. Use these as the spine of the Strengths and Areas for Growth sections.
- internal communications strategy
- executive communications and ghost-writing
- public relations and media handling
- crisis communications
- editorial standards and brand voice
- stakeholder management across functions
- measurement and feedback loops
Before you write
Communications work is judged on whether the message landed, not whether it was published. Strong comms managers translate executive intent into messaging employees and external audiences actually understand. Weak comms managers ship content that nobody reads and crisis responses that make things worse. The craft is in voice fidelity, audience modelling, and crisis judgement.
Evidence to gather
Strong reviews for a communications manager cite evidence of these shapes. Only use a specific value (a percentage, a count, a dollar amount) if you actually have it — don’t invent a number to sound concrete.
- engagement-survey 'understands direction' / 'feels informed' scores
- all-hands attendance and Q&A signal
- newsletter open / engagement rate
- press coverage volume and sentiment
- crisis response effectiveness (qualitative)
- stakeholder NPS on comms partnership
Where to find the evidence
Work products a communications manager produces. Reference these by name in the review when they’re relevant — it signals you know the work.
- all-hands scripts and presentations
- internal newsletters
- press releases and media statements
- crisis-response runbooks
- executive talking points and op-ed drafts
- internal-comms calendar
- messaging frameworks
Phrasing that lands vs phrasing that doesn’t
Strong — specific, evidenced, role-appropriate
“Drafted the CEO's quarterly all-hands narratives with consistent engagement-survey 'understands company direction' scores in the top quartile, led the response to the Q3 incident with no negative press coverage, and rebuilt the internal-comms cadence around a monthly newsletter that hit 89% open rate.”
Weak — vague, unevidenced, generic
“Strong writer and communicator.”
Phrases to never use
Stock filler that AI-written communications manager reviews slip into. Managers spot it instantly. Rewrite to name a specific behaviour instead.
- “great writer”
- “strong communicator”
- “passionate about storytelling”
- “tells a great story”
- “trusted by leadership”
- “raises the comms bar”
- “consistently delivers polished work”
- “wears many hats”
Don’t invent these specifics
The details an AI tends to fabricate for communications managerreviews. If you don’t have the specific number, name, or date in your notes, leave it out — generic-but-honest beats specific-but- invented every time.
- specific engagement-survey scores not in input
- named campaigns or press coverage not mentioned
- specific newsletter open rates not provided
- named executives drafted for not in input
- particular crisis-response situations (confidentiality risk)
Skip the template, generate the review
Drop your bullet points into Crestento and it produces the polished draft using this exact template structure, tuned for a communications manager. Two reviews free, no card.
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