Four moves for the specific, uncomfortable situation, not a general essay on performance management.
01
Get specific before you talk to them
A vague sense that "things aren't landing" is unfair to raise and impossible to act on. Before your next 1:1, write down the exact instance: the missed deadline, the dropped detail, the meeting where it showed. One concrete example beats a general impression every time.
02
Separate the pattern from the moment
One bad week is not a performance issue: it's a bad week. Before you escalate this in your own head, check whether you're looking at a pattern across several weeks or a single rough stretch. They need different conversations entirely.
03
Use a script, don't wing it
This conversation goes sideways most often when it's improvised. Have an opening line ready, lead with the specific example, and know what you need to see change before you sit down.
04
Set a real timeline, not a vague one
"Let's see how it goes" isn't a plan. Name what changing looks like, name a date you'll check in on it, and put that date on the calendar before the conversation ends.