IDG Contributor Network: How to get helpful feedback from your boss

It happens all too frequently. When I was an HR manager employees would talk in my office at performance appraisal time and ask me how to interpret this feedback from their bosses.“Just keep doing what you’re doing.”If that is the sum total of the feedback you get, you can leave frustrated. Sigh.You don't have to give up just because you got an unhelpful answer.
There are strategies you can use to get what you need. If this question doesn't work, “Can you be more specific