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One-on-One Meeting Template: 3 Ready-to-Use Templates + Best Practices for Managers
3 ready-to-use 1:1 templates: weekly check-in, career development, performance review. Includes best practices and questions for running structured meetings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be covered in a 1:1 meeting?
An effective 1:1 meeting agenda should cover: (1) Employee check-in,how are they doing personally and professionally? (2) Current projects,blockers, progress, any support needed from the manager. (3) Feedback exchange,recent wins to recognize, one development item. (4) Career development,at least once a month, discuss growth goals and how the manager can help. (5) Open topics,anything the employee wants to bring up. The manager should talk less than 40% of the time. A 1:1 is the employee's meeting, not a status update for the manager.
How often should 1:1 meetings happen?
1:1 meetings should happen weekly for most manager-employee pairs, biweekly as a minimum. Senior leaders with more experienced reports can run effective biweekly 1:1s. Never go longer than two weeks between 1:1s for new employees or employees in high-growth periods. 30 minutes weekly is better than 60 minutes monthly,frequency builds trust and enables real-time coaching. Skip 1:1s only in true emergencies; canceling them regularly signals they're not a priority.
What are good 1:1 questions for managers to ask?
Strong 1:1 questions for managers: Career-focused: 'What would you want to learn more about this quarter?' 'What do you want to accomplish in the next 6 months?' Feedback-focused: 'What's one thing I could do differently as your manager?' Wellbeing: 'How's your workload feeling,anything need to change?' Growth: 'What's been the biggest challenge this week,how did you approach it?' Coaching: 'What would you do differently if you faced that situation again?' Avoid yes/no questions,the best 1:1 questions generate reflection, not merely status updates.
How do you make 1:1 meetings more productive?
To make 1:1s more productive: (1) Use a shared doc that both manager and employee can add to before the meeting. (2) Start with the employee's agenda items, not yours. (3) Take notes,especially on action items and commitments. (4) Follow up on action items from the previous meeting first. (5) Rotate topics: some meetings focus on current work, some on development, some on career. (6) Occasionally skip the agenda entirely for an open conversation. The worst 1:1s are purely project status updates,move those to async and use the meeting time for the things that require human conversation.
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