How to run a great one to one meeting (+ free one to one meeting template)
Many business leaders credit regular one to one meetings as one of the fundamental drivers of team performance, but in practice, it doesn’t mean they run them frequently.
Big mistake, if you ask me.
A one to one meeting creates an environment where an employee’s needs, challenges and concerns can be addressed. Held regularly, one to one meetings are a great way for managers to build connections and ensure their line reports get the support and guidance they need.
The problem is always the same though — a lack of time, knowledge and structure get in the way.
This guide will help you move past all of that.
I’ll show you that regular, consistent and effective one to one meetings are possible at your small business. To help, I’ve included a free one to one meeting template that you can start using straight away. In fact, I’ve included four templates so that you have one for every type of one to one meeting you could ever want to run.
What is a one to one meeting?
A one to one meeting is a meeting held between two individuals who work for the same company — typically a manager or supervisor and their line report.
A one to one meeting is used to:
- Discuss work (responsibilities, task lists, deadlines, relationships with others, job satisfaction etc.)
- Give feedback
- Keep each other informed
- Problem solve and deal with obstacles
In order to be useful and effective, a one to one meeting needs to be held regularly. Depending on what works for your team and business, one to ones can be held weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or quarterly, and can be in-person, online, or over the phone.
Why is a one to one meeting useful?
My belief in the usefulness of a one to one meeting comes from experience. One to one meetings are a driving force for achieving our employee goals at Charlie, and are embedded into our company culture.
A one to one meeting will help you to:
Build trust
A one to one meeting plays a crucial role in fostering trust and communication between employees and managers.
In a one to one meeting, employees can express concerns, seek guidance, and take on feedback in a space that’s dedicated to open dialogue.
Being consistent with one to ones demonstrates your commitment to the professional growth and development of your employees — strengthening trust and building bonds. A one to one meeting template will help you achieve this consistency, as it’s an easy framework to follow and applicable to all members of your team.
Improve performance and productivity
The space and privacy of a one to one meeting allows managers to give honest and constructive feedback to their employees, so that they better understand their performance and areas for improvement.
Gallup research shows that team members who participate in regular meetings are three times more likely to feel highly engaged in their work.
Solve problems
A regular one to one meeting also creates space for an employee to share their own thoughts and experiences, and talk through real life examples.
Because of this, one to ones are a great way for managers and team members to approach hurdles together — problem solving and finding solutions.
The goals of a one to one meeting
At Charlie, we have a very clear vision of what we want to achieve through a one to one meeting.
We want to:
- Build trust
- Gain shared context
- Plan out and support career growth
- Solve problems
And to ensure these goals, we schedule a one to one meeting with every member of the team at least once a month.
What needs to be in a one to one meeting?
The simplest way to understand what needs to be in a one to one meeting is with a one to one meeting template.
A one to one meeting template acts as a framework and a guide, breaking the meeting into sections and giving you prompts and ideas for questions and discussion points.
You don’t need to go through every section or question in the template — pick and choose the format and questions that make the most sense for the individual, the time, and the role.
But as a minimum, a one to one meeting should contain a wellbeing and progression check-in, and the opportunity for both parties to give feedback.
A one to one meeting template at a glance
A good one to one meeting template includes the following:
Reminder to share the agenda - the agenda should always be shared before the one to one meeting so your employee has the chance to prepare
Wellbeing check-in - questions like “How are you?” (it’s a good idea to ask this twice) and “Which aspects of your wellbeing are/aren’t going well right now?”
General check-in - this a good opportunity to see if they’re spending their mental energy in the right places — i.e. “What’s been top of mind for you this week?”
Challenges - questions like “Last time we spoke you said X was a challenge for you, how is that going?” and “What support do you need with this?”
Energy and motivation - I think this can be one of the most insightful parts of a one to one meeting. Ask questions like “What part of your job energises you?”, “What part of your job depletes you?” and “Do you feel a sense of purpose in your job?”
Progression and development - there are all sorts of questions you can ask here: “Are there any new skills you’d like to learn to do your job?”, “What areas of your work would you like to have more impact?”, “What progress have you made on your career goals and PDP this week?” and “What can I help you with between now and next time we meet?”
Team dynamics - “How connected do you feel to your team?” and “Why?”
Managing a manager - for someone who manages people, it’s a good idea to ask something along the lines of “What feedback have you received about your leadership in the past month?”
Asking for feedback - a one to one meeting is an opportunity for you as well as your employee, so be sure to include questions like “What do you find most helpful/least valuable about these meetings?”, “What advice do you have for me?”, “Would you like more or less direction from me?” and “How can we improve working together?”
Check in on actions - conclude by reviewing any actions from this and the previous one to one meeting, and noting everything down.
How to prepare for a one to one meeting
Studies show that 71% of professionals lose valuable time every week due to cancelled or unnecessary meetings. This means that most employees find the majority of meetings unproductive. So how do you change that?
With a little preparation, of course!
Preparing for a one to one meeting: managers
Pick a good time: this may be different for every employee — some prefer mornings over afternoons, for example. I usually hold 30 minute meetings at the same time, week on week so they’re concise, consistent and focused.
Choose a comfortable space: a typical location for a one to one meeting is your office or a company meeting room. A lot of meetings now also take place online.
Set the agenda: you should have a good idea of what you want to discuss before the one to one meeting. A one to one meeting template will help you with this.
Preparing for a one to one meeting: employees
Get to know the agenda: before your one to one meeting, take a few minutes to review the agenda. Whether it's through a calendar invite or an email, it’s a good idea to know what will be discussed.
Review notes and actions from the previous one to one meeting: go over the actions, feedback, and anything that was unresolved in your last one to one, and prepare your updates. Your manager will be expecting progress, so if you’ve not been able to meet some of the goals, think about why. Being prepared to discuss these, and coming up with potential solutions, will show you’re proactive and accountable. This is also an opportunity to talk about any achievements and successes, and highlight the value you bring to the company.
Make a list of what you’d like to discuss: remember, a one to one meeting is about you, so bring your own thoughts to the table. If you’re unsure about where to start, here are some of the topics that are regularly raised at Charlie one to ones:
- Updates on current projects
- Challenges (role, team, or tasks)
- Recent highlights
- New ideas
- Training and development opportunities
And if you feel comfortable, a one to one meeting is also a safe space to talk about your own mental health.
How to conduct an effective one to one meeting
Here’s an easy, six-step process for an effective one to one meeting, specifically for small business managers and people leaders:
Step 1: Check in
A good one to one meeting is all about asking the right questions. At Charlie, we kick off by asking “How are things going?”. This easy opener encourages people to share what’s on their mind. It’s always a good idea to check in with how someone is doing, as that’s the first thing that's likely to come up if they’re not feeling great.
Step 2: Go through the one to one meeting agenda
The agenda sets out everything for discussion, gives the meeting some structure, and prevents surprises. You can use a one to one meeting template for this, or HR software like Charlie.
Step 3: Encourage feedback and two-way communication
You can do this by:
- Sharing administrative or company announcements and updates
- Asking for thoughts and feedback
- Reviewing relevant metrics together
Step 4: Challenges and accountability
Hold your employee accountable for their commitments while providing support to help them overcome any challenges at the same time. This shows that you are invested in their success and their professional development.
Step 5: Recognise achievements and wins
Celebrate your employee's achievements at every one to one meeting. Recognising hard work and contributions motivates people to continue performing at their best.
Step 6: Closing prompt
Before wrapping up a one to one meeting, ask for final thoughts and questions. Leave enough time for this, because it can take a while for some employees to feel comfortable enough to be candid.
One to one meeting templates
Using a one to one meeting template will help you run regular, consistent and effective one to ones at your small business. Here are four different templates for you to choose from:
One to one meeting template: first ever one to one
Purpose: This meeting is an opportunity for the manager to welcome the new employee, introduce them to the team and company culture, clarify expectations, and outline goals and objectives.
Meeting agenda checklist:
Welcome and introduction
Icebreaker question to get to know each other
Discuss roles, responsibilities, and expectations
Set short-term goals and priorities
Agree on communication preferences and frequency of meetings
Closing remarks and next steps
Questions to ask:
What motivated you to join our team/company?
Can you tell me about your short-term and long-term career goals?
What do you hope to achieve in your role here?
Are there any immediate challenges or concerns you'd like to discuss?
One to one meeting template: weekly one to ones (weekly syncs)
Purpose: Weekly sync meetings are a perfect way to talk through ongoing topics and issues. At Charlie, line managers usually check in with their reports every week. We recommend that these meetings last around 15 minutes and cover the questions below.
Meeting agenda checklist (a simple agenda checklist you can use to run your meetings):
Setting up a weekly sync
If you’re not already having these sort of one to ones, explain what they are and why you’re having them
Schedule your recurring meetings
During the weekly sync
Reflect and run through any actions from the last sync
Aim to listen as best as you can: managers should be speaking for less than 50% of the sync
Take notes: it’s helpful to keep notes of every weekly sync to keep track of how your report is doing
After the weekly sync
Share any action points with your employee
Questions to ask:
What’s going well this week for you?
What challenges are you facing at the moment?
How are you doing in general — how are you feeling?
Is there anything I can do to support you better at the moment?
One to one meeting template: monthly one to ones
Purpose: At Charlie, we use a monthly one to one meeting to stay aligned on our main objectives and support every team member's development. Here's what a monthly one to one meeting agenda would look like, along with questions you can ask.
Meeting agenda checklist:
Reflect on achievements and challenges over the past month
Discuss career aspirations and development opportunities
Set goals and objectives for the upcoming month
Review progress on professional development initiatives
Address any concerns or feedback
Closing remarks and next steps
Questions to ask:
What were your main accomplishments and challenges this past month?
Are there any specific areas you would like to focus on for your career development?
What goals would you like to set for next month?
How can we further support your professional growth?
Do you have any feedback or suggestions for improving our team dynamics or processes?
One to one meeting template: quarterly performance review
Purpose: Quarterly performance review meetings offer a structured opportunity to evaluate progress, provide constructive feedback, and set goals for the next quarter. To more effectively conduct performance review meetings, use software like Charlie to easily track discussion points and progress.
Meeting agenda checklist:
Review performance against quarterly goals and objectives
Discuss strengths, areas for improvement, and development opportunities
Set SMART goals for the next quarter
Address any performance-related concerns or challenges
Agree on actions and timelines for achieving goals
Closing remarks and next steps
Questions to ask:
How would you assess your performance against this quarter’s goals?
What are your main strengths and areas for improvement?
What goals would you like to achieve in the next quarter?
Are there any obstacles or challenges hindering your performance that we need to address?
Do you have any feedback on the performance review process or areas where we can improve?
