1-1s are meetings between team members and their manager that typically occur as requested by team members or their manager. This page has advice on how to conduct an effective 1-1 meeting. Maintaining an effective and efficient agenda is an important part of getting the most out of your 1-1 meetings with team members.

The 1-1 Agenda

1. Make sure you use a consistent agenda format.
2. Both parties add items to the agenda. Preferably, the majority should be added by the team member. If the manager puts more than half of the items on the agenda this is an indication that something is wrong.
3. Reference the suggested format for 1-1s as necessary.

Conducting a 1-1

1. Create a Google doc as the agenda and set the sharing settings exclusively between you and the team member. This document should not be public because performance feedback should be as private as possible.
2. The 1-1 should be regarded as the report’s meeting, with its agenda and tone set by them, and the focus on issues that preoccupy the individual contributor.
3. It’s important not to push times of the 1-1s for “more important” tasks. Book them and ensure you always are on time. Similarly, canceling a 1-1 should be a last resort. The exception to this is recruiting interviews, which are prioritized over 1-1s.