Template

1:1 meeting template

A weekly hour between a manager and one person — theirs first, yours second.

30 minutesFor Managers and the people on their teamAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. Wins since last time5 min
    • What went better than you expected?
    • What are you proud of that I might not have seen?
  2. What is in your way8 min
    • What is slowing you down right now?
    • Where do you need a decision from me?
  3. Feedback, both ways7 min
    • What should I do more of, or stop doing?
    • Here is one thing I noticed this week — does it match how you saw it?
  4. Your priorities for next week7 min
    • If only one thing gets done next week, what should it be?
    • What will you say no to so that it happens?
  5. Anything else on your mind3 min
    • Is there anything you have been meaning to bring up?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

Wins. Lena closed the migration two days early; the rollback plan was never needed.

In your way. Waiting on a decision about the reporting tool. Maya to decide by Thursday.

Feedback. Lena asked for written context before big changes, not a call the same morning.

Next week. One priority: the onboarding flow. The dashboard work waits.

Running it well

Ways to change it

Every two weeksMake it 45 minutes and add ten minutes on where they want to be in a year.
Across time zonesThey add their items the day before, so the call starts on what matters to them.
When things are tenseDrop the wins and the priorities. Spend the whole time on what is in the way and on feedback.

When to skip it. Almost never. If one of you is away, move it within the week. A cancelled 1:1 tells the other person where they come on your list.

Questions

How long should a 1:1 be?

Thirty minutes every week works for most people. Forty-five every two weeks is the next best. Under twenty minutes there is only time for status.

Who sets the agenda for a 1:1?

The person on the team, not the manager. The manager adds one or two items at the end.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Skip-level meetingA conversation between a manager and somebody two levels down, to hear what does not travel up on its own.First 1:1 with a new team memberBefore any work is discussed: how they like to work, what they want from you, and what a good first month looks like.Performance reviewA look back at the year and a plan for the next one, with no surprises in it.Mentoring sessionA mentor and the person they mentor: one real question, worked through, and something to try before next time.Career conversationNot this week's work: where the person wants to be in a few years, what is in the way, and one step to take next.Daily standupFifteen minutes, three questions, everybody once.Weekly team meetingThe numbers, everybody's one priority, and the decisions that cannot wait.Sales discovery callLearn how they work today, what they have tried, and what a good outcome is — before pitching anything.

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