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One-on-one meeting agenda template (30 minutes)

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A one-on-one is the person's meeting, not the manager's. It works best as a regular, protected conversation where the team member sets most of the agenda and the manager listens, removes obstacles and gives honest feedback. This structure keeps it that way.

The agenda

Total time: 30 minutes. Adjust the times to fit your meeting; the order is what matters.

  1. Check-in (5 min). Ask how they are, and listen. Start with the person before the work. Do not skip this even when time is short.
  2. Their topics (10 min). Their list comes first. Questions, worries, ideas, things they want to change. Take notes and ask follow-up questions before offering answers.
  3. Work and priorities (6 min). What is going well, what is stuck, and what they should focus on next. Agree on what matters most and what can wait.
  4. Feedback both ways (4 min). One piece of specific feedback from you, and a question that invites theirs: what could I do differently to help you?
  5. Growth (3 min). A short look at what they want to learn or do next. Even one sentence each meeting adds up over a year.
  6. Actions (2 min). Read back who will do what, by when. Include your own actions, and do them.
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One-on-one meeting agenda (30 minutes)
1. Check-in (5 min): Ask how they are, and listen. Start with the person before the work. Do not skip this even when time is short.
2. Their topics (10 min): Their list comes first. Questions, worries, ideas, things they want to change. Take notes and ask follow-up questions before offering answers.
3. Work and priorities (6 min): What is going well, what is stuck, and what they should focus on next. Agree on what matters most and what can wait.
4. Feedback both ways (4 min): One piece of specific feedback from you, and a question that invites theirs: what could I do differently to help you?
5. Growth (3 min): A short look at what they want to learn or do next. Even one sentence each meeting adds up over a year.
6. Actions (2 min): Read back who will do what, by when. Include your own actions, and do them.

An example

An illustration of one meeting between a manager and a designer who joined three months ago. It is an example, not a real conversation.

  • Check-in (5 min): the designer mentions a busy fortnight and that they are tired. The manager asks what would make next week lighter.
  • Their topics (10 min): they want clearer rules on who approves final designs, and ask about learning a new prototyping tool.
  • Work and priorities (6 min): the checkout redesign is the priority; the icon refresh can wait until next month.
  • Feedback both ways (4 min): the manager praises the clear way they explained a trade-off; the designer asks for earlier sight of product plans.
  • Growth (3 min): they would like to present at the next design review.
  • Actions (2 min): manager to write down the approval rules by Friday; designer to book the design review slot.

Make it regular and protect it

A one-on-one that is moved or cancelled whenever something urgent comes up tells the person they are low priority. Weekly or every two weeks works for most teams. If you must move one, move it rather than drop it, and say why.

Let them set the agenda

Share a simple document that both of you can add to between meetings. Their topics go first and get the most time. If the manager's own items take over, the meeting turns into a status report, which a message could have covered.

Good questions to keep on hand: What is on your mind? What is getting in your way? What would you change if you could? What would you like more of, or less of, from me? Ask one, then wait for the answer, including the silence.

Give feedback that is specific and soon

Feedback saved for a yearly review is too late to use. Name the situation, what you saw and what effect it had, then ask what they think. A one-on-one is the right place for it because it is private and regular, so nothing needs to come as a surprise.

If the conversation is hard, keep the structure. Check-in, their view first, then yours, then a clear action. The shape protects both of you.

Keep notes, and keep them private

Short shared notes with actions and dates make the next meeting easy to start. Keep personal topics out of anything widely visible, and agree together what stays between you. For ideas to open a one-on-one with something other than the usual, try the deeper questions for people who already know each other well.

Questions people ask

How long should a one-on-one be?

Thirty minutes suits most weekly or fortnightly meetings. Sixty minutes can suit a monthly one. What matters more than length is that it happens regularly and is not cancelled often.

What if the person has nothing to discuss?

That is information too. Use the work and growth sections, and ask what would make the meeting more useful. Sometimes a walk or a shorter meeting works better than a fixed slot.

Should a one-on-one cover performance problems?

Raise concerns early and plainly in the meeting, with specific examples, and follow up in writing if the matter is serious. Do not save problems for a formal review.

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