Giving Feedback

1:1 Meetings

1:1 meetings, or one-on-ones, are meetings between two people in a company. These are regular meetings of a leader/manager with an employee, usually initiated by the manager. These meetings focus on discussing work, successes, challenges, expectations, and aim to support the employee in their role so that they achieve the best possible results. Such meetings can significantly increase productivity and contribute to the team’s success because they allow for obtaining detailed feedback. 1:1 meetings can take place once a week, once a month, or once a quarter – it all depends on the individual needs of the team and time.

How to plan such a meeting?

Step 1:
Set a schedule

Plan recurring 1:1 meetings with the employee and stick to this schedule. Remember that 1:1 meetings must be organized consistently, otherwise they will lose their effectiveness. Increase or decrease the frequency of meetings depending on the employee’s needs.

Step 2:
Create a meeting agenda

A one-on-one meeting agenda will help you stay on track and ensure that participants get what they need. Treat it as a kind of checklist, making sure that all the most important points of the meeting are discussed. You should create the agenda together with the employee.

Step 3:
Ensure the comfort of the conversation

1:1 meetings should have an informal atmosphere. This is not the time to show hierarchy and report. Therefore, you should create an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. This will certainly bring benefits to both parties.

Step 4:
Listen
In 1:1 meetings, you should listen more than you speak. This is a meeting for the employee, and they should be the main speaker.
Step 5:
Ask the right questions

In addition to ensuring comfort and listening to the employee, you must also be able to ask questions that will encourage your employees to talk. Ask open-ended questions, this will help you better understand the employee’s views and force them to give longer answers. Examples of questions you can ask:

  • What is causing you trouble right now? Where do you need support?
  • Is there anything you would like to talk about?
  • Is there anything that blocks or limits you?
  • Are you receiving enough feedback?
  • Do you think our goals still make sense?
  • What made you the happiest this week?
  • What is the most terrifying or what causes you the most anxiety in the coming week?
Step 6:
Take notes

It is worth taking notes during the meeting and sending them to yourself afterwards. This makes it easy to return to previously discussed matters or take actions that arose during the meeting.

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