One-on-One Meeting Templates for Productive, Trust-Building Meetings

We’re guessing that even though one-on-ones (also called 1:1s or 1-2-1s) are already on your calendar, you’re not too thrilled with them. Ironically, meetings are supposed to be about getting things done, but productivity suffers from time spent in meetings. According to research conducted by Deep Analysis on behalf of Guru and Loom, half of the tech workers surveyed say 40% or more of the time they spend on video calls was unproductive and wasteful.

One-on-one meetings are the most important way managers can lead, exchange feedback, review priorities, and support their teams’ professional development. Don’t let yours fall into the unproductive meeting trap. Our hand-picked one-on-one meeting templates here make meetings better. So, instead of hitting send on that Zoom chat to say, “Your internet isn’t working,” grab them now.

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You’ll find each of these templates below: 

• First one-on-one meeting with your employee 
• Weekly employee one-on-one meeting
• Monthly one-on-one meeting
• OKR goal planning one-on-one meeting
• 90-day performance review meeting
• Routine performance review meeting
• Compensation review meeting
• Peer one-on-one meeting
• Skip-level one-on-one meeting

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First one-on-one meeting with your employee 

The first meeting sets new employees up for success by ensuring managers’ expectations are clearly communicated. Employees can ask questions, begin exploring how best to work with their manager, and start to understand the OKRs and goals they’ll help accomplish. 

In your first one-on-one meeting, you’ll want to be sure to cover these questions:

• What do you enjoy outside of work? 
• How does this role ladder up to the larger organization’s strategy? 
• How will success in this role be measured? 
• What is expected in the first 30 days? 60 days? 90 days? 
• What coworkers are important to get to know? 
• What’s the best way to communicate with you? Where and how frequently?
• What kinds of projects would you most love to work on?
• Where do you want to land in your career in the next few years? 
• Where are onboarding resources, like the employee handbook?
• Where are company information and updates shared? 
• What procedures, SOPs, or templates does our team use?

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Weekly employee one-on-one meeting

There are only so many hours in a week, so why not make each conversation count? Your weekly employee one-on-one meeting is your best opportunity to build a trusting relationship and set everyone up for success. 

Leave room for emergent agenda items from the week. These questions to ensure each employee is getting what they need to keep work moving forward: 

• How are your goals tracking this week? 
• Are you facing any blockers we can talk through? 
• How do you find these meetings? How can we make them better? 
• We know burnout is an issue during this time. I want to make sure you’re feeling like you’re getting enough time to recharge. How do you feel about your work-life balance? 
  

Don’t hide from the personal either. Actually talking about life outside of work is how employees can tell their manager cares about them as people, too. 

Here are some fun ways to get to know each other you can add to your next agenda: 

• What was your biggest highlight of the week? 
• What has been the hardest part of your week?
• At Guru, we share rants and recs, so we ask, “What’s something you can’t stand?” (At Guru, we call these rants.) Or we’ll ask, “What have you really loved lately?” (We call these recs.)
  

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Monthly one-on-one meeting

When managers and reports meet less often, there tends to be more ground to cover. Ensure each of you prepares an agenda so that key items aren’t missed. Here are some questions to consider for your regular agenda: 

• How have you been feeling about your work this month? 
• How are you feeling about how you’re tracking towards your goals? 
• Where can I provide support, help you think things through, or remove blockers? 
• What do you wish we would get to that we haven’t? 
• Are there things you’re finding frustrating on our team? How can we make them better? 
• How do you think our processes could work better? 
• What ideas do you have to level up our work?
• How are you feeling about the way I support you? What can I do to support you better?
  

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OKR goal planning one-on-one meeting

Goal setting is a special time of year where each employee’s work is structured to align with reaching larger goals. When working on goal setting, consider asking these questions: 

• Do you think this is an achievable goal? If not, why?
• In the last [month, quarter, year], where did we struggle, and how do you think we can improve things this time?
• What do you need to succeed at hitting these goals? (Consider tools, budget, and roles)
• What are some of the potential barriers or risks we can anticipate facing this next [quarter, year]? How can we prepare to navigate those? 
• What are your goals for the coming year within your role? For your professional development?

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90-day performance review meeting

The key to success for any employee is hitting the mark on the manager’s expectations for the first 90 days. It’s also a time to reflect on whether new employees are working well in the organization. Employees can complete a self-assessment review and may also want to nominate colleagues for peer reviews. 

Here are some questions to help structure your conversation: 

• Where do you think you have been successful so far here? 
• Where do you think you could improve? 
• What can I do to better support you? 
• Where would you like to grow professionally? 
• How do you feel about your performance against goals?

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Routine performance review meeting

Any performance review can be full of nerves, especially for newer hires. Taking time to reassure your employee about the step-by-step process and what to expect helps ensure a productive conversation. You’ll want to make time to talk about: 

• Self-review and manager review
• Any peer feedback
• Performance-based review, including discussion of goals
• What went well
• Areas for growth
• Any title updates, promotions, or compensation changes

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Compensation review meeting

For some organizations, compensation isn’t a part of routine performance reviews. During a compensation review, sharing this info can help smooth the conversation: 

• Share how the company determines total compensation, including a conversation about leveling, tiers, or approach
• Updated compensation/title
• Details about the change and where to go for additional information
• How are you feeling about the update? 
• Do you have any questions for me?

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Skip-level one-on-one meeting

If you’re getting time with your CEO or leaders, it’s worthwhile to ensure you’re well-prepared to take advantage of their precious time and wisdom.

Here are some items to consider bringing to your agenda: 

For employees:

• Review of the planned and/or actual impact of your strategy
• Sharing the business impact of your accomplishments to date
  

For leaders: 

• What long-term goals do you have for your career? 
• How do you like working here? What would make it better?
• What’s something we could do even better? 
• What ideas do you have to improve things here? Are there things we should do or stop doing?
• Is there anything you’re feeling unclear about in our strategy?
  

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Peer one-on-one meeting

Pro tip: When you’re new in a role, meet your coworkers for (virtual) coffee or lunch and get to know each other as people. We all trust people more when we know them a bit, and it helps ensure working relationships are smooth from the start.

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Peer one-on-ones are more informal and can be great for building trust and sharing relevant projects. These questions can prompt a thorough, fun conversation: 

• How are things with you lately? 
• How have things been for you and your team?
• Have you been working on anything lately that might be helpful to share?
• What’s the best way to keep you updated when working on things relevant to you?
  

19 one-on-one meeting questions managers and employees should ask

Chances are, you’ve had a meeting or two where you really didn’t have anything to cover. If you don’t cancel, these can be the best way to build trust and let people know you care. Spare yourself some awkward moments and stash these questions in your back pocket to prompt more well-rounded 1:1 meetings.

For managers to ask employees

• How have you been outside of work?
• What priorities are you working on? 
• Are you facing any blockers now? 
• What can I do to help support you?
• Where do you see yourself in your next career phase? 
• In the short term, are there skills you’d like to develop or conferences you want to attend?
• How has it been working with me? Would more (or less) specific direction be useful?
• How could we make our meetings together even better?
• How do you prefer to receive feedback?
• Do I give you enough feedback?
• What’s something you think I should stop or start doing?

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For employees to ask their manager

• How can I support our team goals? 
• What’s the best way to keep you updated (email, messaging, weekly updates, etc.)?
• What can I do right now to show you I’m ready for work at the next level?
• Do you think I could work on [reach/desired project/account]? I think I could contribute [how you would approach the responsibility].
• How am I doing with [specific thing]?
• How can I better contribute to our team? To our meetings?
• What is something that’s not working well today for our team that I might be able to help solve?
• Where do you think I need to develop my skills to do a better job here?