Invite their priorities first
Share the agenda before the meeting and ask what would make the time useful. Leave room for an unexpected concern. Routine status updates can go into a pre-read so there is time for the things that benefit from a conversation.
Open with a real check-in
Spend the first 5 minutes asking how work is feeling and what is taking the most energy. Give the person a choice about what to share. A check-in should invite context without requiring personal disclosure.
Work through priorities and support
Use about 10 minutes for workload, blockers and decisions. Ask what can be clarified, removed or reprioritized. Before giving advice, ask whether the person wants help solving the issue, a decision or simply space to explain it.
Make space for feedback and growth
Use another 10 minutes for feedback, learning and longer-term goals. Ask for a concrete example and agree on a small next step. If an urgent concern takes the whole meeting, explicitly make time to return to growth in a later conversation.
Close the loop
Spend the last 5 minutes agreeing on what each person will do and when to revisit it. Keep shared notes factual and relevant, agree on what belongs in them, and check the previous commitments at the next meeting.
A starting point you can make your own.
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30-MINUTE ONE-ON-ONE Date: What would make this conversation useful for you? BEFORE WE MEET Your priorities: My priorities: Commitments from our last conversation: 00–05 min | Check-in How is work feeling right now? What is taking more energy than it should? 05–15 min | Priorities, workload and support What is blocked or unclear? What should we stop, change or reprioritize? What do you need from me? 15–25 min | Feedback and growth What is working well between us? What would you like me to do differently? What would you like to learn or take on next? 25–30 min | Commitments Your next step: My next step: When we will follow up: What we want to revisit next time:
Customize this template
A couple of useful questions.
Who should own the one-on-one agenda?
Both people should be able to contribute. For a manager-and-teammate conversation, invite the teammate’s priorities early and keep the manager’s requests visible too. Agree together on what needs attention first.
Should one-on-one notes be shared?
Agree on what to record and who can see it. Shared commitments can help with follow-through. Avoid putting sensitive personal details into a broadly shared document or a template intended for wider distribution.
Bring the preparation together
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