One on ones are the bedrock of any relationship you have within your team and any organization.
-–Danielle Leong

How do you feel about attending or facilitating one on one meetings? We were in a group meeting last week and were surprised to hear that readiness levels were sometimes an issue.

  • Either the leader was ill prepared and asked “do you have anything to talk about”? If the answer was “no” the meeting would end.
  • On the flip side the, the attendee could be uncomfortable and not share their thoughts, issues, or successes.
  • Have you experienced either of these?

Tips for effective one on one meetings:

1. Schedule them regularly; some prefer weekly, others monthly. Regardless, get them on your calendar.

2. Establish expectations of the session

3. You can prepare conversation points to discuss but try not to have it too scripted, rather let the conversation flow naturally

4. Make time to “get to know” each other and build your relationship (and trust)

5. Ensure the sessions are comfortable and interactive

6. Be attentive and listen; don’t dominate

7. Ask what the attendee needs. Are there any obstacles or barriers you could help eliminate?

8. Obtain their perspective on what’s going well and what could be improved upon

9. Make them feel valued

10. Ask for feedback.  Ex. what could you do to be more effective?

11. Provide them with meaningful feedback

12. Discuss developmental wants and needs and career path desires

13. Recap any “to do’s” or commitments by either side (with target dates)

Often the sessions are primarily about business updates and not about the person. Use team meetings for business updates, organizational goal achievement, and strategic objectives instead of during one on one sessions.

How effective are your one on one sessions? Do you enjoy them? What could you change to make them even more meaningful?

Reminder: One on one meetings are meant to focus on the person.