Tips For Conducting Effective One On Ones

by Kylee Stone Jul 8,2021
Engagedly
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The People Strategy Leaders Podcast

with Srikant Chellappa, CEO

Remote working has made some major changes to the style of our work. Employees are now taking part in meetings now more than ever. Often the meetings are with peers from the same team or at times from different teams. There are too many virtual one-on-one meetings happening at almost every organization.

Also Read: Video Meetings:7 Etiquettes To Follow

One-on-ones can be simply defined as standard scheduled time for managers to check-in with their direct reports. These meetings are important for both managers and direct reports because they ensure that both of them stay on the same page. It also helps in improving employee engagement.

Is there a right way to conduct these one-on-one meetings? Well, the answer is both yes and no. No, we don’t have a prescribed format to conduct a successful one-on-one meeting, but we can use a few best practices to make the most out of one-on-one meetings.

Here’s a list of best practices for effective one-on-one meetings:

Have A Purpose

With the increasing number of meetings managers have these days, it is very important to clarify the agenda of the meeting when you send out a request to schedule a meeting. Having a clear agenda helps both parties to prepare better for the meeting. This also helps the parties understand what priority the meeting needs to be given.

It doesn’t only help the opposite party realize the purpose of the meeting but also helps you, in a sense, to prepare beforehand for the meeting.

Also Read: Know How To Make Remote Employee Check-Ins Effective

Ask Relevant Questions

This totally depends on the type of meeting you intend to have. But most one-on-one meetings require either of the participants to ask a few questions. So, if you are the participant who needs to question the other, make a relevant set of questions to ask in the meeting.

This becomes easier if you already communicated the agenda. For example, if you are having a meeting with one of your direct reports about their performance on a particular project, you need to have a set of relevant questions that you need to ask them about it.

Document The Highlights 

Document the highlights of the one-on-one meeting. As a manager, it is hard to keep track of everyone in one meeting you have, so document the highlights of each one-on-one meeting you have with your employees. This will help you get started for the next meeting you have with them and you will miss nothing important from the past meeting.

Send Effective Meeting Recap

Once you document the contents of the meetings, it is ideal to email the participants of the meeting with the highlights that you’ve made note. Also include in the email, what is expected of them by the next meeting. This helps you and the participants in the meeting to have a document to refer to if they need to revise the contents of the meeting.

Also Read: Why Are Stay Interviews Essential For Your Organisation?

Don’t Miss To Follow Up

Following up on a meeting is vital. Always remember to keep track of the progress made on the aspects of the meeting after a one-on-one meeting. Be ready to help them with implementing the action plan discussed in the meeting. This will help all participants of the meeting stay motivated and productive at work. One-on-one meetings give the best results when they are recurring; so, experiment with the frequency of meetings and set a regular schedule for one-on-one meetings with your employees/ direct reports.


Want to know how Engagedly can help you conduct effective one-on-ones? Then request for a live demo.

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Kylee Stone

Kylee Stone supports the professional services team as a CX intern and psychology SME. She leverages her innate creativity with extensive background in psychology to support client experience and organizational functions. Kylee is completing her master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational psychology at the University of Missouri Science and Technology emphasizing in Applied workplace psychology and Statistical Methods.

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