One on one meeting template for managers (plus questions to ask)

A one on one meeting template gives your 1:1s a shape, so they don't drift into a status update you could have read in a chat thread. Below is a copy-paste agenda for managers, a bank of questions sorted by goal, advice on cadence, and a simple way to track follow-ups so both of you leave knowing who does what.

Why 1:1s need a template

A 1:1 is the one meeting on your calendar that belongs to someone else. Without a plan, it fills with project updates, and the harder topics (career growth, frustration, workload) never come up.

A template fixes that in three ways:

• It gives the report the first slot, so their priorities come before yours.
• It makes room for topics that don't feel urgent, like growth and feedback, which tend to get skipped.
• It leaves a written trail, so promises made in week one are still visible in week six.

The template is a guide, not a script. If your report comes in upset about something, drop the agenda and listen.

The one on one meeting template (copy and paste)

Keep one running document per person, with the newest meeting at the top. Share it with your report so both of you can add topics before the meeting.

1:1 — [Manager name] / [Report name]
Date: [Month Day, Year]

1. Check-in (2–3 min)
   - How are you doing this week?

2. Report's topics (10–15 min)
   - [Added by report before the meeting]
   - [Added by report before the meeting]

3. Manager's topics (5–10 min)
   - [Added by manager before the meeting]

4. Growth and feedback (5 min, at least every other meeting)
   - Feedback for the report:
   - Feedback for the manager:
   - Progress on development goal:

5. Decisions
   - [What we agreed]

6. Follow-ups
   - [ ] [Task] | Owner: [Name] | Due: [Date]

Carry over to next time
   - [Topic we ran out of time for]

How to use each section

1. Check-in. A real question, not small talk. Watch for short answers that hint at something bigger.
2. Report's topics. Ask your report to add at least one item before every meeting. If the list is empty, start with "What's taking up most of your headspace right now?"
3. Manager's topics. Keep this short. Updates that don't need a conversation can go in email or chat.
4. Growth and feedback. Feedback goes both ways. Asking "What should I do differently?" every few weeks makes it easier for your report to tell you the truth.
5. Decisions and follow-ups. Read them back at the end of the meeting so you both agree on what was said.

Questions to ask in a one on one, by goal

You don't need all of these. Pick two or three that fit what your report needs right now.

How often should you hold one on ones?

There is no single right cadence, but a regular one beats an occasional long meeting. The US Office of Personnel Management's performance management playbook, written for federal supervisors, suggests that managers hold bi-weekly check-ins to review progress on goals, address challenges and offer support.

Whatever you choose, protect the slot. Moving a 1:1 now and then is normal. Canceling it again and again tells your report that this time doesn't matter.

What to write down in a 1:1

Good 1:1 notes are short. You are not writing minutes for a board; you are keeping a memory for two people. For the difference, see our guide to writing meeting minutes.

Write down:

• Topics discussed, in a few words each
• Decisions you made together
• Follow-ups, with an owner and a due date
• Career goals and the next step toward them
• Feedback given and received, in neutral words

Leave out:

• Personal or medical details your report shares in confidence
• Opinions about other people on the team
• Anything you wouldn't want your report to read, because they should be able to read all of it

Who owns the follow-ups?

Every follow-up needs exactly one owner. "We'll look into it" means nobody will.

• The report owns their own tasks and development steps, such as "Draft the Q1 training plan by November 7."
• The manager owns anything that needs their authority or network, such as "Ask finance about the conference budget by Friday."
• Review open items at the start of the next 1:1. A manager who closes their own follow-ups earns the trust that makes the rest of the meeting work.

If you struggle to make tasks clear, our guide on how to write action items has before-and-after examples.

Using AI notes in 1:1s: only with agreement

An AI note taker can free you to listen instead of type. But a 1:1 is a private conversation, so treat recording differently than you would a team meeting.

1. Ask first, every time it matters. Ask your report whether they're comfortable with the meeting being recorded and transcribed. Make it easy to say no.
2. Turn it off for sensitive topics. Pay, health, family matters and complaints about colleagues are better off the record.
3. Share the notes. If there's a transcript or summary, your report should be able to see it too.
4. Check the law and your policy. Recording rules vary by state, and many companies have their own policy on recording employees. This is general information, not legal advice.

With your report's agreement, Allnote can record an in-person 1:1 in the browser or the app, or you can upload a recording. You get a transcript and an AI summary on every plan, including free. On paid plans (Personal and higher), Allnote also pulls out action items and lets you ask questions about past meetings with AI chat, such as "What did we agree about the training budget last month?" For video 1:1s, the meeting bot joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls on Pro and higher plans.

Compare what each plan includes on the pricing page, and read how recordings are handled on our security page. Managers in people teams may also find the HR use case useful.

Common 1:1 mistakes

• Turning it into a status meeting. If most of the time goes to project updates, move them to a written update.
• Doing all the talking. Aim for your report to speak more than you do.
• Saving feedback for the annual review. Small, timely feedback in 1:1s means no surprises later.
• Forgetting last time's follow-ups. Start each meeting by checking them.

Written with AI help.