How To Get The Most Out Of 1:1's
Introduction
When you already suffer from meeting fatigue, the last thing you want to see on your calendar is even more meetings. However, 1:1’s are very important to hold and attend whenever possible. Having that opportunity to connect directly with someone and discuss whatever’s on your mind is useful for a variety of reasons, so you might as well get the most out of it. Here are some tips on how to have successful 1:1's.
Safe Space
It’s rare that other meetings on your calendar are with only one other person (save for interviews, of course). Generally, you’re meeting with a group of people and you’re not necessarily in a position to voice your true thoughts/concerns on a topic. Whether it’s not the right time/venue to call something out or whether you’re afraid of offending someone/putting them on blast, you might want to save that for another time.
1:1’s give you that safe space to be as transparent as you want to be. The person who you’re talking to should know that and have that expectation as well (make sure to set the stage if this is their first time having such meetings). Whether you have concerns or personal feedback (there’s no such thing as bad constructive criticism if it’s delivered the right way), this is your forum to have that conversation. Might as well take advantage of that so nothing becomes a surprise later on.
Keep Notes
When you have a lot of meetings, staying organized is key to being on top of everything that comes in throughout the day. You should treat 1:1’s with the same relevance and importance, so keeping notes makes sure you remember all previous conversations as well as take up any action items that come your way as a result of those chats.
It should be the expectation that anyone can add to these files. Both people can add topics of discussion and/or action items to be acted on for future conversations. This was a practice I first learned at Facebook/Meta, and it’s definitely relevant. I just started doing this again because I realized how inefficient I was with regards to leading 1:1’s without having any notes on file.
Attend
Last but not least, attend your 1:1’s. It’s easy to want to skip when you’re heads down in other work, but you don’t want to set a bad habit or precedent of skipping out on these meetings. Work can always wait when all you’re having is a short conversation.
Conclusion
In short, 1:1’s are very effective meetings if used correctly. Stay organized and attend as much as possible. You’ll thank yourself in the long run for this, trust me.
