5 Ways To Improve Your 1:1 Meetings

Unless you report to somebody psychic at work, or have the perfect direct reports, you probably need 1:1’s, check-ins, or whatever you call your update sync meetings. And, like most of us, you dread this necessary evil. These meetings too often end up being about getting up-to-speed on what happened last week rather than on aligning on action plans. They are more like crossing off a checklist, than they are devising strategy and guidance.

We aim to transform the 1:1 meeting as we know it into true working sessions that result in real progress. To help you accomplish this, we’ve compiled this list of five ways that sync meetings can be more effective and valuable.

1. Set An Agenda.

Both the up- and downside to sync meetings lies in their general lack of structure. Given everyone’s mutual distaste for them, we put off thinking about them until we absolutely have to. As a result, we tend to go in without clear expectations and unprepared. Top-of-mind items are covered, however, often with missing detail. Other projects may get a casual glance. There is the obligatory, “How is everything?” chat. We then go our separate ways until the next one, grateful to have made it through, and the cycle continues. The check-ins are not productive and an opportunity to really make progress is often lost.

The fix? Set an agenda.

It sounds obvious, but, how many of us actually do this? Prepare the list of items to cover and share with your manager for feedback and alignment. Allocate and set a time for each one. This will keep the meeting focused and rid both you and your manager from a conversation that goes nowhere. Managers, your role is to review and align on the agenda and, more importantly, respect it during the meeting.

Doing this enables you to approach your 1:1’s as a series of mini-meetings. Each “mini-meeting” covers one discrete subject that can reach an actionable conclusion. Your manager will also appreciate your preparedness when it comes to managing both of your time. For managers, this helps create a sense of structure and ownership for your direct report. It’s a win-win.

2. Keep A 1:1 Log.

In our 1:1 meetings we tend to spend a lot of time simply recalling what we want to cover and what questions we have. What a waste! We suggest creating a running digital notepad (or one IRL) to take notes specifically for the check-in. This way, you skip the whole “Oh wait, there was something else….“ thing. Let’s just all admit that we aren’t superheroes and need to take notes on occasion. It’s OK. Go with it.

For your current workload, preparing a list of questions and update items will grease the wheels in aligning with your manager. All those minutes fishing in your head or sifting through your emails before and during the meeting add up. They can now be better spent on moving forward.

We all get moments of inspiration and want to share our great new idea with our manager. In addition to aligning on your projects, you can raise those big ideas. And, since you took the time to write them down and created space for them during your 1:1, they will definitely receive the attention and consideration they deserve.

3. Keep It Simple.

Too many of us are over-complicating the 1:1. We have a million things we want to discuss in a short time. Let’s be real. You’re likely not going to get to everything. We want the 1:1 to be simple in nature, but also meaningful and actionable.

To find this balance, keep the conversation in your 1:1 as focused, clear and concise as possible. Don’t get lost in small details, discuss several things at once, or change subjects before you have clearly resolved the one you’re covering. As we mentioned earlier, creating a mutually agreed upon agenda beforehand will help with this. There’s nothing worse than getting sidetracked when there are big picture items to review.

We all frequently have overwhelming workloads. Maintaining a keen awareness of how deep your digging into the topics at hand and staying focused on what is really important can keep the meeting on track and better facilitate the goal of accomplishing substantial and actionable alignment.

4. Let Your Direct Report Lead.

Managers, this isn’t your meeting. Yes, you call it and the goal is generally for you to get updated on projects and to provide direction. But, really, this is an opportunity for your direct report to demonstrate their value. It is their work that’s being reviewed and discussed after all. Allow them to rise to the challenge of problem-solving, prioritization and leadership.

We have all had managers take our 1:1 meetings off course by raising something new before the current subject reaches its conclusion. You go in with an agenda, projects list or just an expectation about how the meeting will flow and then your manager meanders off to other subjects. By the end you’re somehow more confused than before you sat down together, and your questions are still unanswered.

This one is on you, managers. We know that often something suddenly enters your head, and it seems really important at that moment to raise it. We suggest jotting it down and waiting for the appropriate time to speak up — probably when your direct report asks for your input.

Sync meetings are meant for you to listen and guide. Remembering this also helps you become a better leader. Listening is one of the greatest assets of leadership. Use this as an opportunity to cultivate this important quality and let your direct report drive the conversation.

5. Automate the Routine.

Eliminate the mundane and tedious tasks throughout your week wherever possible. There are numerous platforms that enable you to do this. Doing so can free up a lot of the checking in and going over to-do lists that ruin 1:1 meetings. On top of that, think about the time you spend prepping for these meetings. All that time spent making sure your bases are covered could be spent much more wisely.

After wrapping up a 1:1, everyone usually heads back to their desks and tackles what they can in the moment. They send out a few follow-up emails, remind a handful of people about open items and initiate new projects. Sounds like a lot of work, and manual work at that.

You can even automate 1:1 meeting prep

Automation tools can streamline just about every aspect of checking in and updating project statuses. A few of them even aggregate your key data to keep you up-to-date with a personalized dashboard.

If you head into your next weekly meeting with automatically gathered and organized updates for each of your direct reports, think about how seamless it will go. You’ll finally be able to shift your focus away from how things are going and when are they getting done, and on to providing the leadership and motivation your team is looking for.

And now, the self-serving part… Might we suggest Tonkean for you automation platform? Our platform is the first Virtual Project Coordinator on the market, visit our website to learn why our customers can’t get enough.

We just took some of your valuable time to share how your 1:1 meetings can be improved. The point? Sync meetings should be used to drive real action, not just to check off to-do lists and upload information. That’s asking for an unproductive meeting. To better enable your entire organization to take more action and spend less time in pointless meetings, try incorporating these ideas into your workflow before your next 1:1 meeting. We can bet you’ll find them incredibly helpful.