One-on-One Meetings Guide

What are One-on-One Meetings?

One-on-one meetings (1:1s) are regular, private conversations between a manager and their direct report. They're the foundation of a strong manager-employee relationship and create space for feedback, coaching, and career development.

Why 1:1s Matter

• Build trust: Regular, dedicated time strengthens relationships
• Continuous feedback: Don't wait for annual reviews
• Catch issues early: Address problems before they escalate
• Career development: Discuss growth and aspirations
• Employee engagement: People who get regular 1:1s are more engaged

1:1s vs Other Meetings

• Not status updates: Use Slack/email for project updates
• Not performance reviews: More frequent, less formal
• Employee-driven: Their agenda, not yours
• Safe space: Confidential and supportive

Setting Up 1:1s in Sizemotion

Step 1: Create 1:1 Series

1. Go to 1:1s > My Meetings
2. Click "Schedule New 1:1"
3. Select the person you'll meet with
4. Choose frequency:
   • Weekly (recommended for new employees)
   • Bi-weekly (most common)
   • Monthly (for senior/independent employees)
5. Set duration (typically 30-60 minutes)
6. Pick a recurring time slot
7. Add to both calendars
8. Click "Create Series"

Step 2: Set Up Shared Agenda

1. Each 1:1 series has a shared agenda document
2. Both manager and employee can add items
3. Use the agenda template or customize:
   • Employee topics
   • Manager topics
   • Action items from last time
   • Upcoming focus areas
4. Add items throughout the week as they come up

Step 3: Prepare Before Each Meeting

1. Review action items from last meeting
2. Check employee's recent work/projects
3. Look at shared agenda items
4. Add your own topics if needed
5. Block time to be fully present (no multitasking)

AI-Powered Meeting Preparation

Sizemotion uses artificial intelligence to analyze multiple data sources and generate comprehensive meeting briefs, helping managers prepare for more effective 1:1 conversations with context-aware insights and personalized talking points.

What is an AI Meeting Brief?

The AI Meeting Brief automatically aggregates and analyzes data from across the platform—including performance reviews, career ladder assessments, standups, action items, and historical meeting patterns—to provide managers with a holistic view of their direct report's current state, recent achievements, potential concerns, and suggested discussion topics.

How to Generate an AI Brief

1. Navigate to 1:1s > My Meetings
2. Click on an upcoming or scheduled 1:1 meeting
3. Click the "Generate AI Brief" button at the top of the meeting page
4. The AI analyzes available data (typically takes 10-15 seconds)
5. Review the comprehensive brief with executive summary, highlights, concerns, and suggested topics
6. Use the insights to guide your conversation and preparation

What the AI Brief Includes

Each AI-generated brief provides structured insights across multiple dimensions:

Executive Summary

• Current State Overview: 2-3 sentence summary of the employee's recent performance and context
• Meeting Focus: High-level guidance on what this conversation should prioritize
• Time Since Last Meeting: Context on cadence and continuity

Highlights & Achievements

• Recent Wins: Positive accomplishments from standups, reviews, or project work
• Strengths: Competencies or areas where the employee is excelling
• Positive Trends: Improving metrics like standup consistency or feedback sentiment
• Recognition Opportunities: Specific achievements worth celebrating

Concerns & Areas for Attention

• Potential Issues: Patterns that may indicate challenges (e.g., declining standup participation)
• Blockers: Recurring obstacles mentioned in standups
• Overdue Action Items: Commitments from previous 1:1s that remain incomplete
• Performance Gaps: Competency areas scoring below expected level
• Sentiment Signals: Negative sentiment detected in feedback or self-assessments

Suggested Discussion Topics

The AI prioritizes 3-5 conversation topics with detailed context:

• Topic Title: Clear, actionable discussion point
• Category: Career, Performance, Wellbeing, Feedback, Goals, or Team
• Priority Score: 1-10 ranking based on urgency and impact
• Rationale: Why this topic matters right now
• Talking Points: Specific questions or angles to explore

Performance Trends

• Positive Trends: Areas showing improvement over time
• Negative Trends: Metrics or behaviors declining
• Stable Areas: Consistent performance indicators
• Overall Direction: Aggregate assessment (improving, declining, stable)

Data Sources Referenced

The brief transparently shows which data informed the analysis:

• Review cycle feedback and competency assessments
• Career ladder competency scores by category
• Standup submission consistency and blocker patterns
• Action item completion rates from previous 1:1s
• Historical meeting frequency and patterns
• Feedback sentiment analysis

Example AI Brief Output

Best Practices for Using AI Briefs

Preparation Workflow

1. Generate Early: Create the brief 1-2 hours before the meeting
2. Read Thoroughly: Don't just skim—absorb the context and rationale
3. Cross-Reference Data: Review the cited sources if you need more detail
4. Prepare Questions: Expand on the suggested talking points with your own insights
5. Print or Keep Open: Have the brief accessible during the conversation

During the Meeting

• Don't Read Verbatim: Use the brief as a guide, not a script
• Lead with Listening: Let the employee's agenda come first, reference brief topics naturally
• Contextualize Insights: "I noticed from your standups that..." (cite sources)
• Validate Concerns: Ask if the AI-identified concerns resonate before diving deep
• Celebrate Highlights: Use the achievements section to provide specific, data-backed praise

After the Meeting

• Update Action Items: Mark overdue items as complete or rescheduled
• Add Notes: Document what you discussed to inform future AI briefs
• Follow Through: Act on commitments made during the conversation
• Track Patterns: Over time, observe how trends evolve between meetings

AI Brief Permissions & Privacy

• Manager Access Only: Only the meeting manager can generate AI briefs
• Privacy Protected: Briefs are not shared with the employee or other managers
• Data Scoped: AI only analyzes data the manager already has permission to view
• Confidential Feedback: Review cycle data respects confidentiality settings

When AI Briefs Are Most Valuable

High-Value Scenarios

• First 1:1 with New Report: Quickly understand context and history
• After Long Gap: Catch up on what's changed since last meeting
• Post-Review Cycle: Integrate feedback insights into coaching
• Multiple Direct Reports: Stay on top of each person's unique context
• Performance Concerns: Identify patterns and root causes with data
• Career Development Discussions: Reference competency scores and growth areas

Limited Value Scenarios

• Very Frequent Meetings: Daily check-ins may not have enough new data
• New Employees: Less historical data means less comprehensive briefs
• Crisis/Urgent Topics: Real-time issues may not be captured in data

Customizing and Refreshing Briefs

Refresh When Needed

Briefs are cached for 24 hours. Regenerate if:

• Significant new data arrives (new review, major standup update)
• You had an interim conversation that changed context
• Employee completed overdue action items
• More than 24 hours have passed since generation

Interpreting AI Suggestions

• Priority Scores: 8-10 = urgent/high-impact, 5-7 = important, 1-4 = nice-to-have
• Category Labels: Help balance conversation across different areas
• Trends: Direction matters more than single data points
• Use Judgment: AI provides recommendations; you know the full human context

Tips for Better AI Briefs

The quality of AI briefs improves when your team consistently uses the platform:

• Regular Standups: More standup data = better blocker and trend detection
• Complete Action Items: Mark items as done so completion rates are accurate
• Conduct Reviews: Competency and feedback data enriches career discussions
• Document Notes: Meeting notes feed into historical context
• Update Profiles: Current role, level, and team info improve relevance

AI Brief vs Manual Preparation

Aspect	Manual Prep	AI Brief
Time Required	20-30 minutes	5-10 minutes (includes brief generation)
Data Sources	Must manually check 4-6 different pages	Automatically aggregates all sources
Pattern Detection	Requires memory and manual tracking	Identifies trends and patterns automatically
Topic Prioritization	Based on intuition	Data-driven priority scoring
Consistency	Varies by manager energy/time	Consistent quality across all meetings

Troubleshooting AI Briefs

"The brief seems generic or lacking detail"

This usually means limited data is available. Improve by:

• Ensuring employee submits standups regularly
• Completing at least one review cycle with competency assessments
• Having several historical 1:1 meetings with notes and action items
• Waiting until employee has been on platform for 30+ days

"The AI suggested topics don't seem relevant"

• Remember the AI works with available data—add context you know personally
• Check if the brief is stale (>24 hours) and regenerate
• Use suggested topics as inspiration, not gospel
• Provide feedback to help improve future recommendations

"Certain data sources are missing"

• Verify employee has completed relevant activities (standups, reviews)
• Check data permissions and privacy settings
• Some features may not be enabled for your organization

Running Effective 1:1s

Meeting Structure (60-minute example)

• 5 min: Check-in and casual catch-up
• 5 min: Review action items from last time
• 30 min: Employee's agenda topics
• 15 min: Manager's topics/feedback
• 5 min: Next steps and action items

During the Meeting

1. Start with them: "What's on your mind?" or "What do you want to talk about?"
2. Listen actively: More listening than talking (80/20 rule)
3. Take notes: Use Sizemotion to document key points
4. Ask good questions: Go deeper with follow-ups
5. Be present: No laptop distractions, give full attention
6. Create action items: Document next steps and owners

After the Meeting

1. Review and clean up notes in Sizemotion
2. Mark action items and assign due dates
3. Share notes (if employee wants access)
4. Follow through on commitments
5. Start preparing for next meeting

Common 1:1 Topics

Weekly/Bi-weekly Topics

• Current work: Challenges, blockers, progress
• Team dynamics: Collaboration, conflicts
• Workload: Too much? Too little? Right balance?
• Feedback: What's going well, areas to improve
• Support needed: Resources, guidance, decisions

Monthly Topics

• Career goals: Where do they want to grow?
• Skill development: Learning opportunities
• Company/team strategy: Big picture alignment
• Work-life balance: Stress, burnout, workload
• Relationships: Cross-team collaboration

Quarterly Topics

• Performance review prep: Self-assessment, feedback
• OKRs: Goal setting and progress
• Long-term career: 2-5 year aspirations
• Compensation: Promotion timeline, raises
• Team changes: Org updates, new hires

Good Questions to Ask

• "What's been on your mind lately?"
• "What's energizing you right now? What's draining?"
• "What's the most important thing we should discuss today?"
• "Is there anything I should know that I don't?"
• "How can I better support you?"
• "What's one thing you'd like to learn or improve?"
• "On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you? What would make it a 10?"

Best Practices

⏰ Scheduling

• Consistent time: Same day/time each week/bi-weekly
• Protect the time: Don't cancel unless absolutely necessary
• Right frequency: Weekly for new hires, bi-weekly for most
• Adequate duration: 30 minutes minimum, 60 is better
• Not back-to-back: Give yourself time to reflect between

📝 Preparation

• Shared agenda: Both add topics throughout the week
• Review work: Look at recent projects/contributions
• Bring examples: Specific situations for feedback
• Follow through: Complete your action items
• Fresh perspective: Come ready to listen, not lecture

🗣️ Communication

• Their time: Let employee drive most of the agenda
• Active listening: Summarize and reflect back what you hear
• Open-ended questions: "How...?" "What...?" not just "yes/no"
• Pause for thinking: Don't fill every silence
• Acknowledge feelings: Validate emotions, not just facts

💡 Pro Tips

• Walk and talk: Occasional walking 1:1s for variety
• Coffee outside office: Change of scenery helps openness
• Start with wins: Celebrate successes first
• End with action: Clear next steps before ending
• Track themes: Notice patterns over time in Sizemotion
• Skip status updates: Focus on growth, not tasks

🚨 Red Flags

Watch for signs your 1:1s aren't working:

• Frequently cancelled or rescheduled
• Always turns into status updates
• Employee has nothing to share
• One-sided conversation (you talk 80%)
• No action items or follow-through
• Employee seems disengaged or guarded

1:1 Meeting Templates

New Employee (First 90 Days)

• How's onboarding going?
• What's been confusing or unclear?
• Who have you connected with?
• What do you need to be successful?
• Any questions about team/culture?

Standard 1:1 Agenda

• Personal check-in (life, energy level)
• Action items from last time
• Current projects/work (challenges, wins)
• Team/relationship topics
• Career/growth discussion
• Manager feedback or coaching
• Next steps

Career Development 1:1

• Where do you see yourself in 2 years?
• What skills do you want to develop?
• What projects excite you most?
• How can I help you grow?
• Who do you want to learn from?

Performance Check-in

• How do you think you're doing? (self-assessment)
• What are you most proud of lately?
• Where do you want to improve?
• Specific feedback (praise + coaching)
• Goals for next month/quarter

Troubleshooting

"My employee says they have nothing to talk about"

This often means they're not prepared or don't feel safe. Try:

• Ask them to add 2-3 topics to agenda before meeting
• Start with easier topics (wins, interesting projects)
• Use prompts: "If there was one thing you could change..."
• Share vulnerability first to create safety

"I'm too busy for 1:1s"

1:1s are your most important work as a manager. They prevent bigger problems that take more time later. Protect this time.

"The conversation always turns into status updates"

Explicitly redirect: "Let's save status for Slack. What's on your mind beyond the day-to-day work?"

"Employee seems guarded or not opening up"

Build trust over time:

• Share your own challenges first
• Don't judge or punish honesty
• Follow through on commitments
• Keep confidences (unless safety issue)
• Be consistent and reliable

Next Steps

• Performance Reviews to formalize feedback
• Career Ladders for development discussions
• Manager Guide for more coaching tips