How to Improve the Efficiency of 1 on 1 Meetings?

Holding one-on-one meetings regularly is a key to the company’s success. Such face-to-face meetings accompanied with direct reports often seem like an unsystematic and hurried process. It’s useful for the chair to check in recurrently with every employee, but how to spend this one-to-one time productively and collaboratively?

There are many ways to improve one-on-one meetings. Our team has conducted research, gathering the best tips shared by HR professionals and business leaders. Here are a few recommendations below for conducting effective 1 on 1 with the company’s staff.

Send Introducing Information

Many business frontrunners say that sending out introducing information before the meeting increases the productivity of the one-on-one meeting. This can be done by sending an email to the employee or client that lists the agenda items and things that need to be done to prepare for them. Also, it is advised to personnel to get ready with preliminary questions like decisions of board meeting management to have a more productive discussion.

Set Fixed Meeting Time

It depends on the person’s position and organization size, resulting in how often the director conducts a 1 on 1 meeting with each staff member. Hence, it is recommended to schedule meetings with each employee on the calendar as a repeated event. This available board management software like plan builder, schedule meetings, and so much more may be helpful.

When personnel knows about a fixed meeting, they will spend their and chair’s working time productively, without unplanned unnecessary interruptions. It takes a little time to find the right meeting frequency until the right rhythm is set.

Here are some things to note:

  • It is crucial to show up on time to avoid frustration.
  • If the meeting is conducted via virtual boardroom, they should likewise be informed about it in the board portal in the convenience of the employee’s home.
  • Also, it is a bad idea to cancel the session at the last minute.

3. Spend Enough Time for Preparation

To have a productive meeting, a manager should spend the same amount of time preparing and holding the meeting. Thus, a meeting that lasts one-hour requires not less than one hour of preparation: making a list of bullet points, figuring out objectives, outcomes, and obstacles. It may be hard to prepare due to workday pressures and time constraints, but planning is just as essential as attending the meeting.

  • Comparing lists of important items helps identify the most pressing points and discuss the ones the team should focus on. Moreover, it is vital to double-check the board portals or board meeting software that the company has before the meeting.

4. Start Meeting Positive

According to psychologists, beginning the meeting with something positive, such as check-in or sharing a win, helps build a constructive dialog between the colleagues. This could be a question about how the person is feeling, their favorite motivational song, a brief board portal comparison, or a compliment on a presentation conducted effectively.

  • Small talk is a great way to begin, as it will help create a more productive conversation and bring out positive energy.

5. Let the Employee Lead the Conversation

Great leaders are great listeners. Face-to-face meetings are not disciplinary. In this type of get-together, it is better to allow the employee to lead the conversation. A wise manager asks great open-ended questions to keep the conversation going and allows the employee to direct the discussion. The employer aims to build a robust connection with their team members and arrange a safe environment for the employee to express issues or satisfaction freely.

  • Remember to be fully present. During the one-on-one time, it is important to dedicate full attention to the employee. Turning off the board meeting software, smartphone and muting the computer will help avoid distractions and show mutual respect.

6. Make Sure Both Parties Win

A one-on-one meeting is ideally a combined effort that brings benefits for both the employer and employee. Here both parties determine the overall success and productivity of the discussion. A working method to accomplish this is by setting a clear agenda to which both participants contribute. From each side, there should be a fixed list of topics to ensure face-to-face interaction success.

  • Without a carefully planned agenda, the meeting’s productivity may suffer. Obviously, here, dialogue and compromise are essential, too.

7. Use a Shared Doc

The practice of using board portal software and shared doc with weekly agenda for recurring meetings is highly recommended. For instance, placing every important matter in a Google Doc or another collaborative document means the parties will cover all points on the plan within the set time. It also allows reviewing decisions and topics of previous meetings. Thus, docs create a reference point when the team needs to make performance reviews or self-evaluations.

This is a superb way to check action items, like what’s decided and what’s due, to help staff remember key points amid their busy lives.

  • A shared doc is accessible easily from every device, even without an Internet connection.
  • Google docs facilitate manager preparation – they may take time to track board document management, view what’s coming, and prepare.

8. Clarify Your Next Steps

A thoughtful manager needs to get clear with their next steps. It is a good idea to consult on let’s say, board meeting management policies and plan further actions based on the received information. Knowledge accompanied by correct actions is power. The outcomes, decisions, and following actions show if the meeting was a successful meeting or not.

9. Comply With Time Limit and Express Gratitude

Setting board software to program your meeting is a worthy idea. Sticking to a set time lets the employee understand that the director values their time, so it is better not to go over the time limits. If there are several points left to discuss at the end of the meeting, the employer should ask whether it would be okay to continue the meeting some minutes over the arranged time. It is right to continue if the person agrees. If they do not agree, the chair should end the meeting and send the remaining topics via email.

  • It is essential to close the meeting with positivity too. Thanking employees and saying words of affirmation indeed mean a lot to them.

Recap

A successful one-on-one interaction requires good planning, dialogue, and the ability to listen to each other. This is a chance for the employer to get employee feedback. Hence, it is recommended to ask a question, keep silent, listen to understand the worker better, and then reward the truthfulness. That is why giving some freedom to the employee to lead the agenda is a helpful method too. Effective meetings contribute to the company’s success.

Do:

  • Share positive energy.
  • Notify the colleague in advance.
  • Be curious and flexible.

Don’t:

  • Cancel
  • Be rigid.
  • Forget to thank them.