One-on-One Meeting Agenda: Benefits, Tips & Templates

Every leader knows that team meetings are key to good collaboration. But it’s easy to forget that teams are made up of individuals — and sometimes, one-on-one attention makes the bigger difference. When employees feel supported on an individual level, they gain the empowerment they need to thrive.

A structured one-on-one meeting agenda brings focus and purpose to every conversation. It helps managers and employees cover the right topics, track progress, and build stronger working relationships over time.

With Otter's Meeting Types feature, you can access pre-built templates for recurring meetings like one-on-ones. These templates guide your conversation so you don’t forget key discussion areas or clear action items, making every check-in more effective and easier to manage.

In this guide, we’ll explain the benefits of one-on-one meetings, outline key agenda elements, and share templates and tips.

What is a one-on-one meeting?

A one-on-one meeting is a dedicated conversation between a manager and a direct report. Unlike team meetings, one-on-ones focus on the individual, giving them the space to discuss goals, challenges, feedback, and career growth.

These meetings are typically held weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Every meeting also gives both parties a chance to take notes and build trust through consistent, two-way communication.

Why you should schedule one-on-one meetings

One-on-one meetings are more than just status checks. They give managers a deeper understanding of how team members are feeling, what they need, and how they’re progressing.

Benefits of recurring one one ones include:

• Supporting employee development and engagement
• Creating space for honest dialogue and constructive feedback
• Aligning on priorities and removing blockers
• Strengthening team relationships and retention
• Tracking personal goals alongside company objectives

When done right, these conversations help employees feel heard and valued — and that leads to better performance and stronger working relationships.

How to conduct a one-on-one meeting

Here’s how to lead a productive check-in:

Prepare for the meeting

Start with a shared agenda. Whether you use a meeting template or jot down discussion points, planning ahead gives both parties time to reflect. Include a mix of work updates, goals, and open discussion topics so you don’t miss anything.

Set a recurring time and stick to it. A regular meeting cadence builds trust with direct reports and signals that the meeting is a priority. Also choose a comfortable location, whether a private office or a video call, and encourage both participants to show up ready to talk.

For maximum productivity, consider recording and transcribing one-on-one meetings. With Otter’s Meeting Types, you can generate an agenda and automatically record and transcribe the call all in one place, keeping your conversations organized and easy to reference.

Encourage open dialogue

One-on-one meetings work best when both sides can speak freely. Create a safe, low-pressure environment where the direct reports can share ideas, ask questions, or voice concerns. Avoid dominating the conversation, and include talking points to open it up. For more structure, it helps to plan one-on-one questions ahead of time.

Define action items and follow up

End each meeting with clear action items and a plan to tackle them. With Otter’s AI Meeting Agent, you don’t have to rely on memory. It transcribes your meeting in real time to capture every task and avoid forgetting action items. 

You can also use the summary to send a quick recap or create a shared document to track progress between meetings. 

One-on-one meeting agenda: 8 key elements

Use these elements to build a consistent one-on-one meeting agenda that supports growth and employee engagement:

1. Check-in

Start with a quick check-in. Ask how your team member’s doing, both inside and outside of work. This strengthens rapport and helps both of you ease into the discussion. 

2. Current progress

Review recent work and status updates. What’s been going well? What’s behind schedule? Give direct reports a chance to talk about accomplishments and identify blockers.

3. Feedback

Two-way feedback leads to more constructive, actionable conversations. Share observations on recent work and invite input on your leadership style. That way, both of you grow.

4. Career development

Discuss long-term career goals. Ask about growth interests, skill development, or leadership aspirations to connect the report’s personal career goals to team or company opportunities.

5. Personal development

Employee success is about more than daily tasks. Ask questions about their learning interests or challenges in general, even if it’s just a minute or two. A quick conversation here can uncover motivation, strengths, or support needs.

6. Questions or concerns

Invite questions, ideas, or concerns. This open space is often where the most valuable conversations happen because you can surface issues that may not come up in team meetings.

7. Action items

Once you know what tasks are on both your and the report’s place, assign responsibilities, confirm priorities, and document any goals. Otter’s built-in templates automatically capture these tasks so they’re easy to track.

8. Wrap-up

Summarize what was covered and check alignment on next steps. This is also the time to agree on the next meeting date (if it’s not already scheduled) and invite any last thoughts before closing.

One-on-one meeting agenda template

Need a structure you can reuse? Here’s a high-level meeting template for one-on-one meetings that can be customized to fit your team:

One-on-one meeting template

• Attendees: [Manager name] + [Direct report name]
• Meeting Frequency: Weekly
• Meeting Duration: 30–60 minutes
  

Agenda

1. Check-in (5 min)
   
   • How are you doing today? Anything on your mind?
     
     
2. Work progress and updates (10–15 min)
   
   • Ongoing projects
   • Wins or roadblocks
   • Recent challenges
     
     
3. Feedback and coaching (10 min)
   
   • Feedback on recent work
   • Manager input and suggestions
   • Employee reflections
     
     
4. Career and personal development (10 min)
   
   • Growth opportunities
   • Learning goals
   • New responsibilities
     
     
5. Open discussion (5 min)
   
   • Questions, ideas, or team-related concerns
     
     
6. Action items and next steps (5 min)
   
   • What will each person follow up on?
   • Confirm goals and timeline

3 tips for effective one-on-one meetings

Here’s how to get the most out of every conversation:

1. Use Otter Meeting Agent

Free up your attention by letting Otter take notes for you. Otter Meeting Agent acts as a third participant, transcribing in real time, capturing action items, and creating a shareable summary as soon as the meeting’s over. Focus on the conversation and listen intently without losing your next steps.

2. Listen actively

Active listening means being present and responding with intent. Avoid distractions and show that you’re engaged by asking clarifying questions or summarizing what you’ve heard. This builds trust and leads to better insights.

3. Follow through on action items

Keeping commitments builds trust and helps people grow as best they can. Review action items from previous meetings and check for progress. Use Otter’s summaries to revisit decisions and stay accountable without searching through scattered meeting notes.

Level up your one-on-ones with Otter

A strong one-on-one meeting agenda can turn a routine check-in into a powerful growth opportunity. Let Otter power your experience.

Otter helps you prepare, run, and follow up on every one-on-one with ease. Use Meeting Types to generate a structured agenda, and Otter Meeting Agent transcribes and summarizes discussion and meeting notes in real time. Automatically extract tasks and keep your conversations organized, all in one place.

Whether you're managing a growing team or leading your own check-ins, Otter gives you the tools to run better meetings and support your direct reports every step of the way. Start for free.