How do you run a one-on-one (1on1)?

The steps at a glance

A one-on-one is not just the 30 minutes of conversation but a process that includes what comes before and after. Here it is split into five steps, from setting the schedule to checking commitments at the next one-on-one, with what the leader and the team member do at each step.

These steps follow from the purpose of one-on-ones: aligning on expectations and building trust (HBR, 2024). Forms for step 2 (preparation) and step 4 (notes) are in the one-on-one doc, and questions for step 3 (the conversation) are in the one-on-one questions list.

How often and how long should a one-on-one be?

To set the schedule in step 1, you first need a cadence and length. There is no single standard. Gallup recommends that managers have meaningful conversations with employees every week (Gallup, 2026). That is a recommendation about conversations, not a call to schedule a one-on-one every week. In a 2015 Gallup analysis, employees whose managers hold regular meetings with them were almost three times as likely to be engaged as those whose managers do not (Gallup, 2015), though that is a correlation.

If you are new to one-on-ones, start with 30 minutes every two weeks, a starting point both leader and team member can keep up. Then adjust to your team. The more people you work with, the longer the gap with each person inevitably becomes, and the more familiar someone is with their current work, the less often you need to meet. On the other hand, someone taking on work for the first time is worth meeting often for a while, whatever their experience.

Start with 30 minutes, and lengthen it if the conversation often runs short. Deeper concerns often come out only once the conversation has warmed up. When one-on-ones become familiar and the talk starts going deeper, you can keep the cadence and lengthen the meeting.

The table is Orblit's suggestion, not a research result. Adjust it to your team, but avoid changing the cadence often once you have set it.

A one-on-one, step by step

With the cadence and length set, decide how a single one-on-one will run. These five steps are the basic flow Orblit recommends.

1. Check in: start with how they are doing, then review last time's commitments.
2. Today's goal: ask first what the team member wants to get out of this conversation. Whether they need a decision, want the leader's view, or want to think it through together changes how the conversation goes.
3. Team member's topics: take up the topics they wrote in advance first, and spend most of the time here.
4. Leader's topics: share the feedback and expectations you want to convey.
5. Close: agree on who does what by when, and book the next meeting and what to bring before you leave.

In 30 minutes, that might be 5 for the check-in, 15 for the team member, 5 for the leader, and 5 to close. If you lengthen the meeting, the extra time goes to the team member's topics. Ending with a word from each of you on whether today's one-on-one helped shows what to change next time. The time split is Orblit's suggestion.

What to prepare before a one-on-one

Once the order is set, it becomes clear what each person should prepare beforehand.

• Team member: write two or three lines on what they did, what is blocked, and what they want to discuss.
• Leader: review the last notes and commitments and the feedback you want to give.
• Leader, until one-on-ones feel familiar: for the first few, hand over the running order and a short prep form yourself. Team members new to one-on-ones often do not know what to raise and say nothing much is going on.
• Both: choose a time and a quiet place without interruptions. Video or phone is fine; Gallup found that consistent communication, whether in person, by phone, or electronic, goes with higher engagement (Gallup, 2015).

Your first one-on-one with a new team member

The first one-on-one with a new team member sets the tone for the ones that follow. Spend the time aligning on how you each work rather than on tasks.

1. Explain the purpose and ground rules. Say it is not an evaluation and the team member can choose topics.
2. Ask about working preferences: how they like to communicate and receive feedback.
3. Ask what worked well and what did not in their previous environment.
4. Agree on expectations and goals for the first 30 days.
5. Book the next meeting before you leave.

Five common mistakes in one-on-ones

Even when you know how to run one-on-ones, these mistakes come up often in practice.

• Canceling or postponing often. Team members conclude it is not a priority and stop preparing. If you must postpone, set the new date on the spot.
• Turning it into a status report. There is no room left for the team member.
• The leader doing most of the talking. The team member loses the time to raise difficulties and the support they need.
• No notes and no follow-up. Every conversation starts from scratch.
• Asking the same questions every time. Rotate the topics.

How to fix each mistake is covered in detail, with eight mistakes and their fixes, in Why do one-on-ones fail?. The structural reasons one-on-ones stall altogether, skill, time, information, and continuous management, are in Why do teams hold one-on-ones?. If you want to reduce the burden of preparing and recording, see Orblit 1on1.