One on one meeting template with question bank and action log (Word, Excel, PDF)

Filled example: 30-minute one-to-one

Fictional. A learning coordinator and the learning team lead, Thursday 12 November 2026, 14:00 to 14:30. The employee’s items come first. The minutes add up to 30. The employee leads 17 of the 30 minutes, the manager 4 and both together 9.

#	Start	Min	Part	Leads	Notes and what we agreed
1	14:00	2	Check-in	Employee	Busy week: two courses running at once. Nothing to flag before we start.
2	14:02	10	The employee’s items	Employee	Three items, sent on Wednesday 11 November. (1) Wants to facilitate part of a course, not only coordinate it: taken into Development. (2) The Friday reporting task takes two hours on the busiest day: it moves to Monday morning (A9). (3) Not clear how the December rota is decided: the manager explains in writing (A10).
3	14:12	6	Progress and obstacles on open actions	Both	A5 (manager) is three days late; the manager finishes it today. A6 dropped: the survey is now set centrally. Two room clashes this month: A5 covers them.
4	14:18	4	The manager’s items	Manager	New booking system from Tuesday 1 December; the training date is in the team calendar. Noted.
5	14:22	5	Development	Employee	Item (1). Next step: shadow a senior facilitator on Tuesday 24 November (A7). The manager puts the employee forward for the January facilitation course (A8).
6	14:27	3	New actions: read back what, who and by when	Both	A7 to A10 read back; each owner said yes. Next one-to-one: Thursday 26 November, 14:00.

Blank one-to-one agenda

Copy this table into your shared document. The employee’s three item rows share ten minutes; leave a row empty if there is nothing to raise. In the Excel agenda the start and end times calculate.

Part	Min	Leads
1. Check-in	2	Employee
2. The employee’s item 1	10 for all three	Employee
The employee’s item 2		Employee
The employee’s item 3		Employee
3. Progress and obstacles on open actions	6	Both
4. The manager’s items	4	Manager
5. Development	5	Employee
6. New actions: read back what, who and by when	3	Both

First one-to-one agenda

45 minutes for the first one-to-one with a new team member or a new manager. The minutes add up to 45: 5 + 10 + 10 + 8 + 7 + 5. To practise this conversation with a group of new managers, use the new manager training session.

Part	Min	Leads	Prompts
1. What this meeting is for	5	Manager	Say: “This time is mainly yours. It is not a performance review and not about pay. We will agree how our one-to-ones work.”
2. How you like to work	10	Employee	How do you like to get information: written, spoken, or both? When in the day do you do your best thinking? What should I know about how you work? Share only what you choose.
3. Your work now	10	Employee	What are you working on? What is going well? What is unclear or worrying you? What would help in the next month?
4. What I offer and what I ask	8	Manager	How to reach me, and how fast I reply. Which decisions you can make yourself. What I need to hear early. How I give feedback, and how you can give it to me.
5. Agree our rhythm	7	Both	How often and how long? Who writes the agenda? Where do the notes live, and who can read them? What happens when one of us has to move a meeting?
6. First actions	5	Both	One to three actions, each with one owner who says yes and a date. Book the next one-to-one now.

Filled example: what the first one-to-one agreed

Fictional. The same learning coordinator and team lead, at their first one-to-one. It ran 50 minutes instead of 45.

Topic	What the fictional pair agreed on Thursday 1 October 2026
Rhythm	Every second Thursday at 14:00, 30 minutes. If one of us cannot make it, we move it to the next free working day, not cancel it.
Agenda	The employee adds up to three items in the shared document by Wednesday evening. The manager adds up to two.
Notes	One shared document that only the two of them can read. Actions go in the action log.
First actions	A1 for the employee, due Wednesday 7 October; A2 for the manager, due Friday 2 October. See the action log.

One-to-one question bank

Thirty original questions in six groups, five per group. Copy the ones you want into your agenda. For questions to coach someone through a problem, see the coaching questions kit.

Moment	Question
Check-in	What is taking most of your attention this week?
Check-in	On a normal day, what would you like more of, and less of?
Check-in	Is there anything we should deal with first today?
Check-in	What has gone well since we last met?
Check-in	How full is your week, from light to overloaded?
The employee’s items	Which of your items matters most to you today?
The employee’s items	What do you need from me on this: to know, to give a view or to decide?
The employee’s items	What would make this item feel settled when we finish?
The employee’s items	Is there something you have been waiting for the right moment to raise?
The employee’s items	What do you want me to hear, even if we cannot solve it today?
Progress and obstacles	Which open action moved, and which one is stuck?
Progress and obstacles	What is in your way that I could remove or ask about?
Progress and obstacles	Which deadline no longer looks realistic, and what date would be?
Progress and obstacles	Who else do you depend on for this, and do they know?
Progress and obstacles	Which action can we drop because it no longer matters?
Development	What would you like to get better at in the next three months?
Development	What would you like to try that you have not done here yet?
Development	Who do you know who does that well, and could you watch them work?
Development	What small piece of work could you take on to practise it?
Development	What should we look at again in our next development conversation?
How we work together	What do I do that helps you get your work done?
How we work together	What could I do differently that would make your work easier?
How we work together	Is my way of giving you feedback working for you?
How we work together	Is our one-to-one rhythm right: how often, how long, which day?
How we work together	What do you hear from the team that you think I should know?
Closing and actions	What will each of us do before we meet again, and by when?
Closing and actions	Which action is yours, and is the date realistic?
Closing and actions	What did we agree that you would explain differently to someone else?
Closing and actions	Is there anything you did not get to say today?
Closing and actions	When is our next one-to-one, and does it still suit you?

Action log

One log for all one-to-ones with the same person. Status: open, done or dropped. The Excel log adds the days to the due date and flags overdue actions.

#	Action (starts with a verb)	Owner	Agreed on	Due	Status
A1
A2
A3
A4

Filled example: action log

Fictional, as the log stood at the end of the one-to-one on Thursday 12 November 2026: ten actions, five open, four done, one dropped. A5 is three days overdue. A7, A9 and A10 are due within seven days. The manager owns three of the five open actions.

#	Action (starts with a verb)	Owner	Agreed on	Due	Status	Days to due
A1	Send the manager the three courses you support most often	Employee	Thu 1 Oct	Wed 7 Oct	Done	—
A2	Add the employee to the course planning channel	Manager	Thu 1 Oct	Fri 2 Oct	Done	—
A3	Send the draft onboarding quiz for review	Employee	Thu 15 Oct	Wed 21 Oct	Done	—
A4	Ask facilities for the larger training room for 24 November	Manager	Thu 15 Oct	Fri 23 Oct	Done	—
A5	Share the room booking checklist with the two new coordinators	Manager	Fri 30 Oct	Mon 9 Nov	Open	−3
A6	Draft three questions for the end-of-course survey	Employee	Fri 30 Oct	Fri 6 Nov	Dropped	—
A7	Ask the senior facilitator to shadow the 24 November course	Employee	Thu 12 Nov	Wed 18 Nov	Open	6
A8	Put the employee forward for the January facilitation skills course	Manager	Thu 12 Nov	Fri 20 Nov	Open	8
A9	Move the Friday report to Monday morning in the team calendar	Employee	Thu 12 Nov	Mon 16 Nov	Open	4
A10	Explain in writing how the December rota is decided	Manager	Thu 12 Nov	Tue 17 Nov	Open	5

Who prepares what

When	The employee	The manager
Before: by the day before	Write up to three items as short questions in the shared agenda. Update the status of your own actions.	Update the status of your own actions. Add up to two items of your own. Read the employee’s items; do not answer them in advance.
During	Leads the check-in, the employee’s items and development. Chooses which item goes first.	Listens first. Asks the questions. Brings the manager’s items in their own four minutes. Keeps the time.
At the end	Reads back their own actions and says yes or proposes another date.	Writes the actions in the shared log with one owner and a date. Books the next one-to-one.
After: within one working day	Checks the notes in the shared log and corrects anything that is wrong.	Does the manager’s actions first. Does not add new points to the notes without saying so.

What belongs elsewhere

This template has no ratings, pay or disciplinary sections on purpose. Follow your own organisation’s policies; this table is not legal or HR advice.

Topic	Where it belongs	What to say or do in the one-to-one
Performance ratings or scores	Your organisation’s performance review process	“That belongs in the review conversation on [date]. Today, what would help you most this week?”
Pay, bonus or grading	The pay process, through HR or the person who decides pay	“I cannot settle pay here. I will find out who decides and how, and tell you by [date].”
Disciplinary or formal capability matters	Your organisation’s formal procedure, with HR advice	Stop the one-to-one notes on this topic. Arrange a separate meeting through the formal route.
A formal complaint or grievance	The grievance or complaints procedure	“Thank you for telling me. This needs the formal route so that it is handled properly. Here is how to start it.”
Health, personal or family matters	Only what the employee chooses to share; HR or occupational health if adjustments are needed	Do not ask for details. Do not write them in the shared notes unless the employee asks you to.

Filled example: one-to-one log

Fictional. Four one-to-ones from 1 October to 12 November 2026: three held on the planned day, one moved by a day, none cancelled. The held meetings were 14, 15 and 13 days apart, 14 on average. The employee raised 9 items, and the pair agreed 10 actions.

Planned	Status	Held on	Min planned	Min used	Employee’s items	New actions	One thing to change
Thu 1 Oct	Held	Thu 1 Oct	45	50	2	2	Rhythm agreed: every second Thursday.
Thu 15 Oct	Held	Thu 15 Oct	30	30	3	2	Send items the day before.
Thu 29 Oct	Moved	Fri 30 Oct	30	25	1	2	Moved a day, not cancelled.
Thu 12 Nov	Held	Thu 12 Nov	30	32	3	4	Keep development as its own part.

What you'll leave with

In 30 minutes every two weeks, the employee raises up to three items of their own and leaves with each one settled, given a next step or noted. Every action is in one shared log with one owner who said yes and a due date, and open actions are checked at the next one-to-one.

Before the session

For managers and team leads who hold regular one-to-ones, and for trainers who teach new managers. For a team meeting, use the meeting agenda template instead.
Agree one shared document per person for the agenda, notes and action log, readable only by the two of you. Book a recurring 30-minute slot, for example every second week.
By the day before, the employee writes up to three items as short questions and both people update the status of their own actions. The manager reads the items and adds up to two of their own.
Send the agenda as plain text that a screen reader can read. Items can be written instead of spoken. Cameras are optional online, either person can pass on any question, and nobody has to share anything personal.

How to fill it in with your team

01 / 2 MINUTES

Check-in

Start on time. Ask one check-in question from the bank, for example: “What is taking most of your attention this week?” Listen; do not solve anything yet. Then ask: “Is there anything we should deal with first today?” If something urgent comes up, it becomes the first of the employee’s items.

02 / 10 MINUTES

The employee’s items first

Say: “Your items first. Which one matters most to you today?” Take the items in the order the employee chooses, about three minutes each. For each item ask: “What do you need from me on this: to know, to give a view or to decide?” Close each one aloud: “So we have settled it as [one sentence],” or “The next step is: [who] does [what] by [date]. Is that right?”, or “Noted. I have heard it.” If an item needs more time, agree a separate slot instead of taking the manager’s time.

03 / 6 MINUTES

Progress and obstacles on open actions

Open the action log and go through the open actions, the manager’s first. Each owner says done, open or dropped. For an open action ask: “What is in your way, and what could I remove or ask about?” For a late action, agree a realistic date or drop it on purpose. Say: “An action we no longer need is better dropped than left open.” Update the status in the log while you talk.

04 / 4 MINUTES

The manager’s items

Bring up to two items: news the employee needs, a request or a question. Say what you need: “I need you to know this,” “I would like your view,” or “I need a decision from you by [date].” Do not use this slot for performance ratings, pay or disciplinary matters; those belong in their own process. Say so if the employee raises them, and say where they will be handled.

05 / 5 MINUTES

Development

Ask one development question, for example: “What would you like to get better at in the next three months?” Help the employee choose one small step: watching someone who does it well, one piece of work to practise on, or a course. Ask: “What do you need from me for that?” Write the step as an action only if the employee wants it.

06 / 3 MINUTES

Read back actions and book the next one

Read each new action aloud from the log: the action, the owner and the date. After each one ask the owner: “Is that yours, and is the date realistic?” Delete an action that nobody says yes to. Then ask: “Is there anything you did not get to say today?” Confirm the date of the next one-to-one and end on time.

Participant worksheet

Copy this table into a document, or print the worksheet from the bundle. Share only what you choose.

Item	Detail
Before the meeting	The employee writes up to three items as short questions; both people update their own actions in the log
The employee’s items	Taken first, in the employee’s order, each closed as settled, a next step or noted
Open actions	Done, open or dropped, the manager’s first, with what is in the way
The manager’s items and development	Up to two manager items, then one small development step the employee chooses
New actions	One owner who said yes and a due date, read back aloud and written in the shared log
First one-to-one	How each person likes to work, what each offers and asks, and the rhythm you agree

Debrief questions

Over the last four one-to-ones, how many items did the employee raise, and how many did the manager raise?
Which open action has stayed open the longest, and who owns it?
Which one-to-one was moved or cancelled, and who moved it?
When did a topic come up that belonged elsewhere, and where did it go?

Adapt it for your group

For a team lead with only two or three people, keep the same agenda and rhythm. Fewer people is no reason to drop the action log; it is the record that the one-to-ones produce something.
For a 15-minute version, keep the check-in to one minute, give the employee’s items seven minutes, check open actions in four and read back new actions in three. Move development to every second one-to-one.
Online, keep the shared agenda and the action log on screen and edit them together. Cameras are optional. Either person can type an item or an answer in the chat instead of saying it.
For an employee who prefers to write, ask for the items and the answers to one or two bank questions in writing before the meeting, and start from what they wrote. Passing on a question is always fine.
In manager training, give each new manager the blank agenda and the action log and ask them to plan their next real one-to-one in ten minutes. For a practice session of the first one-to-one, use the new manager training kit.

After the session

Within one working day, the manager checks that every action is in the log with an owner and a date, and the employee corrects anything that is wrong. Do the manager’s actions first; an employee who sees them done is more likely to bring real items. Every fourth one-to-one, use two questions from the “How we work together” group to check the rhythm, and look at the one-to-one log together: how many meetings were held, moved or cancelled, and whose items took the time.

Questions people ask

What should a one on one meeting template include?

A short check-in, the employee’s own items first, a check of open actions, the manager’s items, a development question and new actions with one owner and a due date. A shared action log that runs across meetings matters as much as the agenda, because it shows whether the one-to-ones lead to anything.

Who writes the agenda for a one-to-one?

Mainly the employee. In this kit the employee writes up to three items by the day before and the manager adds up to two. The employee’s items come first, so the manager’s news does not use up the time.

How often and how long should one-to-ones be?

This kit plans 30 minutes every second week, and 45 minutes for the first one. These are planning choices, not rules. Agree the rhythm with each person at the first one-to-one, and check it every few months with the “How we work together” questions.

What should not be discussed in a one-to-one?

This template leaves out performance ratings, pay and disciplinary matters on purpose. They belong in your organisation’s own processes, with HR where needed. If they come up, say where they will be handled and by when. Health and personal matters are only discussed if the employee chooses to raise them.

How is this different from the meeting agenda template?

The meeting agenda template is for a recurring team meeting with a decision log. This kit is for a conversation between two people, where the employee sets most of the agenda. To rehearse a first one-to-one with a group of new managers, use the new manager training session; the coaching questions kit holds questions for coaching someone through a problem.

What is included in the free and editable files?

The open PDF has the blank 30-minute agenda, the first one-to-one agenda, the 30-question bank, the blank action log, filled examples of the agenda, the first one-to-one, the action log and the one-to-one log, and the six steps with words to say. Subscribers also receive the editable Word file, an Excel workbook with agendas that calculate times and minutes, an action log that counts days to each due date and actions by status and owner, a one-to-one log and the question bank, and a CSV of the question bank. The notes are a working record between two people, not a formal HR record.

How to use the files

Print the PDF, edit the Word file in Word or Google Docs, or open the CSV or XLSX in a spreadsheet. Open files need no email.

Can I use this with paying clients?

Yes. Use and adapt this original Superglue kit in your own training, including paid client sessions. Please share this page rather than redistributing the unmodified kit. Read the full usage terms.

Created by Superglue · Original facilitation material · Updated 2026-10-10. Adapt timings and prompts to your participants; this resource has not been independently evaluated.

One on one meeting template for managers and their team members