Effectively running one-on-one meetings with your team is an important employee engagement tool that you need to have a hold on as a manager. Essentially, one-on-ones are not status updates, but a dedicated block of time each week for managers and each member of their team to share feedback, build work relationships, and address any potential issues. In this article we will give you several things to consider, and also include 6 tips on being an effective remote team meeting manager.
Before your next one-on-one meeting when your direct report rolls around, here are three things you should consider doing:
- If you’re not already, schedule a recurring one-on-one meeting with your direct reports that addresses a meeting goal that you both come up with together.
- Evaluate the technology that you’re currently using to communicate and connect with your employees and find the ones that will provide the best use for you and your teams.
- Ask questions related to growth and development during your next meeting. However, ask a personal question as well. Get to know who your employees are outside of work.
Below are 6 tips for managers on how to effectively run one-on-one meetings.
1. Set A Recurring Time To Meet
If you have a remote team, it more than likely means that your employees live in different regions, or even countries. Set up a recurring team meeting that works best for everyone’s schedule, including yours. Both you and your direct report should be mindful to be more flexible with the meeting time if you’re in different time zones.
2. Never Cancel A One-On-One Unless Absolutely Necessary
A one-on-one meeting shows your team that you are interested in what they have to say and are available to talk through any individual concerns that they may have.
If you are a manager that often cancels your one-on-one meetings, that can affect your leadership role with long term problems like:
- A flooded work inbox.
- An increased number of work emergencies.
- A decrease in employee productivity due to a lack of direction from management.
Make your one-on-one meetings a priority. Not only does it show dedication to your team members, it also reduces frustration and confusion in the long run.
3. Set The Meeting Goal
A meeting goal is what you and your employee want to get out of your scheduled talk. Prior to the meeting, the goal should be set by the both of you so that you are all on the same page during and after the meeting.
After the meeting is over, summarize what was talked about in the meeting, how to reach the goal moving forward, and work toward it. Reconvene during the next meeting and check in on how the goal is going.
4. Have The Appropriate Technology In Place
Having the right technology in place throughout the duration of the one-on-one meeting ensures that time is productive for you and each of your team members. You’ll need the following:
Video conferencing Tools:
You have to interact with your team through a screen most of the time since you all are remote. Adding the face-to-face element of video conferencing makes meetings a bit more personal, but there’s nothing more time consuming than playing the “Can you hear me?” game in the middle of a meeting because screens or audio functions keep glitching.
Technical difficulties are bound to happen, most of the time at no fault of the individual. To help to eliminate any tech issues, make sure to use reliable video conferencing tools like Zoom.
Project Management Tools:
Implement project management software like Clickup or Monday.com where you can attach files on a task and leave comments about status updates. Allocating a spot for your team’s project developments leaves you more time to focus one-on-one on your direct report’s development, not the development of their projects.
One-On-One Meeting Software:
As a manager, it is important to have a dedicated place to organize your one-on-one meetings, like Wistia or Loom. All of your meeting notes are accessible to you and your team members so that you’ll both be able to come prepared for every meeting. Having a shared agenda will also make it easier for all individuals on your team to contribute to your meetings while ensuring that everyone is able to voice their opinions.
5. Talk About Growth And Development In Your One-On-Ones
A study showed that when employees have consistent performance feedback from their managers, they become emotionally and psychologically attached to their work.
If you’re a remote manager who is not sure how to start talking about growth and development with your team, try adding one of the following questions to your next meeting agenda:
- Do you feel you’re getting enough feedback on your work? If not, where would you like to receive more feedback?
- Who in the company would you like to learn from? What do you want to learn under their direction?
- How would you like to use your education budget this year?
- Where do you see yourself within the team in the next year?
6. Talk About Non-Work Related Things
One-on-one meetings do not have to be about work from beginning to end. One-on-ones are the perfect arena to set time aside to discuss non-work related things or simply to ask how your employee is feeling. Non-work related conversations are a great way to minimize the feeling of loneliness that can occur when one is working remotely, and it also helps build more trust and rapport with your direct reports.
