If you're working remotely or managing a remote team, one-on-one meetings are key to maintaining communication and ensuring everyone is on the same page. It is a great opportunity to connect with your peers and get an update on how they're doing. 

However, not everyone is well-versed in conducting effective meetings, and it might seem hard to get started and even harder to be consistent. But this doesn’t change the fact that regular check-ins are crucial for a team. In fact, according to a survey by Gallup, employees who had more frequent one-on-ones were three times more likely to be engaged at work than those who didn't. 

So here’s your handy guide of 100 tried and tested questions to add to your next 1:1 meeting. 

What should you talk about in one-on-one meetings?

If you're not sure what to talk about in one-on-one meetings, here are some ideas:

• Discuss goals and progress towards those goals.
• Review the work done previously and plan for the upcoming week.
• Check in on how the team is doing and see if there are any concerns.
• Give feedback and receive feedback.
• Discuss any challenges or problems that need to be addressed.
• Brainstorm ideas and solutions to problems.
• Make sure everyone is on the same page and aligned with the project goals.

Further Reading:

• The one-on-one meeting agenda template
• Questions great managers ask
• The benefits of one-on-one meetings

Asking these questions regularly will help you stay up to date on what's going on with your team, identify any potential problems, and provide an opportunity for open communication. Since 1:1 meetings are a crucial part of working remotely, ensure to make them a priority! Here is a checklist of questions that will help you do just that!

Questions about growth and development

1. What are your long-term career aspirations?
2. What are your short-term career goals?
3. What skills do you want to develop?
4. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
5. What areas of improvement have you identified?
6. What are you doing to work on those areas?
7. Do you need any resources to achieve your goals?
8. Who can you talk to for help and advice?
9. What articles/books/other resources have you been reading?
10. What courses or training programs have you been taking?
11. What experience do you want to gain?
12.  Are there any other business areas that you're interested in exploring?
13. What conferences or events have you attended?
14. Any suggestions on how I can help you develop professionally?

Questions about the team

15. How do you feel about the team?
16. Do you have a good rapport with everyone? 
17. Is it difficult/easy to interact with others?
18. What can I do to support you?
19. Are there any challenges or problems that need to be addressed?
20. How do you feel about the project we're working on?
21. Do you have any suggestions for improvements?

Questions about the project

22. How do you feel about the project?
23. What’s the one thing that worked well for you/what didn’t?
24. What do you think went wrong?
25. Are you on track with your goals?
26. Do you need any help or resources?
27. Is there anything that's been bothering you or causing you stress?
28. What can I do to support you with regard to your project?
29. Any suggestions on how we could improve the process?

Questions to help improve communication

30. How do you feel about the communication on the team? 
31. Are you comfortable sharing your problems with your manager?
32. Do you have everything you need to do your job well?
33. Are there any challenges or problems that need to be addressed?
34. How can we improve our communication? Any suggestions?

Further reading: See how you can give constructive feedback to your manager. 

Questions about employee motivation

35. What motivates you?
36. What makes you feel bad about your work?
37. Do you feel burnout or has your productivity declined?
38. What part of your job is the most satisfying and why?
39. If you could change something about your job, what would it be?
40. What makes you feel undervalued/valued at work?
41. Are you being recognized for your work?

Questions to address challenges, roadblocks and concerns

42. What challenges do you see that need to be addressed?
43. How can I help you resolve these challenges?
44. Do you have any suggestions to prevent these roadblocks?

Questions for getting feedback from your manager

45. What do you think of my performance?
46. Any suggestions on how I could improve?
47. Are there any issues from the past that are still unresolved?
48. What can I do to make things easier?
49. What can I do to support the team?
50.  Any suggestions on how I can be more effective?
51. What problems do you see that need to be addressed?

Further reading: How to manage up.

Questions for brainstorming new ideas

52. What do you think about the current project?
53. Do you have any ideas for new projects or initiatives?
54. What do you think about the team's progress so far?
55. Any suggestions on how we could do things differently?
56. What do you think needs a shift or change?

Questions for setting goals and objectives

57. What do you think our team's priorities should be?
58. What do you think our goals should be?
59. What do you think our objectives should be?
60. Are we missing out on anything?
61. Can we improve our current processes?

Questions about work/life balance

62. How's your work/life balance been?
63. Are you happy with how you're spending your time?
64. How do you manage your time?
65. Have you missed a personal event due to workload?
66. What part of your job hinders your life?
67. What are your suggestions for the management to improve your work/life balance?

Questions for managers 

68. What's been going well since we last spoke?
69. Is there anything that's been bothering you or causing you stress?
70. How do you feel about the project we're working on?
71. How do you think we could improve things?
72. What can I do to support you?
73. Are there any skills or knowledge you'd like to develop?
74. What are your career aspirations?
75. What do you think about your progress so far?
76. Do you have any feedback for me?

Here’s an inside manager’s guide to effective one-on-ones. 

Questions about priorities, productivity and strategy

77. What are your top priorities?
78. What do you think takes up most of your time?
79. How well do you manage your time?
80. How can I help you become more productive?

Questions about communication and feedback

81. How do you feel about the way we're communicating?
82. Do you think we should talk more often?
83. How comfortable are you with sharing your thoughts?
84. What can be done to improve communication?

Questions around company culture

85. What do you think about the company culture?
86. Do you feel like you fit in?
87. Do you feel like your work is meaningful?
88. What do you not like about the company culture?
89. What do you like the most about the company?
90. Which organizations do you admire for their culture and why?
91. Do you have any ideas we could implement to make things better?

Bonus! Icebreakers and “getting to know you” questions

92. How are you feeling today?
93. Did you hone any new skills recently?
94. What do you do for fun? 
95. How did your vacation go/what are your next travel plans?
96. How did you get interested in (your work)
97. What's your favorite thing about (your job)?
98. What's been the most challenging part of (your job)?
99. Do you have any hobbies?
100. What's something about you that might surprise people?

One-on-one meetings are a great way to get feedback from your boss or direct report. It's also important to be open to receiving feedback during these meetings. If you're not comfortable with constructive criticism, let your team know. They can help you work on ways to improve your 1:1 meetings.

Remember that asking the right questions will help you get the most out of these meetings, and with the right tool, you can make the most out of your one-on-one. Take a look at how you can conduct your meetings seamlessly with Mesh. 

Book a free demo today!