Every successful team needs regular pit stops – not for changing tires, but for feedback, personal development and goal adjustments. One-on-one meetings between managers and employees are exactly that: the short but extremely relevant stops that ensure no one is left behind.
In the best-case scenario, of course, it's about more than just "staying on track": good one-on-one meetings can give your team a boost.
Which brings us to the topic: A template for quarterly 1-to-1 meetings between managers and employees.
Incidentally, it can play a major role whether they take place exactly quarterly or have a different frequency – we will come to this in a moment.
Whether in a digital or virtual one-on-one meeting, 1-to-1 meetings offer space for feedback and thus for personal development, which is essential in today's working world.
First of all: If you're still unsure about what good one-on-one meetings look like, take a look at our guide: The guide with 6 tips for successful one-on-one meetings.
Is a quarterly one-on-one meeting frequent enough?
Good question... The frequency of 1-to-1 meetings depends on the size of the team and the individual requirements. For example, if you have a team of ten Direct Reports, a monthly one-on-one meeting is a good frequency. Smaller teams or more intensive projects might also require weekly or bi-weekly meetings.
At the same time, I have also spoken to some managers who have 20 to 30, sometimes even more, direct reports. In this case, it is quite common to only speak to employees in person once a quarter.
It also obviously depends on how well you already know your team. During the familiarization phase, weekly one-on-one meetings are appropriate.
In Agile or Scrum teams, in which regular communication plays a central role anyway, the meetings should be adapted to the existing exchange. Some reflections at an individual level may not be necessary if you discuss how certain bugs arose during the retrospective.
Regular, for example quarterly, one-on-one meetings are only necessary for the individual development of employees. Of course, this can also be useful digitally or virtually if the team is working remotely.
Incidentally, the picture below underlines an important point: more frequent reflection on the status quo also tends to mean a faster rate of change and improvement. 🙂
Good template for quarterly one-on-one meetings (Doc)
The fact that you clicked on this article tells me that you are looking for a doc template for quarterly one-on-one meetings. Corresponding templates can of course have different focuses.
That's why I've saved a doc template for you here, which should be a good accompaniment to the classic quarterly performance review. Further down, I'll give you some ideas on how you can enrich the meeting routine with other questions.
Let's start with the template for quarterly 1-to-1 meetings. You can save it as a Doc under the actual template, but alternatively also as a PDF, Google Sheets or Word document. Simply click on the "Plus" toggle.
Warm-Up
- How was your last quarter from your perspective, on a scale of 1 (very bad) to 10 (very good)?
🏆 Manager topics: Successes & Progress
- A look at your goals: Where do you currently stand?
- What were your biggest successes in the last quarter?
- What have you learned in the last quarter and what skills have you developed?
- How satisfied are you with your personal development over the last 3 months?
- What did not go as planned, and why?
🗣️ Topics of the direct employee (name)
- ...
⚠️ Manager topics: Challenges & Support
- What obstacles did you have to contend with?
- Are there any resources or support you need?
📈 Manager topics: Development & goals
- Are there any new skills you would like to develop?
- How do your priorities match up with the team's tasks?
- What are your key goals for the next quarter?
- How can I help you get closer to your career goals?
Conclusion
- Let's summarize the tasks we noted down in this meeting.
- Feedback: What can I do better to lead you and/or the team?
- Is there anything else we should discuss?
⁉️ Mood check (survey)
Download template as printable PDF
Preview: PDF template
If you would like to download the above sample or template as a printable PDF, simply click on the image below. You can then edit or print the template as you wish.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Word document
Preview: One-to-One Meeting Microsoft Word Template
If you would like to download the above sample template as a Word document, simply click on the image below. You can then edit or print the template as you wish.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Google Docs
Preview: Google Docs one-to-one meeting template
If you want to edit the above sample template as Google Docs, simply click on the image below. You can then edit the template flexibly by copying it.
🚸 Attention: You must be logged in to Google to be able to copy (and thus edit) the template in the menu at the top left.
Click image to open ⬇️
As you can see, the main aim of a quarterly one-on-one meeting is to zoom out. This is often very difficult in everyday life, which is why a dedicated block of time is necessary.
By the way, don't be fooled by the agenda: Basically, your goal should be for your intrinsically motivated employees to bring the majority of the topics to the table themselves.
Now let's move on to a template that takes a slightly more creative approach to the quarterly one-to-one meeting.
“During my 1:1s, it is way too hard to take notes while being focused on the employee.”
"Yes, 1:1 meetings with my employees should be my most important meeting – but I need more guidance for that."
2 more helpful templates for one-on-one meetings (Doc)
Having spoken to around 100 managers over the last few months, I have noticed a pattern.
Many supervisors incorporate small surveys into their one-on-one meetings from time to time. This means that they simply go through a few questions in a relaxed manner and ask the employee a) whether he or she agrees with a statement (for example from 1 to 7) and then b) why he or she answered in this way.
They expect the following from these micro-surveys in 1:1s:
- More variety and engagement in 1-to-1 conversations
- Taking on new perspectives
- Measurability of (soft) KPIs such as satisfaction over time
And of course you can also use this idea for your quarterly one-to-one meeting. I have put together five statements for you here that focus on reflecting on important preconditions for a successful employee.
You can also download this template as a doc, but even better is the following: In our one-on-one meeting software, we have an integrated tool that visualizes the results over time as a metric and gives you tips with an AI assistant – feel free to take a look without logging in using the button below.
⁉️ Mood check (agreement from 1-7): Personal development
- "My work tasks usually progress very quickly, even if external feedback is necessary."
- "If I observe suboptimal behavior, I know how I can constructively draw my colleagues' attention to it."
- "I receive constructive Feedback both to my work and to my personal development."
- "I see an attractive career path ahead of me in the company." #Growth
- "In the last few weeks, I have often been able to use my Strengths at work."
This is what this survey looks like in Echometer:
Download template as printable PDF
Preview: PDF template
If you would like to download the above sample or template as a printable PDF, simply click on the image below. You can then edit or print the template as you wish.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Word document
Preview: One-to-One Meeting Microsoft Word Template
If you would like to download the above sample template as a Word document, simply click on the image below. You can then edit or print the template as you wish.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Google Docs
Preview: Google Docs one-to-one meeting template
If you want to edit the above sample template as Google Docs, simply click on the image below. You can then edit the template flexibly by copying it.
🚸 Attention: You must be logged in to Google to be able to copy (and thus edit) the template in the menu at the top left.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Google Sheets
Preview: Google Sheets one-to-one meeting template
If you would like a template for weekly check-ins as an editable Google Sheet, simply click on the image below. You can then edit the template flexibly and print it out, for example.
🚸 Attention: You must be logged in to Google to be able to copy (and thus edit) the template in the menu at the top left.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Excel or XLXS
Preview: Excel or XLSX template
If you would like to download the above template as a printable or editable XLSX, simply click on the image below. Then you can flexibly edit or print the template.
Click image to open ⬇️
As you can see, the statements address key preconditions of staff that feels happy.
Another prerequisite for healthy, productive employees is, of course, a good manager. Yes, I'm talking about you here.
And of course there are also statements that you can take with you into your one-to-one meeting. Specifically, here are 4 behavioral anchors that you can reflect on in a quarterly one-on-one meeting with your employee.
⁉️ Mood check (agreement from 1-7): Leadership quality
- "I'm really happy with my team leader." #JobSatisfaction
- "My team leader regularly zooms out to see the higher-level Team goalsexplain the strategy and the vision."
- "My team leader questions things in a constructive way." #Feedback #Leadership
- "My team leader sets an example of what he expects from us as a team." #Leadership
This is what this survey looks like in Echometer:
Download template as printable PDF
Preview: PDF template
If you would like to download the above sample or template as a printable PDF, simply click on the image below. You can then edit or print the template as you wish.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Word document
Preview: One-to-One Meeting Microsoft Word Template
If you would like to download the above sample template as a Word document, simply click on the image below. You can then edit or print the template as you wish.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Google Docs
Preview: Google Docs one-to-one meeting template
If you want to edit the above sample template as Google Docs, simply click on the image below. You can then edit the template flexibly by copying it.
🚸 Attention: You must be logged in to Google to be able to copy (and thus edit) the template in the menu at the top left.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Google Sheets
Preview: Google Sheets one-to-one meeting template
If you would like a template for weekly check-ins as an editable Google Sheet, simply click on the image below. You can then edit the template flexibly and print it out, for example.
🚸 Attention: You must be logged in to Google to be able to copy (and thus edit) the template in the menu at the top left.
Click image to open ⬇️
Download template as Excel or XLXS
Preview: Excel or XLSX template
If you would like to download the above template as a printable or editable XLSX, simply click on the image below. Then you can flexibly edit or print the template.
Click image to open ⬇️
17 Clever questions for your quarterly one-on-one performance review
Now you should have a good foundation for your quarterly one-on-one meeting.
And yet I still have more tips for you. Because one thing is your agenda – the other thing is creative questions that you ask in the middle of the battle of words. Especially in quarterly one-on-one conversations, it's worth taking a bird's eye view – and the following list of questions will help you do this.
🧘♀️ One-to-one questions with a focus on positives
- If you could add one responsibility or decision-making power to your role, what would it be?
- Which skill would have the greatest impact on your personal performance if you mastered it?
- What new things have you learned recently (privately or professionally)?
- When was the last time you helped another team member to develop?
- What are the 3 best things you want for yourself professionally in the next 1-2 years?
- When was the last time you experienced a state of flow at work? How easy is it for you to get into flow?
- What would you call the informal role you play in the team and why? (e.g. "Head of Happiness")
- What is currently inspiring you? What currently gives you energy?
🦋 One-to-one questions about improvements
- If you were the CEO of this organization, what would you do differently?
- What are things that drain your energy?
- What are you currently missing in your job?
- If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
- When did you find it difficult to change the context between tasks?
- When was the last time you contributed to a process improvement in our team?
- If you could delegate one of your responsibilities to someone else, what would it be?
- What things slow you down or regularly block your work?
- What question would you ask yourself if you were your coach?
And, can you hardly wait to ask these questions in your one-on-one meeting? Very good, I'm glad.
If you would like more creative input, I can recommend our corresponding article: 129 Good One-on-One Meeting Questions (by a Psychologist).
15 more Templates for One-on-One Meetings (as Doc, PDF etc.)
You've probably already guessed it. Of course, there are many more templates for one-on-one meetings that you will need sooner or later.
For example, I talk about templates for your one-on-one meeting about salary, your conversation with a difficult employee or with a completely new employee.
We have additional templates for all of these use cases, which you can find in this article: 15 Free Proven One-on-one Meeting Templates to Edit & Print
Conclusion: Doc template for quarterly 1-to-1 meetings
First of all, congratulations: if you conscientiously conduct quarterly one-on-one meetings with your employees, you are taking your leadership role more seriously than average.
However, this text should not make you forget one piece of wisdom: There are countless questions you can ask – but the most important thing is that you tailor the interview to your employee.
Our AI meeting assistant for one-on-one meetings can also help you in your conversation. If you'd like to find out more, take a look at our website: The best 1-on-1 meeting software.
Most Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters run in circles...
...fixing superficial symptoms. Time to use psychology to foster sustainable mindset change.
