Most managers have a loose rhythm for 1:1s but no real structure, and direct reports can tell. A few consistent questions change the whole tone of the meeting, making it easier for people to share what’s actually going on. Here are nine templates worth keeping in your back pocket.

TLDR:

• Monthly 1:1s work best for larger teams with similar roles, scheduled for one hour to cover a full month of ground.
• Start each meeting with a shared wins question. Both you and your direct report should come prepared with an answer.
• Ask about blockers and what feels harder than it should; open-ended questions surface process gaps and culture issues alike.
• Asking direct reports what you could do differently lowers the barrier to upward feedback more than a direct critique request would.
• Close every monthly 1:1 with a personal goal question, because it gives you a built-in conversation starter for the next meeting.

How to use this monthly one-on-one template

Why have 1:1s monthly?

If you lead a larger team of people who are doing similar roles, monthly one-on-one meetings are great. If this is the case, don’t forget to still sync up between meetings via other communication tools. For a look at the different formats worth scheduling, see four types of one-on-ones for managers.

Monthly cadences work well in specific situations. For example, if you manage a team of eight or more people in largely similar roles, weekly 1:1s with every person quickly consume your entire calendar. Shifting to monthly meetings frees up time for group syncs, project work, and cross-functional collaboration, while still giving each person dedicated face time with you. Quantum Workplace’s research on 1:1 meeting frequency confirms that the most engaged employees tend to have either weekly or monthly meetings with their managers, making monthly the right baseline when weekly isn’t feasible at your team size. Sales teams, customer support crews, and large engineering squads often operate this way. The key is pairing monthly 1:1s with lighter touchpoints in between, such as a quick Slack check-in, a shared progress doc, or a brief five-minute chat after a team standup. Those micro-moments prevent a whole month of context from piling up before your next formal conversation.

Monthly 1:1s also encourage a longer-term view of performance and growth. When you meet weekly, conversations can easily get pulled into the immediate, such as what happened yesterday, what is blocked today. A monthly rhythm pushes both manager and direct report to zoom out and talk about patterns instead of isolated incidents. Did a recurring frustration come up three times this month? Is a strength going consistently unrecognized? Are goals that looked reasonable on day one now clearly off-base? These are the conversations that shape career development, and they tend to surface more naturally when there is enough elapsed time to spot trends. The trade-off is that monthly 1:1s require both parties to take light notes throughout the month so nothing important gets lost before you sit down together.

Why one hour?

If you only meet once per month, there’s likely a lot to talk about between each 1:1. By scheduling an hour for this meeting, you’ll give yourselves the time needed to work through the meeting agenda and have meaningful conversations. For a broader look at structuring these conversations, see the ultimate guide to one-on-one meetings.

Think about what a single month contains: performance against goals, at least one or two blockers, feedback in both directions, a personal check-in, and any shifting priorities that came up mid-cycle. A 30-minute slot forces you to rush or skip items entirely. When you skip agenda items two months in a row, direct reports notice, and they start to assume those topics do not matter to you. An hour gives you a buffer so that a candid conversation about workload or a difficult project can run three or four minutes longer without derailing the rest of the agenda. That buffer is the difference between a transactional status update and a meeting where something real gets said.

A practical way to protect the hour: divide it into rough thirds. Spend the first 20 minutes on goals and blockers, where the stakes are highest and both people need to be sharp. Use the middle 20 minutes for feedback questions, covering both the feedback you owe your direct report and the feedback they owe you. Save the final 20 minutes for anything personal, forward-looking, or open-ended. This structure means that if a goal conversation runs long, you still reach the feedback questions with 30 minutes left, not five. It also gives quieter direct reports a natural cue that the meeting is shifting tone, which makes it easier for them to share things they might otherwise hold back. If a month’s conversation only takes 40 minutes, end early. That is a sign things are running well, not a sign you scheduled too much time.

1. What was your work and non-work standout moment of the past month?

It’s always great to start every meeting off on a positive note. Maybe they completed something at work that they’re extremely proud of and excited to share with you. Celebrating workplace wins is a great way to motivate your team.

Asking about a personal win also offers some great benefits. First, it works as a great icebreaker, easing you and your direct report into the meeting. It also allows the opportunity for each of you to learn something new about one another!

Remember that this is a two-way question. You should both come prepared with an answer. ?

2. Goals: How are you tracking and feeling about all things numbers/statistics?

It’s good to keep your goals at the top of the agenda because it allows you to focus on how you can best move the needle. If your direct report isn’t feeling great about the numbers, maybe they’re running into a lot of blockers, or they weren’t realistic in the first place. For tips on how to frame this part of the conversation, see setting a goal for your one-on-one meeting.

When you’re able to discuss your goals on a frequent cadence, it allows you and your team the flexibility to pivot and/or improve processes.

3. What, if anything, feels harder than it should be in your day to day work?

Whether it’s processes that need improving or something is going on in their personal life that requires them to spend more time working remotely. Either way, this question offers a great opportunity for you to surface and discuss any issues that need to be solved.

This question is open-ended enough to allow for a wide range of conversations to spur, from growth-focused ones to workplace culture improvements. For more question ideas to bring into any 1:1, see the top questions managers ask in one-on-ones.

4. How have you felt about my level of presence/support over the past month?

As a leader, you want to know whether or not your team feels supported. After all, employees feel more motivated and engaged in the workplace when they feel like they’re heard and cared for.

This is a great way to ask for specific feedback from your direct reports. Maybe they want to meet more frequently, or maybe they’re happy with your level of support. You won’t know until you ask (and continue to ask!)

5. What is one thing I could experiment with doing differently this month to help you more?

This is a question to ask direct reports. For any employee, upward feedback can be scary and intimidating. However, using a word like “experiment” feels less like a demand or that something is wrong. Instead, it gives off the impression that you’re more open to changing things up. This makes it easier for direct reports to provide valuable feedback.

During this conversation, be curious. Dig for more information. Most importantly, be supportive. Once you receive an answer, make a small commitment and be sure to follow-through. Then, when you meet again a month later, you can ask them how they felt about the change.

6. Do you feel you’re getting enough feedback on your work? If not, where would you like more feedback?

Similar to the previous question, this is another way to help direct reports feel comfortable sharing upward feedback with you. If they don’t feel supported enough, a consistent stream of feedback is a great way to reinforce that they feel this way.

However, remember that every direct report is different, so what is considered frequent or enough for one, could feel very minimal for another. That’s why it’s so important to add this agenda item to every one-on-one meeting across all of your direct reports.

7. What is one thing you’d like to do more of outside of work this coming month?

This is a great question to end off every monthly one-on-one because it gives you a guaranteed talking point for your next meeting. If a direct report shares that they’d like to network more in the next month, it gives you an opportunity to introduce them to valuable and relevant professionals. After a month passes, you can ask, “What was the most memorable conversation you had this past month with people you networked with?”

On the flip side, they can share that they’d like to dance more outside of work. It will give you a fun and personal talking point for your next one-on-one, and you’ll also learn a little bit more about their interests outside of work.

Final thoughts on Getting More Out of Monthly One-on-Ones

Showing up to a 1:1 with good questions is more than half the work. When your direct report knows what to expect, they prepare better, share more, and leave feeling like the meeting was worth their time. A little structure goes a long way toward making that happen month after month.

If you want the action items and commitments from each 1:1 to actually carry over to the next one, Spinach AI captures them during the meeting and routes them to your tools automatically.

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