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One-on-one meeting template

1:1 notes that keep progress, feedback and growth in one place

A structure for manager and report check-ins, mentoring sessions and coaching calls: what went well, what is in the way, feedback in both directions and where the person wants to grow — and what the two of you agreed.

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When to use the one-on-one template

Use it for recurring check-ins between two people: a manager and a team member, a mentor and a mentee, a team lead and a new hire in their first months. A 1:1 belongs to the report as much as to the manager, so the notes should show both sides — not only the manager’s to-do list.

The template adds four sections. Wins and progress records what was completed since the last 1:1. Challenges and blockers lists what slows the person down, with the help that was agreed. Feedback notes who gave which feedback to whom, in either direction. Career and growth keeps goals and development ideas visible from one month to the next.

Agreements between the two of you — a process change, a meeting-free afternoon — go into the decisions, and every promise gets an owner. MinutesMaster keeps a respectful, private tone for this template and records personal topics only as briefly as needed. Meetings stay private to your account unless you share them with a team.

At a glance
Built-in template in MinutesMaster
1:1 meeting
Group
Everyday
Default length
Standard
Sections of this template
  • Wins and progress
  • Challenges and blockers
  • Feedback
  • Career and growth

Every template also writes the standard fields: overview, summary, participants, agenda, decisions, action items and the next meeting.

Structure

The structure of one-on-one meeting notes

Four sections for the conversation between two people, on top of the fields every set of minutes has.

Sections this template adds

  1. 1

    Wins and progress

    List

    What went well or was completed since the last 1:1 — shipped work, solved problems, recognition worth remembering.

  2. 2

    Challenges and blockers

    List

    What slows the person down, with the help that was agreed, if any.

  3. 3

    Feedback

    List

    Feedback given in either direction, with who gave it to whom.

  4. 4

    Career and growth

    List

    Goals, ambitions and development opportunities that came up: a skill to build, a project to lead, a course or a conference.

In every set of minutes

Whichever template you pick, MinutesMaster also writes these fields:

  • Overview — one to three sentences on what the meeting was about and what came out of it.
  • Summary — the discussion condensed into a short read for people who weren’t there.
  • Participants — every speaker, with their name and role when it was said in the meeting.
  • Agenda — the topics actually discussed, in order.
  • Decisions — only what was explicitly agreed or adopted, kept apart from proposals and opinions.
  • Action items — tasks with an owner, and a due date when one was stated.
  • Next meeting — date, time and agenda points, if they came up.
  • Detailed minutes — a narrative record in paragraphs, with the times of the important moments.
Example

Example: one-on-one meeting notes, filled in

A 28-minute fortnightly 1:1 between an engineering manager and a backend developer, written up with this template.

1:1 meetingBrowser recording · 28 min · English

1:1 — Laura Mendes and Kai Andersen

Kai shipped the export retry fix and got through on-call without escalations; staging access is still blocked. Both agreed on a heads-up before sprint priorities change, and Kai will outline the migration design as a first step towards a tech lead role.

Summary

Kai opened with the export retry fix, which went live last week and stopped the failed-export tickets. His on-call week had no escalations. He has been waiting six days for access to the staging database, which blocks testing of the invoice changes; Laura will escalate it. Laura praised the clarity of his payment retries design doc and asked him to share drafts earlier. Kai said sprint priorities changed twice mid-sprint without warning, which cost him a day of rework. They talked about his goal of becoming a tech lead within a year; Laura suggested he lead the design review for the database migration in the first quarter.

Participants

  • Laura Mendes — engineering manager
  • Kai Andersen — backend developer

Agenda

  1. Progress since the last 1:1
  2. Staging access
  3. Feedback
  4. Tech lead goal and next steps

Decisions

  • Laura posts a heads-up in the team channel before sprint priorities change.
  • Kai leads the design review for the database migration in the first quarter.

Action items

OwnerTaskDue
Laura MendesEscalate Kai’s staging database access with ITBy Thursday
Kai AndersenDraft an outline of the database migration designBefore the next 1:1
Laura MendesAsk about budget for a backend conference next spring—

Wins and progress

  • The export retry fix went live last week; no failed-export tickets since.
  • On-call week without a single escalation.
  • Kai walked the new hire through code review conventions.

Challenges and blockers

  • No access to the staging database for six days, so the invoice changes can’t be tested. Laura escalates with IT.
  • Two mid-sprint priority changes without warning cost about a day of rework.

Feedback

  • Laura to Kai: the payment retries design doc was clear and easy to review; share the next one as an early draft.
  • Kai to Laura: give the team a heads-up before sprint priorities change.

Career and growth

  • Kai wants to move towards a tech lead role within a year.
  • Leading the migration design review is the first concrete step.
  • Possible backend conference next spring, depending on budget.

Next meeting

Wednesday in two weeks, 14:00 — agenda: migration design outline, conference budget.

Illustrative example: an invented meeting. Names, organisations and figures are fictional; the structure is exactly what this template produces.

Template

Copy the one-on-one meeting template

Plain text you can paste into Word, Google Docs, Notion or an email — or download it as an editable Word file or a PDF.

Plain text
Word (DOCX)PDF
One-on-one meeting notes

Meeting: [ ]
Date and time: [ ]
Place / link: [ ]
Minutes taken by: [ ]
Manager: [ ]
Team member: [ ]

Summary
[ ]

Participants
- [Name] — [role]
- [Name] — [role]

Agenda
1. [ ]
2. [ ]

Wins and progress
- [ ]
- [ ]

Challenges and blockers
- [ ]
- [ ]

Feedback
- [ ]
- [ ]

Career and growth
- [ ]
- [ ]

Decisions
- [ ]
- [ ]

Action items
Owner | Task | Due
[ ] | [ ] | [ ]
[ ] | [ ] | [ ]
[ ] | [ ] | [ ]

Next meeting
[ ]
How it works

Generate these minutes from your recording

Skip the blank page: MinutesMaster writes “1:1 meeting” minutes from the recording itself.

  1. 1

    Bring the recording

    Upload an audio or video file (up to 2 GB), record in the browser or the mobile app, paste a YouTube or Google Drive link, or send the bot to a Zoom, Teams or Google Meet call.

  2. 2

    Choose “1:1 meeting”

    Pick the template when you upload, record or send the bot, or make it your default. Length, tone and sections can be adjusted for a single meeting.

  3. 3

    Review the draft

    The minutes are usually ready a minute or two after the upload finishes. Give each speaker their name once, check the decisions and owners, edit any field.

  4. 4

    Export or switch

    Download Word (DOCX) or PDF, or regenerate the meeting with another template for free — the earlier version stays under Versions.

Tips

Tips for better one-on-one notes

A 1:1 is the one meeting that is about a person rather than a project. The notes should help that person.

  • Let the report own the agenda

    Start with what the team member wants to talk about, then add your own points. The notes then reflect their priorities, not only yours.

  • Write feedback down in both directions

    Feedback the manager receives belongs in the notes as much as feedback the manager gives. Writing down who said what to whom keeps it honest.

  • Come back to growth every few weeks

    Career goals fade when they are discussed once a year. A Career and growth section in every 1:1 turns them into steps you can check.

  • Keep personal matters short

    If someone mentions a health issue or a family event, note only what affects work, such as days off. Ask before recording a sensitive conversation.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do you structure a one-on-one meeting?
Start with the team member’s topics, then go through progress since the last meeting, blockers, feedback in both directions and career goals. End with what you agreed and who does what before the next 1:1.
What should be discussed in a one-on-one meeting?
Wins and progress, what is getting in the way, feedback for both people, and longer-term growth such as skills, projects or a next role. Status updates that the whole team needs fit better in a team meeting.
Who should take notes in a 1:1?
Either person can, as long as both see them. Many teams keep shared notes the report can edit. With a recording, MinutesMaster writes the notes, so neither of you has to type during the conversation.
Is it okay to record a one-on-one meeting?
Only with the other person’s agreement, and it is fine to switch recording off for a sensitive part. Recordings and notes in MinutesMaster are private to your account unless you share them with a team, and are never used to train AI models.
How often should one-on-one meetings happen?
Weekly or every two weeks is common, for 30 minutes or less. Regularity matters more than length: a short 1:1 that always happens beats a long one that keeps moving.
Is there a one-on-one meeting template in Word?
Yes. Download it above as an editable DOCX or as a PDF, or copy the plain-text version into Word, Google Docs or a shared note.
Can I change what the 1:1 notes focus on?
Yes. In MinutesMaster you can set a focus, change the length or tone, turn sections off or add your own — for example “Goals for the quarter” — for one meeting or as your own template.

Related pages

Get your next 1:1 notes from the recording

Record the conversation in the browser or the app, and the one-on-one template fills itself in. 5 free credits, no credit card.

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