A touch-base meeting, sometimes 1:1, is a routine check-in between a leader and each team member. Depending on the department size, these meetings usually happen weekly, biweekly, or monthly.
In an ideal world, having one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports allows you to monitor projects, set goals, troubleshoot obstacles, give feedback, clarify objectives and expectations, and build relationships with your team.
In practice, however, too many touch-base meetings are wasted time. If your one-on-ones regularly run long, don’t result in substantive discussions, or are something you dread seeing on your calendar, it’s time to make a change.
I think the key to keeping your meetings concise and productive is to send an agenda or pre-established outline that all parties are sent beforehand. This agenda should have questions answered by your direct reports in advance so they arrive at the meeting prepared to discuss it. The questions will vary slightly depending on your needs but should be goal-focused and action-oriented.
Here are some examples of questions you should include on your touch-base meeting agenda. Some of these are questions I successfully used when I managed a large staff. The trick is to ensure that your direct reports work through these questions beforehand so they have answers ready.
Asking open-ended questions like these encourages productive discussion. Please be careful not to overload the agenda with too many discussion points, as keeping the meetings short and sweet is better. Once you find the right combination of talking points for your team, you can start making the most of your one-on-ones.
Action-oriented touch-base meetings with your direct reports are essential to achieving workplace goals. A business coach can help you get more out of your meetings. You can schedule a complimentary coaching session here to improve your meeting management skills.
Coach Dave
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