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One-on-One Meeting Template (Markdown)

A one-on-one meeting template built as a single running document per person. The employee's topics come first, feedback goes both ways, and action items carry over from week to week. Copy it, download the .md file, or open it in a wiki.

Free to use, no attribution required (CC0).

Open in Folio demo

1:1 — {{Employee}} and {{Manager}}

Shared by the two of you only. Newest meeting goes on top, under "Meetings".

Standing notes

  • Cadence: {{weekly / every two weeks}}, {{day, time}}, {{length}}
  • Goals this quarter: {{1–3 goals}}
  • Strengths to use more: {{...}}
  • Working preferences: {{how they like to get feedback, communicate, be recognised}}
  • Longer-term interests: {{where they want to grow}}

Questions to use when the list is empty

  • What is on your mind this week?
  • What is blocking you, and what would unblock it?
  • What are you proud of since we last met?
  • What feedback do you have for me?
  • What would you like to learn next?

Meetings

{{YYYY-MM-DD}}

Check-in — {{How are you doing? One line.}}

Their topics (first)

  • {{Topic}}
  • {{Topic}}

My topics

  • {{Topic}}

Blockers

  • {{Blocker}} — {{what would help}}

Feedback

  • To {{Employee}}: {{...}}
  • To {{Manager}}: {{...}}

Growth — {{One question or one step towards a goal}}

Action items

  • {{Action}} — {{Owner}}, by {{YYYY-MM-DD}}
  • {{Action}} — {{Owner}}, by {{YYYY-MM-DD}}

Carried over from last time: {{open actions to review at the start}}

Next meeting: {{YYYY-MM-DD}}

{{Previous date}}

Keep earlier meetings below. Do not delete them: the history is the point.

Want to see it as a real wiki page? Open this template in the Folio demo, where it is a normal Markdown page.

How to use it

  1. Step 1: Create one document per person and share it. Both of you edit the same file. The top section holds standing notes (goals, working preferences); the meetings go below, newest first.

  2. Step 2: Add topics during the week, not in the meeting. Both people drop agenda items into "Topics" as they come up. The employee's items are discussed first.

  3. Step 3: Close every meeting with actions and a next date. Write down who does what by when, then read the open actions from last time at the start of the next meeting.

What makes a good one-on-one

It is their meeting. The employee sets most of the agenda. Status updates belong in a status report, not in a one-on-one. If the manager talks for most of the hour, the format has drifted.

It is a running document, not a fresh page each time. A history of previous topics lets you see patterns: the same blocker three weeks in a row, a goal nobody has touched. Keep the newest meeting on top.

Feedback goes in both directions. Reserve a line for feedback to the manager. If it is always empty, ask a direct question: "What should I do differently?"

Growth gets its own slot. Without a recurring "growth" item, career conversations get pushed out by urgent work. Ask one question per meeting, even briefly.

More templates

Meeting notesDecisions and action items first, raw discussion below. One owner and a date per action.Onboarding checklistFrom the week before day one to day 90, an owner for every task and a knowledge check.SOPPurpose, scope, roles, numbered steps with expected results, exceptions and a review date.
All templates

Questions

How often should one-on-ones happen?
Weekly or every two weeks is the common range, for 30 to 60 minutes. Choose a rhythm you can keep. A regular short meeting works better than a long one that gets cancelled.
What should we talk about in a one-on-one?
Whatever is on the employee's mind first, then blockers, feedback, priorities, and growth. Avoid using the time for task-by-task status unless the employee asks for help.
Is it safe to keep one-on-one notes in a shared document?
Share the document with the two participants only, and keep sensitive subjects (compensation, performance concerns, personal circumstances) out of it or in a restricted page. Decide together what gets written down.
What if there is nothing to discuss?
Use the standing questions at the top of the template. If the topic list is empty for several weeks, move to every two weeks or change the format, for example a walking meeting, rather than cancelling.
Should the employee see the manager's notes?
In this template there is only one shared set of notes, so yes. If a manager needs private notes about someone, keep them separate and short, and never write anything you would not say to the person's face.

Updated 11 October 2026.

A private, shared page per person, in Git

In Folio a one-on-one document is a Markdown page, and access can be limited to a single page, so only the manager and the report see it. Action items are real checkboxes, @ mentions point at people, and the page history shows what was agreed and when.

Open in Folio demoInstall FolioFolio on GitHub