<p>Published on <a href="http://ift.tt/2oyEUOs">| Prototyping: From UX to Front End &mdash; Medium</a> Sophie Tang <img alt="" src="http://ift.tt/2oz5abB"></p>
<p><em>“Hey Sophie, how’s it going these days? What’s happening?”</em></p>
<p><em>“Pretty good! We have just implemented this XYZ feature, and I’m designing an ABC feature for the next sprint.”</em></p>
<p><em>“Sounds pretty cool! Anything else?”</em></p>
<p><em>“Umm… My parents are in town for a week… We are going to Yosemite…”</em></p>
<p>That’s a typical one-on-one conversation between me and my manager or mentors two years ago. It is still painful for me to remember those interactions; I was agitated the whole time, trying to come up with something that sounded important but had nothing to do with issues that were actually occupying my mind.</p>
<p>As an introvert by nature, I had a hard time opening up and speaking my mind in one-on-one meetings when I started out as a designer. I attempted to shy away from more critical questions, to chitchat instead of diving deep into a topic. At first, I felt relieved when these awkward conversations were done. But over time, I realize that those meetings hadn’t helped me as much as I would have liked them to.</p>
<h3>What is a productive one-on-one meeting?</h3>
<p>So, I decided to change. I set up goals for my one-on-ones, which were, and still are:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Be slightly uncomfortable in the meeting.</strong></li>
<li>Talk about things you wouldn’t usually discuss in other settings.</li>
<li>Learn something new about the other person.</li>
<li>Learn new perspectives on things you care about.</li>
<li>Let the other person learn more about you.</li>
</ul>
<p>The most important rule here is to be <strong>slightly uncomfortable</strong>. If you are not uncomfortable, then you are not addressing anything that matters. It’s never easy to talk about hard truths or issues which you have kept to yourself, and that’s when learning and growth kicks in.</p>
<p>After a couple of unsuccessful trials and a few fruitful yet extremely uncomfortable conversations that followed my script to the letter, I developed a framework to cover the basics and leave flexibility to have spontaneous and inspiring conversations.</p>
<h3>Intro</h3>
<p><strong>Warm up with small talks.</strong> You may wonder whether this is a waste of time, but it’s the best time for you to learn something about the other person, and vice versa. It’s like how people build up new friendships. Though friendship is not a necessity in the workspace, empathy is much appreciated.</p>
<h3>Discussion</h3>
<p>Prepare a few things that you, or the other person, would prefer to discuss face-to-face rather than in any other setting. Do not give work updates or presentations here, because that’s what standups and review meetings are for. Here are a few areas to consider:</p>
<h4><strong>1. What are the top issues on your mind now? How do you solve those issues?</strong></h4>
<p>The most surprising thing I discovered over time is that much of learning happens when observing people doing and talking about their own work. The beauty of it is that you will pick up on their thinking and methods and apply them to your own work subconsciously. Additionally, you will learn about your team and your company. By understanding the challenges people are facing, you can be more helpful and ready to make a bigger impact.</p>
<h4><strong>2. What can I do to better help the situation?</strong></h4>
<p>Growth happens when people start to look outside their assigned responsibilities and take actions that are good for the whole organization. By helping with important issues, you can get exposure to what really matters, push yourself to explore deeper and get more things done, and see the direct results of your hard work.</p>
<h4><strong>3. Talk about things that the other person might not know.</strong></h4>
<p>Be it your top issue at the moment, your new ideas, your concerns about the team/product/process/resources, your career development, etc. Give them a chance to understand your perspective. Seek their feedback and get new ideas on how you can move forward.</p>
<h4><strong>4. Learn something new from them.</strong></h4>
<p>Such as how they made decisions, their past experience, what they would do if they were you in certain situations, etc.</p>
<h4><strong>5. What feedback do you have for me recently?</strong></h4>
<p>Learn about how other people see you, not only what areas you might be able to improve, but also your achievements. Not surprisingly, you will discover something new about yourself.</p>
<h4><strong>6. Explicitly request anything if you feel the need, and have good reasons to back it up.</strong></h4>
<p>These request could be such issues as wanting to attend a conference, wanting to work on something else, or needing more support to get your job done. People are there to help, so discuss with them sincerely and clearly.</p>
<h3>Closing</h3>
<p><strong>Summarize action items based on the conversation</strong>, so both you and the other person have a clear idea of what to do to bring positive changes to you and the team.</p>
<p>To maintain your confidence, outline a plan and stick to it. For the first few times you practice, it’s ok to look at your notes during the conversation. Once you are comfortable enough, let go of the script but follow the direction you set — let the conversation flow naturally and develop your own style of productive one-on-one meetings.</p>
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<p><a href="http://ift.tt/2oyMRmJ">How to Have Productive One-on-One Meetings</a> was originally published in <a href="http://ift.tt/2cAqCpx">Prototyping: From UX to Front End</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.</p>


How to Have Productive One-on-One Meetings

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