1 on 1s Are The Time To Be Awkward

The 1 on 1 meeting is one of the most important usages of time in the workplace. Even the most junior engineer will generally have at least a 1 on 1 meeting series with their engineering manager. However, 1 on 1 meetings are often completely wasted by software engineers - Here's how to avoid that.

Here are the core points from the video:

• 1 on 1 meetings are the most inefficient way to communicate anything that is non-controversial
  • The main culprit here is detailed status updates. If you're using the majority of the time to share these and talk tactics, you are doing 1:1s wrong.
• The most effective way to leverage 1:1s is to talk about things that are awkward and maybe even make you uncomfortable. Here are some examples of "awkward" topics:
  • Feedback to improve
  • Emotions (both positive and negative)

Related resources:

• Having The Proper Mentality For Manager 1 on 1s
• Effective Communication Guide
• The Art of the Awkward 1:1