The Potential of Structured One-to-One Meetings

In my last post I talked about Active Listening, a useful skill in all walks of life but especially in business. Understanding our clients, our team and networking partners.?Other people 'feel it' when you are paying attention. They 'feel' they are being heard.

In my experience of helping business owners develop a strong network, I’ve found that the best opportunity to practice Active Listening is to be found in the one-to-one meeting. It’s where relationships are forged and built upon. If you really want to build a solid business network my advice would be to set yourself a target number of structured one-to-one meetings each week.?

You set the number but make them purposeful so that you feel the team invested is worthwhile.?Unfortunately, many one-to-one meetings can often feel chaotic and unproductive, leading to frustration and missed opportunities. A waste of time! If that has been your experience, then perhaps you never actually set any expectations for the meeting.?

Embracing a structured approach to these meetings, can transform them into powerful tools for achieving clarity, valuable insights, and driving meaningful outcomes. Let me suggest some practical strategies to bring order and purpose to your discussions.

1?Set Clear Objectives:

Before diving into a one-to-one meeting, set your expectations, define clear objectives. Ask yourself, "What do I hope to accomplish through this conversation?" Establishing specific goals helps create focus and ensures that both parties are aligned on the purpose of the meeting. Whether it's solving a problem, making a decision, or generating ideas, clarity of objectives sets the foundation for a productive discussion.

2. Create an Agenda:

Why not, it is a business meeting after all. An agenda serves as a framework for your conversation. Outline the key topics, questions, or areas of focus you wish to cover during the meeting. Don't be over ambitious in what you think you can cover. Active Listening takes more time than maybe you are used to when your habits have been to 'gloss over' subjects. Share the agenda with the other person in advance to provide them an opportunity to prepare and contribute meaningfully. A structured agenda keeps the discussion on track, minimises digressions, and maximises the efficient use of time. ?

3?Active Listening and Open Dialogue:

Structured one-to-one meetings emphasize active listening and open dialogue.?Rather than interupt, take notes so you can loop back if necessary. Encourage the sharing of ideas, and concerns.?

4?Time Management:

Set realistic time limits for discussions to prevent conversations from dragging on. If a topic requires more time, note it for future meetings or consider scheduling a dedicated session. After a few meetings, you will discover a schedule that works and one that is not over ambitious. One-to-One meetings are not a box ticking exercise.?You’re not going to get a badge!?

5?Capture Actionable Insights:

As discussions unfold, capture actionable insights and decisions. Take a note of key takeaways, action items, and next steps and introduce accountability. This not only helps in tracking progress but also provides a reference for future meetings. Consider using collaborative tools or shared documents to maintain a central repository of meeting outcomes for easy access and follow-up.

6 Follow-Up and Evaluation:

To maximise the value of structured one-to-one meetings, establish a follow-up mechanism. Schedule periodic check-ins or review sessions to evaluate progress and address any outstanding items. Reflect on the effectiveness of the structured approach and gather feedback from both parties to continuously improve future meetings.?

7 Expand the Discussion:

As you become skilled at leading such events you may wish to introduce ‘group sessions’ with your close referral or marketing partners. However, these should not replace one-to-ones as a priority in your schedule.?

One-to-one meetings are much more than just turning up for a coffee and winging it. If you really want better results from your one-to-one meetings you need to take responsibility for establishing a more business like approach to these meetings. Introducing structure in your one-to-one meetings releases their potential to drive meaningful outcomes and foster stronger relationships.?They are that important and most people don’t realise it.?

But that’s just my view. What do you think?