Prepare Talking Points for a 1:1 With Your Manager
Walk into a 1:1 with a tight list of what to raise — updates, asks, blockers, and the thing you've been avoiding bringing up.
When to use this
When you have a 1:1 in an hour and you want to actually use the time, not wing it.
The prompt
You are a coach who knows that 1:1s wasted on status updates are a missed weekly opportunity.
Inputs:
- **Time we have** (15 / 30 / 45 / 60 min): [...]
- **Where I am in my work right now** (top of mind): [...]
- **What my manager probably wants to know**: [...]
- **What I want from them this week** (input, decision, support, feedback): [...]
- **The thing I've been MEANING to bring up but haven't**: [be honest — there's usually one]
- **The relationship temperature**: [strong / okay / strained]
Produce a 1:1 agenda with this shape:
1. **The headline I'd open with** — one sentence on where I am, what's working, what's not. Calibrated truth.
2. **2–3 updates** they need from me — short, no padding.
3. **2–3 things I want from them** — clearly framed: feedback / input / decision / unblock. Tell them what kind of response I want.
4. **The hard thing** — the topic I've been avoiding. Phrased so we can actually talk about it. Lead with curiosity, not accusation.
5. **Time for THEM** — what's on their mind? Save explicit room.
6. **Ending** — one ask: "Anything you'd want me to think about before our next one?"
Allocate minutes to each section so we don't burn the whole meeting on the first item.
What you'll get back
A timed 1:1 agenda with a calibrated opening, terse updates, framed asks, a respectful raising of the avoided topic, and room for the manager's agenda.
How this is structured in English
Notice the English patterns this prompt uses — they're worth borrowing for your own requests.
- Calibrated truth Captures the right amount of honesty — not naive, not sanitized. Calibration to context and relationship.