Prep for a 1:1 in five minutes

Most 1:1s go one of two ways. Either you walk in cold and spend the first ten minutes remembering what you said last time, or you over-prep with a document nobody asked for. There is a middle path that takes about five minutes and makes you look like you actually care about the other person’s week.

I use one short chat before almost every catch-up. Not a performance review script. Not a therapy session. Just enough structure that I am not winging it.

What you feed it

Paste three things, nothing fancy:

1. Last meeting’s notes, even if they are messy.
2. Anything that happened since (Slack threads, emails, a decision that landed).
3. One line on what you want from this meeting (a decision, a status check, or just a proper catch-up).

If you have no notes, write three bullets from memory. Bad notes beat no notes.

The prompt

Copy this and swap the brackets:

You are helping me prep a 1:1 with [name], who is [role / relationship].

Here are my notes from last time:
[paste]

What has happened since:
[paste]

What I want from this meeting:
[one sentence]

Give me:
1. A 4-bullet agenda I can share at the start
2. Two open questions that are not status checks
3. One thing I should follow up on from last time
4. Any risks or awkward topics I should not ignore
Keep it short. UK English. No fluff.

What good output looks like

You want something you can glance at on your phone while the kettle boils. Four agenda bullets. Two real questions. One follow-up. That is it.

If the model gives you a essay, tell it: “Halve this. Make it something I can read in 30 seconds.”

Two rules that keep it human

Do not let the AI write your empathy for you. If someone mentioned a hard week last time, you say that in your own words. The tool is for structure, not for sounding caring on your behalf.

And do not share the AI output as the agenda without reading it. You own the meeting. The chat just stopped you from walking in blank.

A Tuesday habit

I do this while coffee is brewing, usually the morning of. Five minutes. Phone on the side. Walk in with four bullets and two questions. The meeting runs shorter, and people notice you actually listened last time.

Try it once this week on a catch-up you would normally wing. See if the first ten minutes feel less wasted.

For the next step, try The 5-minute meeting wrap-up and Teach your future self.

FAQ

What do I paste into the prompt?

Last 1:1 notes, open actions, and anything that changed this week. Rough notes are fine.

Will this make the meeting feel scripted?

No. Use it as a starter agenda, then follow the other person’s lead.