LOST IN TRANSLATION: THE MANY MEANINGS OF A 1:1
What do we mean when we say ‘1:1’?
Ask a group of managers what a 1:1 is, and you'll probably hear a variety of answers.
For some, it's a wellbeing conversation. For others, it's a performance discussion, a coaching opportunity, or simply a project update.
None of these interpretations are necessarily wrong. But they do raise an interesting question…
When we use the same language, are we actually talking about the same thing?
This question emerged during a recent discussion at our Talent Forum summer festival where I spoke to managers and fellow learning and development professionals. What started as a conversation about check-ins and 1:1s quickly evolved into something broader – a reflection on how language, expectations and people management skills shape the employee experience.
The hidden risk of shared language
Most organisations encourage regular manager-employee conversations. Yet the experience of those conversations can vary dramatically from one team to another.
Terms like check-in, 1:1, catch-up and development conversation are used every day, often with the assumption that everyone understands them in the same way. In reality, they can mean very different things to different people.
A manager might feel they're providing regular support through informal conversations. An employee might be waiting for dedicated time to discuss career aspirations, development goals or performance.
Neither person is wrong. The challenge is that their expectations may not be aligned.
For L&D professionals, this raises an important question – are we spending enough time defining the purpose of these conversations, or are we relying on assumptions?
More than a process issue
The discussion also highlighted the difference between a check-in and a 1:1.
A check-in is often informal and focused on what's happening right now. A 1:1 is more likely to create space for reflection, feedback, development and future planning.
Both have value. The challenge comes when one is mistaken for the other.
Without clarity, managers may believe they're creating meaningful opportunities for dialogue, while employees leave feeling that the conversations they need never quite happened.
And that's where this becomes more than a process issue.
At its core, it's about people skills.
Skills such as listening, empathy, curiosity, feedback and expectation setting help managers create clarity, build trust, and have conversations that matter. Without them, even the best-designed processes can fall flat.
The technical expert challenge
The conversation inevitably turned to another familiar theme – the journey from technical expert to people manager.
Many managers are promoted because of their expertise and strong individual performance. Yet leading people requires a different set of capabilities.
Holding meaningful conversations, coaching performance, balancing wellbeing with accountability and creating psychological safety are all skills that need to be learned and developed.
When managers build these capabilities, issues are addressed earlier, expectations become clearer and relationships strengthen. When they don't, conversations can become transactional, difficult topics are avoided and challenges often escalate unnecessarily.
Questions worth asking
Before introducing another framework, toolkit or meeting template, perhaps it's worth pausing to ask:
What do our managers believe a 1:1 is for?
What do employees expect from those conversations?
How confident are managers in discussing wellbeing, performance and development?
Are we developing people-management skills with the same rigour as technical skills?
Perhaps the real opportunity isn't to create another process.
It's to help managers become more skilled, confident and intentional in the conversations they have every day.
Because whether we call them check-ins, catch-ups or 1:1s, their effectiveness ultimately depends on the person leading them.
And that starts with a simple question ….
When we talk about 1:1s, are we all talking about the same thing?