Skip to main content
1-on-1 conversations

Discover how 1-on-1s can enhance your conversations with managers, direct reports, and colleagues for deeper, more meaningful interactions.

Jessie Walsh avatar
Written by Jessie Walsh
Updated today

Who can use this feature?

  • Users

Available on:

  • All Culture Amp subscriptions.

1-on-1 conversations are designed to enhance your interactions with managers, direct reports, and colleagues. Whether you call them 1:1s, 1-1s, 1-to-1s, or one-on-ones, this tool simplifies preparing for and conducting these important conversations.

Tip: Explore our 1-on-1s FAQs for more information on agenda updates, notifications, manager access, customization, and reporting.

Access and manage conversations


Open an existing conversation

For managers and direct reports, conversations will automatically appear under Your conversations. You do not need to start a new conversation for these interactions-simply click View conversation to open it. These conversations remain active and ongoing.

Start a new conversation

If you need to set up a conversation with someone not already under Your conversations (such as a colleague), you can initiate a new one.

Go to the 1-on-1s page.

Click on New conversation.

Choose your peer and relationship type (colleague, manager, or direct report).

Click Create conversation. A notification email will be sent to the recipient.

Remember: Once created, you can continue a conversation anytime by selecting View Conversation—there’s no need to restart it.

Add and track agenda items


View and prepare

On the 1-on-1s page, you can use the Filter and Sort by drop-downs to easily sort and filter conversations by:

  • Alphabetical order (A-Z or Z-A),

  • Most recent update

  • Relationship type (colleague, direct report, manager).

Click View conversation to open an existing conversation or New conversation if you’re starting a new one.

Add topics

Click Add topic to include discussion points. These topics will carry over to the next meeting if they remain unchecked.

Both parties can update or add agenda items, ensuring a collaborative approach to meeting preparation.

Check-in sliders and highlights & challenges

Check-in sliders and Highlights & challenges appear directly in the agenda, making it easy to update them in preparation for your 1-on-1. Each section includes a Created for tag, indicating which person should complete it.

Complete check-ins

When opening a conversation with your manager, you’ll see check-in questions directly in the agenda. These questions are designed to spark deeper discussions beyond status updates. To respond:

Adjust the sliders.

Click Save to record your updates.

Once you’ve completed a check-in, a dated comparison view will appear, allowing you to track changes from previous entries over time.

Tip: If needed, you can re-add the Check-in sliders or Highlights & challenges manually by clicking the Add topic button.

Highlights and challenges

Both managers and individual contributors (ICs) can fill out the Highlights & challenges section, fostering a collaborative preparation process. Only ICs can fill in Check-in sliders, but both parties can contribute to the Highlights & challenges.

Click the arrow next to the 🎉 Highlights question to reveal the text box.

Note your successes or highlights since the last 1-on-1.

Click the arrow next to the 🚧 challenges or roadblocks question.

Note any challenges or roadblocks you’re facing and how you may need support.

Manage discussed topics

Once agenda items are checked off, they move to the Discussed section and are grouped by date. Historical conversations from previous 1-on-1s will also be dated and displayed, making it easy to refer back to past discussions.

Automatic reappearance of items

Check-in sliders and Highlights & challenges will automatically reappear within 24 hours for your next 1-on-1. A notification will be sent to the person who marked the check-in as complete, with an option to re-add items sooner if needed.

Access and share your agenda


To share your agenda with your calendar:

Click the Calendar link button to choose your calendar (Google, Outlook, or iCal).

Click Create Event.

A link to the 1-on-1 meeting will be included in the meeting details.

Archive or reactivate conversations


Archive a conversation

To archive a conversation:

Find the conversation under Your conversations.

Click the ellipsis (...) icon

Select Archive. Archived conversations remain accessible in view-only mode.

Reactivate a conversation

To reactivate an archived conversation:

Find the conversation under Archived conversations.

Click the ellipsis (...) icon.

Select Reactivate.

Notifications


Both parties receive notifications for new or updated content, ensuring readiness for discussions. Notifications are limited to one per hour to prevent overload. This limit applies to both email and Slack/MS Teams notifications.

Notification triggers:

Trigger

Recipient

Email

Slack

Microsoft Teams

New Topic added

Other Party

Check
Check
Check

Check-in Slider adjusted

Other Party

Check
Check
Check

Highlight or Challenge added

Other Party

Check
Check
Check

Note added to Topic

Other Party

Check
Check
Check

Exclusions: Notifications do not include marking a topic as discussed, reordering a topic, or deleting a topic.

Note: Notifications are translated based on the preferred language set in your user profile.


💬 Need help? Simply reply with “Ask a Person” in a Support Conversation to speak directly with a Product Support Specialist.

Did this answer your question?