---
title: "One-to-one notes template"
canonical: https://candor.inc/templates/one-on-one-notes-template
author: Sarthak Singh, co-founder of Candor
date_published: 
date_modified: 
---

# One-to-one notes template

A one-to-one notes template is a form for recording employee topics, earlier manager commitments and agreed follow-ups after a manager-and-employee check-in. Its growth section is led by the employee and keeps their view separate from the evidence discussed. Use it when both people want a follow-up record; it doesn't set company policy or replace a required HR record.

You can join the Candor waitlist at candor.inc. [1]

> Disclosure: Candor is an app that will compete with some products named here. We describe every product, including Candor, from its own documentation, and we'll test them all with the same published method.

> **Short answer**
> - Use it after a recurring employee-manager one-to-one when the people involved want a follow-up record.
> - Keep the employee's topics in their own words where possible.
> - Track manager commitments with their source, current status, and next check-back.
> - Mark suggestions separately from decisions both people confirmed.

Use the Copy button on the blank block, or select it and copy. Google's help explains how to create a Docs file and view other files, such as Microsoft Word files [2]. You can paste the plain text into a new document.

## Template

<!-- template:start -->
```markdown
One-to-one notes

## Meeting details
- Date and time: [Enter what is known]
- Employee: [Name or role]
- Manager: [Name or role]
- Note taker: [Name or role, if useful]
- Source used: [Notes, authorised transcript with timestamp, or other reference]

## Employee topics
Repeat for each topic the employee raised. Preserve their wording where practical.

### Topic [number]: [Short label]
- What the employee raised: [Their words or a faithful summary]
- Work context or example: [Specific project, task, or source; leave unknown if absent]
- Question or concern to revisit: [As asked, or "None stated"]
- Follow-up requested: [What the employee asked for, if anything]

## Manager commitments reviewed
Repeat for each earlier commitment discussed. Add a new commitment only after both people confirm it.

### Commitment [number]: [Short label]
- What was agreed: [Wording from the earlier agreement or source]
- Source and date: [Where and when it was recorded]
- Status: [Done / in progress / blocked / not started / not confirmed]
- Update or evidence: [What changed, with a reference if available]
- Next step: [Agreed step, or "Unknown"]
- Owner and due or check-back date: [Confirm each, or mark unknown]

## Growth check-in
- Area the employee chose to discuss: [Skill, responsibility, or kind of work]
- Work example discussed: [Specific example and source, if available]
- Employee's view: [Attribute this to the employee]
- Observed evidence: [What happened; keep interpretation separate]
- Support discussed: [Distinguish a suggestion from an offer or agreement]
- Question to revisit: [Question and check-back date, if agreed]

## Decisions and follow-up
Repeat for each decision or action. Leave unconfirmed items open.

### Item [number]: [Short label]
- Record type: [Confirmed decision / proposed idea / open question]
- What was said or decided: [Exact wording when it matters]
- Evidence reference: [Note section, transcript timestamp, or document]
- Action: [One agreed next step, or "None agreed"]
- Owner: [Confirmed person, or "Unknown"]
- Due date: [Confirmed date, or "Unknown"]

## Open questions
- [Question that needs an answer, who will check, and when if agreed]

## Review
- Checked by: [Names or roles]
- Corrections still needed: [List them, or "None known"]
- Shared on: [Date, if applicable]
```
<!-- template:end -->

## Filled example

This example is fictional. It records one engineer's topics, an earlier manager commitment, and a growth discussion after the meeting. The suggestion about a future design-review presentation stays separate from the agreed follow-up. Dates and work details are invented for this example.

<!-- example:start -->
```markdown
One-to-one notes

## Meeting details
- Date and time: 19 November 2026, 2:00 p.m.
- Employee: Anika Bose, software engineer
- Manager: Tomas Reed, engineering manager
- Note taker: Anika
- Source used: Anika's notes; no transcript used

## Employee topics

### Topic 1: Slow test feedback
- What the employee raised: “I find out the integration tests failed after I have switched to another task.”
- Work context or example: The payment-sandbox change from the 16 November build; the test report finished after the afternoon handoff.
- Question or concern to revisit: Could the team post the test result in the pull request sooner?
- Follow-up requested: Anika asked to try a smaller change with the test run started earlier.

### Topic 2: Ownership of the retry path
- What the employee raised: “I want to own a small part of the retry design, not the whole service.”
- Work context or example: Retry behavior in the invoice import flow, design note section 2.
- Question or concern to revisit: Which part has a clear boundary for a first change?
- Follow-up requested: Review one bounded change together next week.

## Manager commitments reviewed

### Commitment 1: Get a test report into the pull request
- What was agreed: Tomas would ask the build-tools owner whether the integration-test summary could appear in the pull request.
- Source and date: 5 November one-to-one notes, manager commitments section
- Status: In progress
- Update or evidence: Tomas sent the question to the build-tools channel on 14 November; no reply is recorded.
- Next step: Tomas will ask the owner directly at the team's planning meeting.
- Owner and due or check-back date: Tomas; 22 November 2026

## Growth check-in
- Area the employee chose to discuss: Taking ownership of a bounded design change
- Work example discussed: Anika mapped two retry cases in the invoice import design note, section 2.
- Employee's view: Anika said the error cases were easier to reason about after she drew the request path.
- Observed evidence: The note lists a timeout and a duplicate request as separate cases. The note does not show a production change.
- Support discussed: Tomas suggested that Anika present the two cases at the next design review. They did not assign her the retry implementation.
- Question to revisit: Did the design review give Anika a useful next step? Check at the 2 December one-to-one.

## Decisions and follow-up

### Item 1: Ask the build-tools owner about test summaries
- Record type: Confirmed decision
- What was said or decided: Tomas will ask the build-tools owner whether the test summary can appear in the pull request.
- Evidence reference: Anika's notes, manager-commitment follow-up
- Action: Ask the owner and report the answer
- Owner: Tomas Reed
- Due date: 22 November 2026

### Item 2: Present retry cases at design review
- Record type: Proposed idea
- What was said or decided: Tomas suggested a short presentation; Anika did not accept an assignment in this meeting.
- Evidence reference: Anika's notes, growth check-in
- Action: Confirm with Anika before putting it on the review agenda
- Owner: Unknown
- Due date: Unknown

## Open questions
- Which retry case is small enough for Anika to own? Tomas and Anika will choose one at their next check-in.

## Review
- Checked by: Anika Bose and Tomas Reed
- Corrections still needed: None known
- Shared on: 19 November 2026
```
<!-- example:end -->

## When to use this

Use this after a recurring one-to-one when the employee and manager want a record they can pick up at the next check-in. It fits discussions about current work, manager follow-through, or a skill the employee wants to try. The layout is optional. If your company has a required form or a rule about employment records, use that process.

Use this note to follow a conversation between one employee and a manager. A general minutes template records a group's business and decisions; this page tracks employee-raised topics, earlier manager commitments, and what still needs a check. The [minutes template hub](https://candor.inc/minutes/template) is the broader starting point.

## What to customise

Choose who will write the notes and who gets a copy before the next meeting. Rename “growth check-in” if your team uses different language, or remove it when it does not fit. You can delete the source fields when your organisation has another approved way to point back to meeting evidence. Agree where the record belongs and how your existing policy handles access and retention; this blank form cannot answer those questions for your employer.

Keep the line between “suggested” and “agreed.” A manager saying “you could present this” is a proposal; it does not create an assignment by itself. If someone disagrees with a summary, preserve the disagreement or ask them to correct it instead of silently picking the cleaner version. If you add a rating or performance field, first check that it belongs in this record and that both people understand its purpose. Leave out private detail the next reader does not need.

## Field-by-field guidance

| Field | What to enter | Where to get it | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting details | Date, people, note taker, and source used | Calendar and the person writing the notes | Treating a calendar invite as proof someone attended |
| Employee topics | Their words, a work example, question, and requested follow-up | Employee's notes or what they raised in the meeting | Turning a concern into a finding or conclusion |
| Manager commitments | Earlier agreed wording, source, status, evidence, next step, owner, and date | Prior notes and the person responsible | Treating a remembered suggestion as a promise |
| Growth check-in | Employee-chosen area, work example, their view, evidence, support, and revisit question | Employee's account and the cited work record | Presenting an interpretation as an observed fact |
| Decisions and follow-up | Confirmed decision or open idea, evidence reference, action, owner, and date | What both people confirmed and the source note | Giving an unaccepted suggestion an owner or deadline |
| Open questions and review | Unresolved question, checker, corrections, and share date | The people reviewing the note | Hiding a conflict by choosing the neatest version |

An observation can be checked: “The test report arrived after handoff.” An interpretation needs attribution: “Anika found that timing hard to work with.” A decision needs confirmation from the people who made it. If the note comes from a transcript, the timestamp helps someone find the words again; it does not prove that a suggestion became an agreement. That is why the template asks for both a source and a record type. They answer different questions.

## Voice and AI workflow

After the meeting, dictate a recap or map an authorised transcript into the fields. Start with the source, then place each item where it belongs: an employee topic is not a manager commitment, and a proposed next step is not a decision. Add a transcript timestamp or note section beside each material claim. If the source does not settle a name, decision, owner, or date, leave it unknown. A transcript is evidence of words, not proof that everyone agreed with them.

Remove confidential or identifying data before sending notes to an AI service. Check every name, decision, commitment, owner, and date against the source and with the people involved. If a transcript is not authorised for this use, work from a recap the participants can review instead.

Copy this prompt with the blank template and non-confidential recap or authorised transcript:

```text
Turn the non-confidential meeting material below into one-to-one notes using
the supplied template. Return notes in the template's order. Keep
these fields and their order: meeting details; employee topics; manager
commitments reviewed; growth check-in; decisions and follow-up; open questions;
review.

Preserve employee topics in the employee's words where possible. For each
manager commitment, include the earlier agreed wording, source and date,
status, evidence or update, next step, owner, and due or check-back date.
Separate the employee's view from observed evidence. Mark each follow-up as a
confirmed decision, proposed idea, or open question. Add a transcript timestamp
or source reference when one is available. Keep unknowns unknown; do not make
up names, facts, agreements, owners, or dates.

Before using this prompt, remove confidential or identifying data. A person
must confirm every name, decision, commitment, owner, and due date against the
source and with the people involved before sharing or acting on the notes.

Non-confidential meeting material:
```

## Frequently asked questions

### What's the best way to record notes from 1-to-1 meetings?

Use a structured form that records employee topics, earlier manager commitments and agreed follow-ups after the check-in. Note the source you used, such as your notes or an authorised transcript with a timestamp. The form doesn't set company policy or replace a required HR record.

### How do you make notes on a one-to-one meeting?

Keep the employee's topics in their own words where possible, and track each manager commitment with its source, status and next check-back. Mark suggestions separately from decisions both people confirmed. Write 'Unknown' for any owner or date nobody confirmed.

### How do I get more out of my 1:1 with my manager beyond progress updates?

Raise your own topics and a growth area you chose. In this template the employee leads the growth section, and their view stays separate from the evidence discussed. Earlier manager commitments get a status, an update and a next step, so you can see whether they were followed through.

## What this page can't tell you

This optional layout does not decide what your company should retain, who may read an employment record, or which internal approval steps apply. Check the rules your organisation already uses. No legal or company-policy requirement is asserted here.

## Related templates

The [meeting minutes template](https://candor.inc/minutes/template) covers broader meeting records.

## About this page

Candor is being built as personal voice intelligence for everyone. You can join the Candor waitlist at candor.inc. Candor's own documentation is at [candor.inc/docs](https://candor.inc/docs).

<!-- candor:about start -->
Candor's docs on this page's topic: [What the summary includes](https://candor.inc/docs/meetings/summaries#what-the-summary-includes).
<!-- candor:about end -->

Last checked: 4 November 2026. To report an error, write to support@candor.inc.

## Sources

1. Candor homepage — https://candor.inc/ — checked 2026-11-04
2. Google Docs Editors Help: Create, view, or download a file — https://support.google.com/docs/answer/49114?hl=en — checked 2026-11-04