Day 2: How to Make 1:1 Meetings Productive When There’s No Rapport (Yet)
5 tips for running good meetings when you barely know each other or just haven’t connected
Not every working relationship is a warm, trust-rich relationship. Today, we’re diving into how to hold productive 1:1 meetings with colleagues you don’t know very well yet or just haven’t connected with.
What’s coming up today:
5 tips for running good 1:1 meetings with people you don’t have a rapport with
A useful reminder about how connection forms between two people
A single action item to help you put this into practice
Welcome to Day 2 of the 5-Day Mastering 1:1 Meetings Challenge.
Yesterday we talked about what separates a 1:1 worth holding from one you’re relieved to skip – naming the purpose, knowing whether you’re running a task meeting or a trust meeting, and saying it out loud at the top of the call. All useful, once you know the person you’re meeting with reasonably well.
But what do you do when you don’t?
Maybe you just inherited the team. Maybe they just joined. Maybe something shifted and there’s a new layer of distance between you that wasn’t there before.
Whatever the reason, you’re sitting across from someone you don’t have much of a working relationship with yet, and you still have 30 minutes to fill with something useful. How do you make it a productive meeting for both of you? That’s what today’s about.
Before we begin: If you did just inherit a team, or a few roles turned over recently, it might be worth stepping back to check how the team as a whole is operating. Our free Team Dynamics Quiz is a two-minute assessment that measures team effectiveness and shares specific tips if there’s room to improve.
As a reminder, here’s where we stand in this challenge:
Day 2: How to Make 1:1s Productive When There’s No Rapport Yet (You Are Here)
Day 3: How to Deliver Hard Feedback in a 1:1
Day 4: What to Do When Your Team Member Isn’t Engaged
Day 5: Bridging Personality Differences in 1:1 Meetings
5 Tips for Running Good 1:1 Meetings with People You Don’t Have a Rapport With
You can’t wait for warmth to show up before working with someone – sometimes warmth develops over time, but sometimes, for some reason, it simply never blooms.
Here are five tips for running good 1:1 meetings when you don’t have much of a rapport with your team member.
