What is an agenda?
Both Managers and Talents can create an agenda ahead of, or during a 1:1 conversation.
Within OpenBlend, the agenda outlines the items that are to be discussed during a 1:1. An agenda can be created without a booked 1:1 in place. When creating an agenda, all changes are automatically saved.
Creating an agenda
For Talents, the agenda can be accessed from the homepage or the left-hand navigation panel.
For Managers, the agenda for a 1:1 can be accessed from the ‘Manage Your 1:1s’ section of the homepage or the left-hand navigation panel for any of your direct reports.
In the case that no agenda exists, the option on the homepage will read ‘Create agenda’.
In the case that an agenda has already been started, the option on the homepage will read ‘View/Edit Agenda’. Creating an agenda consists of:
- Selecting a focus
- Adding agenda items
Selecting a focus for your 1:1
The focus defines at a high level the type of 1:1 to be had. OpenBlend will provide some by default. Your admin may also make some bespoke options available to you.
In most cases, the selected focus will auto-populate the purpose of the 1:1. The ‘purpose’ provides additional information on what is to be achieved in the 1:1. It is possible to update the pre-populated purpose if necessary.
Adding or removing agenda items
Agenda items are listed in the right-hand panel of the agenda screen. Agenda items fall into three categories:
- Suggested
- Topics
- Custom
Under ‘Suggestions’, you will see a list of suggested agenda items. These suggestions are based on settings by your admin and are related to your engagement with the modules available to you. For example, you may have ‘Wellbeing’ suggested to you if you have not updated your ‘Wellbeing’ module in the last 60 days, or there may be items your company thinks are valuable to be discussed in this particular type of 1:1.
‘Topics’ relate to the topics that you have access to and allow you to discuss, for example, Objectives overall, rather than choosing to discuss just one specific objective in the 1:1. You do not have to use the suggested agenda items when you are creating your agenda, they are there as helpful prompts.
Under ‘Custom’, you can create a custom agenda item:
Each suggestion can be added to the agenda by selecting ‘Add to Agenda’. Likewise, items can be removed from the agenda using the ‘trash’ icon.
Agenda items can also be ordered differently from your initial selection order, by clicking, holding, and moving the square of dots on the left of each agenda item. They can be made to recur each time a 1:1 is held by choosing the arrows on the right of each agenda item. The eye icon allows you to view the specific agenda item in more detail on the right-hand side of the screen.
Both managers and talent will be made aware of the contents of an agenda 24 hours before a booked 1:1. Each party is not notified every time changes are made to the agenda. You can edit a 1:1 agenda at any time. In the case that no agenda is in place before a 1:1 has started, it is still possible to create an agenda during a session.
You will see your agenda items:
- In your session booking in your calendar
- When you receive reminders via email and your communications platform
- By clicking ‘View/ Edit Agenda’ on your homepage
Discussing your agenda in your 1:1
A manager or their direct report can start a 1:1 whether a booking is in place or not, by clicking ‘Begin 1:1’. Options to start a 1:1 can be found in the top navigation on the right or the homepage.
It is possible to create an agenda within a 1:1. If you don’t have a 1:1 booked, and you log in and start a 1:1, you will be offered the opportunity to create an agenda in the moment. The system will guide you through this process.
During a 1:1 session, you have an opportunity to discuss items that have been added to the agenda by both parties. Selecting each item will change the right-hand side of the screen to follow a set sequence to discuss each time. Most of these follow the GROW framework.
Once an agenda item has been discussed it will have a green tick next to it. If for any reason an agenda item is not discussed in the current 1:1, it will be carried over to your next conversation and will have a delete option if it is not appropriate for your next 1:1.