Table of Contents

1. Make notes leading up to your meeting
2. Come up with ideas and solutions
3. Take notes
4. Allow time for small talk
5. Don’t be afraid to ask too many questions
6. Talk about your career goals

In order to get the most out of your time with your manager, prepare ahead of time to make sure you ask all of the questions you have, talk through all of the hard work you’ve done, and address anything else that is on your mind. 

These tips will help you have an effective meeting with your manager, regardless of the subject matter. 

1. Make notes leading up to your meeting

As you’re going through the week leading up to your meeting, write down any questions or thoughts you have. Oftentimes, when we don’t make note of thoughts, we don’t recall them at the time of the meeting and then they can go unanswered. You can use the note app on your phone, OneNote or Word, a project management site like Trello, or the good old pen and paper method. 

You can also use this to create an agenda of everything you want to talk about, whether it’s listing out upcoming projects or things you’ve completed. 

2. Come up with ideas and solutions

A great skill to have in any position is to be a solution-forward thinker. Whether you are addressing an issue you’ve faced at work or presenting a new project idea, try to have potential solutions heading into the meeting to show your innovation and enthusiasm towards your role or the project. 

3. Take notes

During your meeting, make sure to take notes. Whether your manager talks about new projects with you that you need to take on, resources you can use for work, or ideas you brainstorm together, you want to be able to look back at your notes if you need to post-meeting. 

4. Allow time for small talk

Although it’s important oy have a productive meeting, take some time to talk about how your weekend went, or upcoming plans you’re excited about. This will help strengthen a positive relationship between you two, and learning more about each other’s personal lives can help you both approach each other in the future. 

5. Don’t be afraid to ask too many questions

Ask as many clarifying questions as possible. You want to be sure you leave the meeting fully confident to take on your next task, new responsibilities, or how you need to improve. 

6. Talk about your career goals

This may not need to be discussed in every meeting you have but take some time every once in a while to discuss where you’d like to see your career go in the company or new goals you’d like to achieve. This is also a time where you can develop a plan for the future to get a promotion, gain a new certification, etc..