1on1 is Decided in the First 10 Seconds - Designing Questions that Turn Small Talk into 'Thinking'

Selection and Variation Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "our company"; Headquarters: Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Nishi-ku, Osaka City; Nishi-ku, Nagoya City / Representative Director and President: Yoshihiro Hirayasu), an organizational and HR consulting firm, announces that it will hold a seminar titled "1on1 is decided in the first 10 seconds - Designing questions that turn small talk into 'thinking'" on Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 14:30 to 15:10.

## Overview
While many companies have adopted 1on1 meetings, it is not uncommon to hear concerns such as "It ends up just being small talk" or "I can't draw out their true feelings."
Behind this lies changes in the relationship between managers and subordinates, and the difficulty in maintaining the right sense of distance. In this seminar, after organizing these issues, we will focus on the "first 10 seconds," which greatly influences the quality of a 1on1.
By changing just a little bit of how you enter a conversation, the subordinate's way of thinking and proactive behavior will change significantly. Through ready-to-use questions and facilitation methods, we will provide easy-to-understand hints on how to transform a 1on1 from a "place to talk" into a "place to think and a place that leads to growth."

## Program
Introduction
- Company introduction
- Instructor introduction
- Purpose of this seminar

Chapter 1: Why do 1on1s go wrong? - Thinking from changes in relationships -
- Common stumbling blocks in 1on1s
- "Things that happen precisely because a relationship has been built"
- Differences between management in the past and present (changes in a sense of distance)
- The importance of separating on and off duty

Chapter 2: How to build future relationships between managers and subordinates - Towards a relationship where you can say what needs to be said while trusting each other -
- "Being on good terms" and "being trusted" are not the same
- The importance of communicating things that are hard to say
- Moving from a hierarchical relationship to a "relationship of thinking together"
- How to create a state where subordinates can express their opinions with peace of mind

Chapter 3: 1on1s change in the first 10 seconds - Ingenuity in how to start a conversation -
- The "atmosphere of the space" determined by how you start speaking
- The difference between small talk mode and thinking mode
- The depth of thinking that changes with the first word

Chapter 4: Basic design of a 1on1 to draw out autonomy - To create a state where they can think and act on their own -
- Three purposes of 1on1s (Business / Growth / Engagement)
- Shifting from "management" to "autonomy support"
- Design differences between 1on1s that function and those that do not

Chapter 5: How to create the first 10 seconds - Questions that create an opportunity to think -
- A single word to convey the purpose
- Listening skills to draw out thoughts
- Questions to make them notice issues
- Ways of interacting that look toward the future

Chapter 6: Examples of ready-to-use 1on1 questions - Hints that can be put into practice from tomorrow -
- Questions that encourage reflection