Managers: Kona in a 1-on-1 meeting

Kona helps you run more effective 1-on-1s by joining your meetings as a silent observer, capturing insights, and offering personalized coaching based on what actually happens in your conversations. This article walks you through what to expect before, during, and after a Kona-supported 1-on-1.

Recent Kona Enhancement ✨

We've shipped several updates to make your Kona experience smoother and smarter:

• Smarter Meeting Briefs: Morning briefs now skip if the manager or direct report declines the meeting—no more nudges for 1:1s that aren’t happening.

• More Flexible Timing: Kona now joins 1 minute before and stays up to 12 minutes —giving more coverage for late joiners.

• Improved Onboarding: Kona now matches the right calendar and Slack identity more reliably, reducing mismatches and setup errors.

• Cleaner Action Items: No more cluttered views—Kona hides the empty state when suggested next steps are present. You can now also reassign suggested actions directly in the 1:1 view.

Before Your 1-on-1 📅

Get Set Up

To use Kona in your 1-on-1s, make sure you've:

• Before you use Kona in your 1-on-1, please make sure you've gone through the steps in our Kona by 15Five: Setup and Support Guide to ensure Kona has been setup in your account. 
• Synced your calendar with 15Five
• Confirmed your coaching focus area (set by HR or updated later)

Morning Brief

On the day of your scheduled 1-on-1, Kona will send you a morning delivered via Slack (with email backup) message with:

• A meeting agenda overview
• A coaching tip tailored to your focus area
• Any open action items from previous 1-on-1s

You can use this to prepare and guide your conversation.

Go to the 1-on-1 agenda before you meet to review coaching tips, suggested action items, and a recap of your last 1-on-1.

During Your 1-on-1 ⏰

Kona joins your 1-on-1 as a silent participant. You don’t need to do anything differently during the meeting—just show up and lead the conversation as you normally would.

Kona will observe the discussion and capture the following:

• Key discussion points

• Action items

• Behaviors relevant to your coaching focus area

Rest assured: Kona is designed to support you—not judge you. Your direct report will not see your coaching tips, and confidentiality and psychological safety remain a top priority.

During a meeting, you can control Kona with simple commands:

• Type Kona pause to temporarily stop note-taking.

• Type Kona start to resume note-taking.

• Type Kona leave to remove Kona from the meeting. (It won’t rejoin until your next scheduled session.)

After Your 1-on-1 📈

Within a few minutes after the meeting ends, you’ll receive a Slack/Email notification with a link back to your 1-on-1 notes in 15Five which will contain:

• A summary of the meeting notes

• A list of action items

• A coaching tip or reflection tied to your focus area and meeting content

These insights will appear directly in your 1-on-1 meeting view in 15Five.

You can edit or add to the notes if needed, and check off action items as they’re completed. Over time, Kona will use your meeting history to provide even more targeted support.

✅ Tips for Success

• Review your morning brief before each 1-on-1.
• Make time to reflect on the coaching tip post-meeting.
• Use the notes and action items to track follow-up and progress.
• Partner with HR if you want to refine your coaching focus.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓