Kona in 1-on-1 meetings — what managers can expect

Kona joins your 1-on-1 meetings as a silent participant, captures notes and action items, and — depending on your organization's add-on — delivers personalized AI coaching based on what happens in your conversations.

Note: Kona is available in two variants with different capabilities: Kona Meeting Assistant (notes and action items only) and Kona Coach (notes plus AI coaching). The sections below identify which behaviors apply to each.

Feature Structure

Before the meeting

On the day of a scheduled 1-on-1, Kona sends a morning brief via Slack (with email as backup). The brief includes a meeting agenda overview and any open action items from previous 1-on-1s.

Before the meeting starts, you can open the 1-on-1 agenda in 15Five to review coaching tips, suggested action items, and a recap of your last 1-on-1.

During the meeting

Kona joins as a silent participant. No action is required during the meeting.

Kona Meeting Assistant captures key discussion points, decisions, and action items. It automatically starts the 1-on-1 session and syncs notes to your 1-on-1 agenda. No coaching feedback is provided.

Kona Coach does everything Kona Meeting Assistant does, and also listens for behaviors related to your coaching focus (such as recognition, accountability, or feedback delivery). Coaching prompts are delivered only to you — your direct report cannot see them.

During a meeting, Kona Coach responds to these typed commands in the meeting chat:

  • Kona pause — temporarily stops note-taking
  • Kona start — resumes note-taking
  • Kona leave — removes Kona from the meeting; Kona does not rejoin until the next scheduled session

If Kona did not join at the expected time, use the Send Kona to 1-on-1 button. See for instructions.

After the meeting

Kona Meeting Assistant sends a Slack or email notification with a link to your 1-on-1 notes in 15Five. The notification includes a meeting summary, a list of action items, and notes automatically added to your 1-on-1 agenda. Kona also automatically ends the 1-on-1 so you do not need to mark it as ended.

Meeting notes form a continuous record of progress and feed into AI-Assisted Reviews. Private 1-on-1 notes remain confidential and are not made newly visible through AI-Assisted Reviews.

Kona Coach additionally delivers a short reflection or coaching tip tailored to the recent meeting. These appear in Slack or Teams and on your Kona Coach page in 15Five. You can edit notes, add to them, and check off completed action items. Kona Coach uses this data to personalize future coaching guidance.

Key Rules

  • Kona joins only meetings with exactly two participants. Attendee status (required or optional) does not affect this.
  • Only one participant needs Kona access for Kona to join. The direct report does not need a Kona license.
  • Kona access can be enabled only for Managers and HR Admins.
  • Coaching prompts (Kona Coach only) are visible only to the manager — never to the direct report.
  • Transcripts are retained for 30 days for coaching quality assurance, then permanently deleted. HR, admins, and other managers cannot access transcripts.
  • Kona does not record audio or video. It processes meeting transcripts only.
  • If Kona is manually removed from a meeting via calendar, it does not rejoin automatically — even if Auto Join is enabled.
  • Kona does not automatically check off talking points in 1-on-1s. It can add talking points as part of the meeting assistant process.

What You Can Do

Set Up

Use Kona in Meetings

Manage Settings

Understand Privacy and Access

Reporting

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