WHAT STUDENTS REALLY WANT FROM

ONE:ONE MEETINGS

Krystle Cobian University of Puget Sound

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Phonebooks? Yes. Phonebooks.

The Boss

• Why One:Ones matter• Objective of Study • Methods and Results• Implications of Findings• Concrete Ways to Have Better One:Ones

Session Overview

Image provided by http://www.andymeneely.com/blog/tag/research/

• Fundamental to student staff effectiveness, job satisfaction, and growth

• Our work is often one:oneo “Our work is inefficient by nature.

Most of the great work we do in student affairs happens on a one:one level.” ~Mike Segawa, VP of Student Affairs

• One:one meetings consume a significant amount of time during workweek

Why One:Ones Matter

Why One:Ones Matter

Objective

Document how student staff members experience one:one meetings and identify ways in which

Residence Life staff can contribute to their developmental process

Strategies

1. Logistics• How long, how often, how much talking vs. listening

2. What they wanted from their supervisor• Behaviors, characteristics

3. What they talked about• What they discuss vs. what they want to discuss• Topics brought up in one:ones

• Chickering’s 7 Vectors

Method

= 117

Method

•Focus Group• Provided

more insight and helped explain numerical data

• Number of participants• Demographics and representation

– Ethnicity– Institution type

• Survey Instrument• Time period when instrument was taken• Lack of Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) scores from

students

Limitations to Study

Results

What Students Want from Supervisor

Displays EmpathyGives AdviceDisplays Sense of HumorDemonstrates ListeningMotivatesGives FeedbackInspiresHolds student staff member accountable

72514386

What Students Talk About

Actual Time Spent vs. Ideal Time Spent

Categories• School• Role-related business• Staff team dynamics• Stressful stories• Positive stories• Academic and professional goals• Other

Let’s start with a test question…

CLICKERS

C

Why did you decide to attend NWACUHO’s Conference this year?

1 2 3 4

56%

24%

5%

15%

A) Professional developmentB) Opportunity to network with professionals in the

regionC) Recommended by a colleagueD) Needed a vacation from the students and/or staff

What topic were seniors more likely to discuss compared to juniors and sophomores?

1 2 3 4

5%

71%

5%

19%

A) AcademicsB) Understanding IdentityC) Decision-makingD) Career Plans

What topic do all student staff members discuss the least in one:ones?

1 2 3 4 5

2%

21%

28%

16%

33%A) Interpersonal SkillsB) Ethical DilemmasC) Recognizing EmotionsD) Managing EmotionsE) Personal Values

• Career Plans– 47% sophomores, 81% juniors, 100% seniors

• Ethical Dilemmas are rarely discussed– 34% of all staff

• Understanding Identity– Year in college vs. status in Res Life

• New, Returner, or Returner in a new role

• Extreme differences by institutional type – Ideal frequency– Hobbies– Personal Interests

Statistically Significant Results

On average, males prefer their one:ones to be ___ minutes compared to ___ minutes for females

1 2 3 4

49%

10%5%

37%

A) 23:44B) 34:52C) 38:36D) 45:39

What percent of students who submit weekly reports found them to be either helpful or extremely helpful?

1 2 3 4

16%14%

33%

37%A) 20%B) 30%C) 40%D) 50%

What student staff type discussed decision-making the most in one:ones?

1 2 3

67%

24%

10%

A) New staffB) Returning staffC) Returning staff who came back in a new role

• Gender differences. Sort of.– Ideal Times: Females- 35.5 minutes, Males- 38 minutes– Ideal Conversation Ratio: Females- 57%, Males- 54%

• Weekly Reports are helpful• Decision-Making

– Discussed more overall by staff returning in a new role– 56.9% new, 74.3% returners, 80% returners in a new role

Practically Significant Results

1. What was your first impression when you heard about having one:ones as a new staff member?

2. What are the benefits of your one:ones with your supervisor?

3. How have your one:ones changed as you have gotten to know your supervisor?

4. If you were a supervisor, how would you run your one:ones?

Some of the Focus Group Questions…

“I thought, ‘Ok, my RA position is a job, so this is their way of keeping tabs on what I’m doing.’ It freaked me out a bit at first. I’d say I had a negative reaction.”

“I was sort of nervous–you know, the whole authority figure thing. I thought that [one-on-ones] would be the place where I would be chewed out if anything went wrong. I also thought

it would be great time to ask questions.”

First impressions of one:one meetings…

“I used up all my time and just blabbed and blabbed about everything. I’m now more comfortable asking straight-forward questions rather than beating around the bush. I also don’t have as many work-related questions because they’ve already beenanswered earlier in the year.”

“It used to be a lot more about business, now it’s more about self-reflection.”

How one-on-ones have changed over time…

“I had lots of questions, so I needed a lot of advice and support on how to deal with situations…Just knowing that you can have an informal conversation about a formal topic is really comfortable.”

“It’s a safe space to ask about things you’re uncertain about; you might not ask certain things in a staff meeting because you’re embarrassed. I know personally I’ll talk a lot or ask questions

[in a one-on-one] because I don’t want to take up time in a staff meeting to get those questions answered.”

Benefits of one-on-one meetings…

“In general, it really depends on the student & professional staff member; there’s no one-size-fits-all model for how they should work. It might be helpful for the supervisor and student to talk about how the one:one will be structured.”

“One thing that happens a lot is one:ones getting rescheduled. I think it’s important to have a set time and try hard not to

reschedule or cancel them. It cheapens the one:one and our relationship if it’s always getting moved around. I really value

having one specific time spot each week and knowing that my RD has saved that time for me.”

Suggestions from student staff…

Consider Stopping the Following…

What they DON’T Want WhyRescheduling or cancelling one:ones regularly

Devalues the student’s time

Consider Stopping the Following…

Consider Stopping the Following…

What they DON’T Want WhyRescheduling or cancelling one:ones regularly Devalues the student’s time

Rigid structure Does not allow time for priority issues student wants to discuss

Discussing stressful situations for the majority of the meeting

Feels like venting with no purpose

Talking the entire time One-way conversation is awkwardLong meetings 82% preferred meetings to be < 40 minWeekly meetings 67% preferred bi-weekly meetings“At my school, we did it this way…” Institutional culture matters

Consider Continuing the Following…

What they STILL Want WhyProviding a safe space for staff to ask questions

Students don’t remember everything from training. They’re embarrassed to ask questions in large groups

Posing questions regarding identity High impact area: something about Res Life leads to an increase in understanding ID

Actively listening and providing advice Top two behaviors ranked in survey(students do NOT have all the answers!)

Encouraging self-reflection High impact area based on recent research

ReflectionOpennessSelf ReflectRelax

Un-windHonest

Open Up

Without Judgment Personal Discussion Informal

Consider Continuing the Following…

Enhances• academic performance• leadership development• intellectual self-esteem • psychological well-being• satisfaction with college experience

“One form of pedagogy that has so far beenemployed by very few higher education institutions is contemplative practice, such as meditation and self-reflection. Our data suggest that these practices are among the most powerful tools for enhancing spiritual development.” (Astin, et. al. 2011, p. 156-157)

Benefits of Spiritual Development

Consider Starting the Following…

What they REALLY Want WhyEncouraging staff to schedule a free hour after their one:one

From focus groups: Allows staff to complete any job-related tasks that were discussed

Giving staff a weekly report to fill out before coming to one:one

Allows staff to reflect on their week and lets supervisor keep record

Beginning of year: Explaining what a one:one meeting can look like

Helps staff know what to expect and decreases anxiety and ambiguity

Scaffolding their learning based on time of year Helps to meet staff where they are in development and challenge them to grow

Moving Forward

• Create a more legitimate, focused study based on current findings• Increase validity, incorporate more institutions• One:ones from a student learning outcomes perspective• Do findings apply to advising relationships and departments outside of Residence Life?

Ear. Conclusion:

Small Investments Can Make a Difference

y Want to Learn More?

• Existential Leadership Session at NWACUHO!

References

Astin, A. W. , Astin, H.S., & Lindholm, J.A. (2011). Cultivating the spirit: How college can enhance students inner

lives. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Chickering, A.W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity. San Francisico: Jossey-Bass.

Thank you! Questions? Contact Krystle Cobian at

kcobian@pugetsound.edu

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