As a Tech Lead in an international environment, 1-on-1 meetings are one of your most powerful tools — but they only work if you can run them with confidence in English. For many Vietnamese developers stepping into leadership, the technical side feels fine, but the human conversation side can feel awkward or scripted.
This guide gives you the exact phrases, vocabulary, and a ready-to-use structure so your next 1-on-1 sounds natural, professional, and actually helpful.
Why 1-on-1s Matter in International Teams
In distributed or international teams, 1-on-1s are often the only private space where a team member can raise concerns, ask for guidance, or share ambitions. If you run them well, you build trust quickly. If you skip them or run them like a status update, you lose influence as a leader.
The goal is simple: make the other person feel heard, supported, and clear on direction.
A Simple 3-Part Structure
Part 1 — Open (2–3 minutes)
Start with a warm, low-pressure opener. Avoid jumping straight to tasks.
“How’s everything going? Anything on your mind this week?”
“Before we get into updates — how are you feeling about the current sprint?”
This signals that the meeting is about them, not just your agenda.
Part 2 — Explore (10–15 minutes)
This is the core of the meeting. Dig into what matters using open-ended questions:
“What’s been the most challenging part of your work lately?”
“Is there anything blocking you that I could help remove?”
“How do you feel about the feedback you got on the last PR?”
Listen more than you talk. When they share something difficult, don’t rush to solve it immediately. Try:
“That makes sense. Tell me more about what happened.”
“I can see why that was frustrating. What do you think would help?”
Part 3 — Align and Close (3–5 minutes)
End with clear takeaways — who does what by when.
“So just to recap: you’re going to reach out to the design team about the layout, and I’ll follow up with the PM about timeline. Does that sound right?”
“Is there anything else you need from me before next time?”
🗣️ Key Phrases to Say Out Loud
Practice these until they feel natural. Say them aloud 3 times each:
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“How are you feeling about your workload right now?” — /haʊ ɑːr juː ˈfiːlɪŋ əˈbaʊt jər ˈwɜːkloʊd raɪt naʊ/
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“What’s been on your mind this week?” — /wɒts bɪn ɒn jər maɪnd ðɪs wiːk/
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“I want to make sure you feel supported.” — /aɪ wɒnt tə meɪk ʃʊər juː fiːl səˈpɔːrtɪd/
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“That’s a fair point — let me think about how we can address that.” — /ðæts ə fɛr pɔɪnt — lɛt mi θɪŋk əˈbaʊt haʊ wiː kæn əˈdrɛs ðæt/
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“Is there anything blocking you that I should know about?” — /ɪz ðɛr ˈɛniθɪŋ ˈblɒkɪŋ juː ðæt aɪ ʃʊd noʊ əˈbaʊt/
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“Let’s make sure we’re aligned on priorities.” — /lɛts meɪk ʃʊər wɪər əˈlaɪnd ɒn praɪˈɒrɪtɪz/
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“I appreciate you being open with me about this.” — /aɪ əˈpriːʃɪeɪt juː ˈbiːɪŋ ˈoʊpən wɪð miː əˈbaʊt ðɪs/
📚 Vocabulary
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| workload | /ˈwɜːkloʊd/ | amount of work assigned | ”Your workload looks heavy this sprint.” |
| blocker | /ˈblɒkər/ | anything preventing progress | ”Is there a blocker I can help remove?“ |
| aligned | /əˈlaɪnd/ | in agreement, on the same page | ”We need to be aligned before the sprint starts.” |
| acknowledge | /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/ | to recognize or accept | ”I acknowledge that the deadline was unclear.” |
| growth | /ɡroʊθ/ | development, improvement | ”Where do you want to focus your growth this quarter?“ |
| ownership | /ˈoʊnərʃɪp/ | responsibility for a task or area | ”You have full ownership of this module.” |
Pronunciation tip for Vietnamese speakers: “workload” — the r is silent-ish but colors the vowel. Say “wurk” not “wok”. “Acknowledge” — stress the second syllable: ak-NOL-ij.
🎯 Practice Now
Dialogue: First 1-on-1 with a New Team Member
Read both roles aloud. Then repeat, switching roles.
[You = Tech Lead / TM = Team Member]
You: “Hey Minh, thanks for joining. How’s your first week been?”
TM: “Pretty good! A lot to take in, but I’m enjoying it.”
You: “That’s normal — there’s always a ramp-up period. Is there anything that’s been confusing or unclear so far?”
TM: “Actually, yeah — I’m not totally sure how the code review process works here.”
You: “Good question. Our process is: you push a PR, assign me or Linh as reviewer, and we try to review within one business day. We use comments to discuss, and we prefer to approve with nits rather than block on minor things. Does that make sense?”
TM: “Yes, that’s helpful. Should I wait for approval before merging?”
You: “Yes, always. We merge to main after at least one approval. I’ll send you a link to our team norms doc — it covers all this.”
TM: “Perfect, thank you.”
You: “Anything else on your mind? Career-wise, learning goals — anything you want me to know?”
TM: “I’d like to grow toward system design eventually.”
You: “Great. Let’s talk about that more next time — I’ll keep it in mind when assigning tasks. Thanks for being open.”
Quick Substitution Drill
Replace the blanks to make the phrases your own:
- “I want to make sure you feel __________ in this role.” → (supported / challenged / heard)
- “What’s been the most __________ part of your week?” → (challenging / rewarding / frustrating)
- “Is there anything I can do to help you __________ faster?” → (ramp up / deliver / grow)
⏱️ 5-Minute Drill: Say This Out Loud Right Now
Set a timer. Read this script aloud, naturally, like you’re in the actual meeting:
“Hi, thanks for making time. How’s everything going? … Good to hear. I wanted to check in — how are you feeling about your current workload? Is anything blocking you? … Got it. That’s actually something I can help with — let me talk to the PM and see if we can adjust the scope. In terms of your growth, is there anything you’d like to focus on this sprint? … Okay, that sounds great. Let’s recap: I’ll follow up on the timeline, and you’ll start the refactor after the ticket is scoped. Anything else before we wrap up? … Perfect. See you next week.”
Read it again, but slower this time. Focus on stressing the right words:
- “I wanted to check in”
- “Is anything blocking you?”
- “Let me talk to the PM”
Natural stress makes you sound confident, not robotic.
Final Thought
Running great 1-on-1s is a skill — like writing clean code, it gets better with practice. The phrases above aren’t just “English formulas” — they reflect a mindset: curiosity, respect, and clarity. As a Vietnamese tech lead working internationally, showing up prepared and human in these conversations is one of the fastest ways to earn trust and build a strong team culture.
Start your next 1-on-1 with: “How are you feeling about your workload right now?” — and actually listen to the answer.