Engineering Manager One-on-Ones: English Collocations
One-on-one meetings are the core tool of effective engineering management. From holding regular check-ins to surfacing blockers and initiating career conversations, these meetings have their own professional vocabulary. This exercise practises the collocations managers and engineers use in 1:1 settings.
0 / 5 completed
1 / 5
The engineering manager makes sure to ___ a 1:1 with every direct report at least once a week.
Hold a 1:1 is the standard collocation — managers 'hold' recurring meetings as a regular practice. 'Arrange' and 'book' refer to the scheduling step; 'make' is informal. 'Hold' implies running the meeting with intent and structure, not just setting up a calendar event.
2 / 5
During the 1:1, the manager asked the engineer to ___ any blockers before the next sprint planning session.
Surface blockers is the natural 1:1 collocation — 'surfacing' an issue means bringing it into the open from where it may have been hidden. 'Raise' also works; 'mention' is too casual; 'talk about' is imprecise. 'Surface' is the preferred verb in engineering management culture.
3 / 5
The tech lead used the 1:1 to ___ a career development conversation with the junior engineer.
Initiate a conversation is the professional collocation — managers 'initiate' career conversations deliberately and proactively. 'Start' and 'begin' are accurate but informal; 'open' works in written communication but is less common for spoken meetings. 'Initiate' implies ownership and intentionality.
4 / 5
The manager committed to ___ the engineer on any progress made on the promotion case.
Update the engineer is the natural 1:1 follow-through collocation — managers 'update' reports on ongoing topics between meetings. 'Inform' and 'notify' are more formal and often imply a one-time announcement; 'tell' is informal. 'Update' captures the ongoing, iterative nature of 1:1 follow-ups.
5 / 5
During the 1:1, the manager tried to ___ the engineer who had been blocked for several days.
Unblock the engineer is the canonical 1:1 and engineering management collocation — 'unblocking' is a primary managerial responsibility, removing impediments so engineers can proceed. 'Help' and 'support' are broader; 'assist' is formal but vague. 'Unblock' is the precise term in Agile and engineering management vocabulary.