1-on-1s Are Won in the First 10 Seconds: Designing Questions That Turn Small Talk into 'Deep Thinking'

Selection & Variation Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "the Company"; Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Nishi-ku, Osaka; Nishi-ku, Nagoya; President: Yoshihiro Hirayasu; URL: https://sele-vari.co.jp/), an organizational and human resources consulting firm, is pleased to announce that it will hold a seminar titled "1-on-1s Are Won in the First 10 Seconds: Designing Questions That Turn Small Talk into 'Deep Thinking'" on Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 14:30 to 15:10.

Overview While many companies have adopted 1-on-1 meetings, many managers struggle with issues such as "the meetings end up as just small talk" or "I cannot get the employee to speak their true feelings." This stems from changes in the supervisor-subordinate relationship and the difficulty of maintaining appropriate professional distance. In this seminar, we will organize these challenges and focus on the "first 10 seconds," which significantly influence the quality of a 1-on-1. By slightly changing how you enter a conversation, you can significantly alter an employee's mindset and proactive behavior. Through immediately applicable questions and approaches, we will provide easy-to-understand tips to transform 1-on-1s from a mere "place to talk" into a "place to think and grow."

[Click here to register] https://sele-vari.co.jp/seminar/202604231/

Program Introduction - Company Introduction - Speaker Introduction - Purpose of this Seminar

Chapter 1: Why 1-on-1s Fail - Thinking from the Perspective of Changing Relationships - - Common pitfalls in 1-on-1s - "Things that happen precisely because a relationship exists" - Differences between management in the past and present (changes in distance) - The importance of separating "on" and "off" modes

Chapter 2: How to Build Future Supervisor-Subordinate Relationships - Toward a Relationship Where You Can Say What Needs to Be Said While Maintaining Trust - - "Being on good terms" is not the same as "being trusted" - The importance of communicating difficult messages - From a hierarchical relationship to a "relationship of thinking together" - How to create a state where subordinates feel safe expressing their opinions

Chapter 3: 1-on-1s Change in the First 10 Seconds - Ingenuity in How to Start a Conversation - - The "atmosphere of the room" is determined at the start - Differences between small talk mode and thinking mode - How the first word changes the depth of thought

Chapter 4: Basic Design of 1-on-1s to Draw Out Autonomy - Creating a State Where Employees Can Think and Act for Themselves - - Three purposes of 1-on-1s (Operations / Growth / Engagement) - The shift from "management" to "autonomy support" - Design differences between functional and non-functional 1-on-1s

Chapter 5: How to Create the First 10 Seconds - Questions That Trigger Thinking - - A word to convey the purpose - Listening methods that draw out thoughts - Questions that help them realize challenges - Ways of engaging that look toward the future

Chapter 6: Immediately Usable 1-on-1 Question Examples - Tips You Can Practice Starting Tomorrow - - Questions to encourage reflection - Questions to realize challenges - Questions that lead to growth - Ways of engaging that make it easier for subordinates to express opinions Summary *Content is subject to change.

Event Details Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026, 14:30–15:10 Format: Online via Zoom Participation Fee: Free

[Click here to register] https://sele-vari.co.jp/seminar/202604231/

<Notes> * We kindly ask that employees of competing companies, students, and sole proprietors refrain from registering. * This seminar will be held via "Zoom." Please download the Zoom app and check your connection in advance. * Sharing the viewing URL with anyone other than the registrant is strictly prohibited. * Recording, filming, or unauthorized use of seminar materials is strictly prohibited.

Speaker Hiroki Sato After completing graduate school and working at a major construction company, he joined Selection & Variation. He joined the company with the desire to contribute to the sustainable growth of businesses by enhancing "employee engagement" through human resources system design. Since joining, he has been engaged in HR system reform projects for companies such as life insurers, working on system design and analysis.

About Selection & Variation Co., Ltd. An HR consulting firm with high expertise specializing in the "organization and human resources" field. We support transformations that contribute to strategy realization and performance improvement for companies of various industries and sizes, from companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to small and medium-sized enterprises with dozens of employees. We promote transformations related to people and organizations, including corporate HR strategy formulation, HR system design, HR system operation, organizational culture improvement, and executive education.

Supporting reform based on a track record of early adaptation to "job-based employment" President Hirayasu realized the introduction of HR systems compatible with job-based employment for major electronics manufacturers early on, during the era when performance-based HR systems were spreading in the 90s. Since then, while questioning whether companies can truly grow through new graduate mass hiring, seniority-based promotions, regular pay raises, and lifetime employment, and asking "what HR can do to grow the business and generate profit," he has supported the transformation of over 200 companies. Currently, based on changes in work styles and lifestyles due to the COVID-19 shock, we are supporting management transformation to turn crises into opportunities for growth.

Partial list of clients supported since fiscal year 2020 Pharmaceutical industry (TSE Prime listed) IT platformer (TSE Prime listed) Specialized trading company (TSE Prime listed) System development industry (TSE Prime listed) Audit firm-affiliated consulting firm Telecommunications construction industry (TSE Prime listed) Other non-listed companies (manufacturing, service industries, etc.)

[Company Overview] Mission: Making the growth of companies and individuals the norm Company Name: Selection & Variation Co., Ltd. Headquarters: 7F Honmachi Grand Building, 1-2-17 Nishihonmachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0005, Japan Business Description: Organizational and HR consulting Established: March 2006 as a limited company (incorporated in June 2011) Company Website: https://sele-vari.co.jp/