Why it works
1:1s drift into status updates when nobody preps — the manager talks, the report nods, and the real stuff goes unsaid. A fixed prompt before each one hands the agenda to the report and surfaces what actually needs the conversation. The questions never change, so one recurring email runs every 1:1 you'll ever have with that person.
Make it yours
Send it a day before the meeting so there's time to think. Keep it to a few questions — the point is to lower the barrier to raising something, not to create homework.