Check-ins are an approach to encourage each person in a meeting to speak to their peers. One by one, group members respond to a selected question or prompt. Prompts are chosen to elicit who participants are, how they feel or what they think about an almost limitless range of work-related and personal concerns. Leaders use check-ins deliberately to further a group’s development and ultimately, to enable it to perform at the highest level.

What

The check-in is a simple, deceptively powerful tool for collaboration that encourages each person in a group to speak. Check-ins prime the behaviors that make collaboration possible.

Why

Check-ins urge groups toward higher performance. On the way, they help people sharpen their focus, create greater psychological safety, build stronger relationships, and increase commitment to their work.

When

If your group has to accomplish anything—regardless of whether it meets regularly or gathers for a single meeting, whether members know one another well or just met—check-ins can help.

How

Selecting appropriate check-in questions is both science and art. Your job is to select a question that both explicitly and implicitly urges your group in the direction it needs to travel.

Violetta
Rögling, Germany
On TV I like to watch Modern Family.
Shalaka
Pune, India
One of my favorite books is The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck.
Sophie
Hamburg, Germany
Something I do for fun is dancing.
Jim
Gainesville, FL, United States
One of my guilty pleasures is bullet chess.
Dwight
Isleworth, United Kingdom
One of my favorite books is the Bible.
Stephen
Edmonton, Canada
Something I do for fun is play squash.
Tracey
Preston, United Kingdom
When I grew up I wanted to be an actress.
Miriam
Bremerhaven, Germany
I like where I live because there is wind and sky.
Nine
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
One of my favorite books is Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy.
Alix
Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR China
The music I love the most right now is Noughts and Exes.
Nicola
Dublin, Ireland
When I grew up I wanted to be a best-selling author.
Renee
Cincinnati, OH, United States
An expression I like is “it’s a balance.”
Leigh
Maplewood, NJ, United States
One of my favorite books is Dare to Lead by Brene Brown.
Leslie
Minnetonka, MN, United States
Something I do for fun is crochet.
Michelle
Middle Sackville, Canada
An expression I like is “life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.”
Anja
Hamburg, Germany
One of my guilty pleasures is coffee.
Niko
Bonn, Germany
One of my heroes is Nelson Mandela.
Thorsten
Frankfurt, Germany
One of my heroes is Jesus.
Alison
Athy, Ireland
I like where I live because I can see hills, mountains, fields and my kids’ school from my window.
Sherra
Calgary, Canada
When I grew up I wanted to be an archeologist.
Nicola
Dublin, Ireland
I like where I live because it is beside the sea.
Mina
Cincinnati, OH, United States
One of my guilty pleasures is coffee drinks.
Chuck
Nottingham, MD, United States
On TV I like to watch The Office.
Joel
Gothenburg, Sweden
One of my heroes is my mom.
Misty
Ada, OK, United States
When I grew up I wanted to be a doctor.
Yvonne
Selangor, Malaysia
One of my guilty pleasures is eating durian.
Berit
Hutchinson, MN, United States
One of my heroes is my grandma.
Louise
Sheffield, United Kingdom
Something I do for fun is dancing.
Sara
Heidelberg, Germany
When I grew up I wanted to be MacGyver.
Mallory
Halifax, Canada
On TV I like to watch true crime docs.

Your Check-Ins

Richard Cohen
GREAT POND RESOLUTIONS
We all want to get things done in our meetings. Check-ins encourage people to build the kind of relationships that enable them to get things done better: more efficiently, more effectively, and more enjoyably.