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.

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.
Melanie
Zirndorf, Germany
An expression I like is “less is more.”
Birgit
Gent, Belgium
Something I do for fun is several kinds of sports.
Carlos
São Paulo, Brazil
One of my heroes is Batman.
Julia
Salisbury, United Kingdom
One thing I’m proudest of is when my child stopped breathing after a seizure, I used CPR for the first time and probably saved his life.
Andrew
Woodland, CA, United States
On TV I like to watch nature documentaries.
Staci
Woodland, CA, United States
One of my heroes is my mom.
Carla
LIVERPOOL, United Kingdom
Something that gives me hope is the kindness and compassion of the next generation.
Rishi
Munirka, New Delhi, India
I take comfort in traveling.
Noelle
Singapore, Singapore
I like where I live because it has everything I need.
Susanna
Hämeenlinna, Finland
One thing I’m proudest of is my children.
Sheila
BISCAYNE PARK, FL, United States
Something I do for fun is salsa dancing.
Martina
Cologne, Germany
Something I do for fun is cycling.
Andrea
Saarbrücken, Germany
The music I love the most right now is Katzenjammer.

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.