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.

Philipp
St. Louis , MO, United States
When I grew up I wanted to be a salesman.
Jennifer
Randolph, VT, United States
Something that gives me hope is the resilience of the natural world.
Kelly
Spokane, WA, United States
Something I do for fun is backpack.
Sam
Somerville, MA, United States
The music I love the most right now is Shordie Shordie.
Dirk
Düsseldorf , Germany
Something that gives me hope is the infinite potential of the universe.
Bel
Adelaide , Australia
One of my favorite books is Wind in the Willows.
Heiko
Holzwickede, Germany
One of my heroes is Dr. Who (“never fail to be kind”).
Andrea
Saarbrücken, Germany
One of my favorite books is Die Ladenhüterin (Convenience Store Woman) by Sayaka Muraka.
Karen
Singapore
When I grew up I wanted to be a teacher.
Tom
Charlottesville, VA, United States
One of my favorite books is Lord of the Rings.
Ulf
Lindau, Germany
One thing I’m proudest of is my children.
Katja
Lindau , Germany
The music I love the most right now is classic.
Kajsa
Ingarö, Sweden
I like where I live because I grew up there.
Szilvia
Budapest, Hungary
I take comfort in mindfulness.
Mukesh
Bangalore, India
One of my favorite books is Thinking Fast and Slow.
Tai
Lisboa, Portugal
One of my guilty pleasures is to eat Chocolicia, a specific chocolate cookie from Brazil that I can’t find anywhere else in the world.
Jeroen
Groningen, Netherlands
When I grew up I wanted to be a rally driver.
Natasa
Istanbul, Turkey
I like where I live because I see the ocean from my window.
Jan
Macleay Island, Australia
Something I do for fun is dance.
Nancy
New York City, NY, United States
Something I do for fun is photography.
Sophie
London, United Kingdom
I take comfort in blankets on sofas.
Carolyn
Brussels , Belgium
One of my guilty pleasures is chocolate.
Adriana
Greeenbrae, CA, United States
I like where I live because of the presence of the redwoods and the closeness to the Pacific Ocean…and the progressive thinking of the people.
Maria Fernanda
Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
One thing I’m proudest of is being the mother of two sweet boys.
Bikundo
Nairobi, Kenya
One of my favorite books is Dare to Lead by Brene Brown.
Trudy
Naples , FL, United States
Something I do for fun is write and record music.
Lotta
Bangkok, Thailand
When I grew up I wanted to be an actress.
Gabrielle
Keansburg, NJ, United States
One of my favorite books is Tuesdays With Morrie.
Michele
Azzano Decimo, Italy
One of my heroes is Batman.
Robert
Tacoma, WA, United States
One of my favorite books is In Cold Blood.

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.