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.

Chinwe
Lagos, Nigeria
When I grew up I wanted to be a lawyer.
Maria
Pasadena, CA, United States
On TV I like to watch HGTV.
Blake
Edwardsville, IL, United States
Something I do for fun is golf.
Stephen
Brisbane, Australia
One thing I’m proudest of is my kids.
Duran
Boston, MA, United States
One of my heroes is Wonder Woman.
Clara
Berlin, Germany
One of my favorite books is Wer Wir Sind by Lena Gorelik.
Fabiana
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
One thing I’m proudest of is my children.
Olga
Pskov, Russia
One of my favorite books is The Hunger Games.
Rommel
Santa Rosa, Philippines
I take comfort in that I am retired now.
Nicole
München, Germany
I like where I live because it is safe.
Jeff
Chicago, IL, United States
One of my guilty pleasures is cherry pie.
Amber
Granger, Indiana, United States
The music I love the most right now is Dionne Warwick’s “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.”
Max
Munich, Germany
I like where I live because I feel home.
vicky
Hesselager, Denmark
An expression I like is “there is no failure, only learning.”
Ute
Holle, Germany
An expression I like is “knowing is not enough—we must apply.”
Chimwe
Lilongwe, Malawi
One of my favorite books is The 5am Club.
Peter
Toronto, Canada
An expression I like is “the only failure is not trying.”
Sarah
Cleveland Heights, OH, United States
One of my favorite books is One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Michelle
London, United Kingdom
I like where I live because it’s green.
Victor
Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico
Something I do for fun is play video games.
Queana
El Centro, CA, United States
Some of my guilty pleasures are travel and nature.
Karoline
Vienna, Austria
An expression I like is “happy wife, happy life!”
Eric
Post Falls, ID, United States
One of my favorite books is The Bible.
Frans
Brussels, Belgium
One of my favorite books is Rayuela.
GABRIELE
Florianópolis, Brazil
One thing I’m proudest of is “ser boa ouvinte” (being a good listener).
Valérie
Brussels, Belgium
When I grew up I wanted to be an adventurer.
Mihaela
Zagreb, Croatia
Something I do for fun is sailing.
Claudine
Vancouver, Canada
Something that gives me hope is Novah.
Mike
Waterman, IL, United States
I like where I live because I like small town living, but I can be in downtown Chicago in just over an hour.
An
Ghent, Belgium
Something I do for fun is hiking.

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.