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.

Elisa
South Jordan, UT, United States
Something I do for fun is running.
Bryony
Aberlour, Scotland
On TV I like to watch Succession.
Stef
Rottweil, Germany
I like where I live because of the nature around the city.
Madeleine
Wateringen, Netherlands
One thing I’m proudest of is dat ik kan verbinden (“that I can connect”).
Andrea
Verona, Italy
I take comfort in sharing a good wine with friends.
Siouxie
Seattle, WA, United States
I take comfort in authentic conversations with friends.
Reinaldo
São Paulo, Brazil
Something I do for fun is sing karaoke.
Matheus
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
On TV I like to watch Futebol.
Carla
São José dos Campos, Brazil
One of my favorite books is Five Principles of Human and Organizational Performance.
Maureen
Palm Beach Gardens, FL, United States
An expression I like is “Where your attention goes, your energy flows.”
Angie
Oakdale, CA, United States
One thing I’m proudest of is my children.
John
Oxnard, CA, United States
One of my heroes is Rocky IV.
Blake
St. Louis, MO, United States
Something I do for fun is grill.
Claudia
Manhattan, CO, United States
One of my favorite books is Glue.
Geoff
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Something that gives me hope is empowered young people.
Raul
Chefchaouen, Morocco
Something I do for fun is cycling.
LUCIANA
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
One thing I’m proudest of is ser boa no q faço (“being good at what I do”).
Cynthia
Cuiabá, Brazil
One thing I’m proudest of is winning over and helping clients.
Emanuelle
Serra, Brazil
Something I do for fun is go to the gym.
Maria
Rio, Brazil
Something that gives me hope is people.
elana
Saint Paul, MN, United States
When I grew up I wanted to be a Bermuda Triangle explorer.
Lidija
Croatia
On TV I like to watch British crime stories.
Laura
Shrewsbury, United Kingdom
One thing I’m proudest of is Florence.
Nooma
Forest Hills, NY, United States
One of my favorite books is Getting Things Done.
Lothar
Blomberg, Germany
Something I do for fun is mountain biking.
Toni
St. Louis, MO, United States
When I grew up I wanted to be a psychiatrist.
Richard
OLYMPIA, WA, United States
The music I love the most right now is the Top Gun soundtrack.
Isabelle
Québec, Canada
The music I love the most right now is Ludovico Einaudi.
Dominic
Wylam, United Kingdom
One of my favorite books is Life of Pi.
Stephen
Stafford, United Kingdom
One thing I’m proudest of is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

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.