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.

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.
Blake
Edwardsville, IL, United States
The music I love the most right now is American Aquarium.
Stephanie
Bogotá, Colombia
One of my favorite books is Atlas of the Heart.
Karen
Hackettstown, NJ, United States
One thing I’m proudest of is my sons!
Maria
Rio, Brazil
One of my favorite books is Barba Ensopada de Sangue (Blood-Drenched Beard)
W.K.
Banduragoda, Sri Lanka
An expression I like is “Love.”
Ericka
Falls Church, VA, United States
One of my heroes is my mom.
Fred
kigali, Rwanda
One of my favorite books is Newton.
Lori Ann
Kelowna, Canada
An expression I like is “Done is better than perfect.”
May
Zandvoort, Netherlands
I take comfort in sitting in the big and beautiful leather armchair I inherited from my grandfather, and reading a book or watching some videos.
Blake
Edwardville, IL, United States
Something I do for fun is play golf.
Alleysha
Detroit, MI, United States
Something that gives me hope is a hug from my 3-year old.
Cynthia
Atlanta, GA, United States
An expression I like is “Kindness is free.”
Elizabeth
Manila, Philippines
Something I do for fun is painting.
Lisa
St. Paul, MN, United States
When I grew up I wanted to be President.
therese
fremont , OH, United States
One of my favorite books is The Book Thief.
Miranda
Brighton, United Kingdom
When I grew up I wanted to be a writer.
Bhaskar
Bangalore, India
On TV I like to watch Friends.
Leona
Bigfork, MT, United States
Something I do for fun is ski.
Sasha
Dauphin, Canada
Something that gives me hope is absorbing sunlight while sitting alone in a forest, realizing the marvel of what’s going on above, below and around me. So much hope in life beyond humans.
Blake
Edwardsville, IL, United States
On TV I like to watch comedies and sports.
Jo
Harrogate, United Kingdom
I take comfort in knowing that if I am organised, open-minded and motivated I will succeed to the best of my ability.
Fabiola
Santiago, Chile
One of my guilty pleasures is reading gossip magazines about international celebrities.
Jody
Cranbrook, Canada
When I grew up I wanted to be a farmer.

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.