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.

Tina
Alfter, Germany
When I grew up I wanted to be a priest, poet, singer, dancer, actor and disco owner.
Stuart
Hillsdale, NY, United States
When I grew up I wanted to be a world citizen.
Eef
Brussels, Belgium
An expression I like is “Het kan verkeren” (It can change).
Tony
Youngstown, OH, United States
An expression I like is “Insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result.”
Paul
Olympia, WA, United States
I like where I live because it’s a progressive, compassionate community.
Katinka
Betschwanden, Switzerland
I take comfort in meditation.
Theo
Rorschach, Switzerland
Something I do for fun is sailing.
Kitrina
Toowoomba, Australia
When I grew up I wanted to be an advertising executive accountant.
Kate
Sofia, Bulgaria
Something I do for fun is sing.
Anna
Vienna, Austria
One of my heroes is Gandhi.
Flávia
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Something I do for fun is crochet.
Francisco
Manizales, Colombia
The music I love the most right now is French cafe music.
Emma
Sergy, France
I like where I live because of the mountains.
Amy
Worthing, United Kingdom
One of my favorite books is The Gargoyle – a fantasy gothic tale which enchants me every time!
Alex
Singapore
An expression I like is “respect.”
Carey
Mount Stuart, Australia
One of my heroes is Martin Luther King.
Yasuteru
Hachioji-shi, Japan
Something I do for fun is karaoke box. I sing and stop freely, record and play. Such a freedom!
Mónica
Santa Rosa de Cabal, Colombia
Something I do for fun is play guitar.
Karin
Vienna, Austria
One of my favorite books is Wolfsfrau.
Roy
Cambridge, United Kingdom
The music I love the most right now is Charles Mingus.
Tomas
Basel, Switzerland
When I grew up I wanted to be a pirate or a detective (and now I use those tendencies to focus on people‘s skills and co-create/detect solutions).
nicolas
Nürnberg, Germany
One of my favorite books is Asterix le Gaulois.
Peter
Basel, Switzerland
The music I love the most right now is JLBJH.
Rouven
Austria
The music I love the most right now is Perota Chingó, because it reminds me of someone (plus it is great music!).
Vicki
Philadelphia, PA, United States
One of my guilty pleasures is watching the Kardishians.
Caroline
King George, VA, United States
An expression I like is “what you see depends on who you are and what you’re looking for.”
Trang
Hanoi, Vietnam
I like where I live because I grew up here and my personality has been defined so much by the food & culture I come from. Being back here means being back to my sources.
Myles
Rhinelander, WI, United States
Something I do for fun is stand up paddle board.
Deb
Calgary, Canada
I like where I live because it is well located and has no sidewalk.
Samantha
Ithaca, NY, United States
I like where I live because of the gorges.

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.