Check In Questions
Check in questions for the first minutes of a meeting, a class or a group session, when each person says in a sentence how they are arriving. They are grouped by use: quick ones for any room, fun ones, then questions for team meetings, for students, for groups and for one to one conversations. Each has a note on when it fits and what to do when an answer is heavier than expected, and every one can be passed.
One at a time · 01 of 102
Quick
“In one word, how are you arriving today?”
Why ask it
'Arriving' asks about this moment and not for a verdict on anyone's whole life, which is why a single word is enough. Take each word without comment, 'pass' included. If someone says 'drained', the time to ask about it is after the meeting, one to one.
Want questions from the whole vault instead? Try the random question generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Quick
In one word, how are you arriving today?
Why ask it
'Arriving' asks about this moment and not for a verdict on anyone's whole life, which is why a single word is enough. Take each word without comment, 'pass' included. If someone says 'drained', the time to ask about it is after the meeting, one to one.
Red, yellow or green: what color is your day so far?
Why ask it
Green is good to go, yellow is carrying something, red is struggling, and after the first round nobody needs that explained again. It is fast enough for twenty people. A red gets a quiet word once the meeting is over, never a question on the spot.
What's the weather like inside your head right now: clear, cloudy, foggy or stormy?
Why ask it
Four choices keep it short, though people will invent hail and heat waves of their own. 'A bit foggy' is easier to say than 'I can't concentrate', and a room that is mostly fog is a reason to move the hardest agenda item to later in the meeting, or to another day.
How charged is your battery right now, as a percentage?
Why ask it
Everyone already reads a phone this way, so the scale needs no introduction. When most of a team is under 40 percent by Wednesday, that is a fact about the week and not about the people, and it is worth saying so aloud before moving on.
What do you need most today: quiet, help, time, or something else?
Why ask it
Some people find a need far easier to name than a feeling, and this goes straight to it. Only ask if you can act on at least some of what you hear, even if that is just leaving the quiet-seekers alone until noon.
On a scale of one to ten, how are you doing today?
Why ask it
A plain number is quick to give and easy to compare with last week's, but seven is its version of 'fine'. If a round comes back all sevens, take seven off the menu next time, so people have to choose between six and eight. Nobody explains a low number in public: say thanks and keep going.
What's one good thing from the last 24 hours, however small?
Why ask it
'However small' lets in a decent coffee or a train that ran on time. It lifts a flat morning, but rotate it with other questions, or the group learns that only good news is welcome here.
Thumbs up, sideways or down: how's today going so far?
Why ask it
No words required, which suits a big group, a loud room or a call where half the microphones are muted. Actually look at the thumbs, because a check-in nobody reads is worse than none. Hands kept in laps count as a pass.
Which word fits the pace of your week: crawling, steady, fast or frantic?
Why ask it
Pace is a safe thing to report: nobody has to say they are behind, only that the week is fast. If most of the room says frantic, cut an agenda item or end early, which helps more than a discussion of how busy everyone is.
How present are you right now: all here, half here, or mostly somewhere else?
Why ask it
Admitting to distraction is usually truer than the alternative, and three options make it easy. Someone who says 'somewhere else' has been straight with you, so do not reward it by calling on them cold ten minutes later.
What one thing would make today a good day?
Why ask it
The answers are modest: finish the report, leave on time, eat lunch sitting down. On a day that began badly it turns people toward what is still possible, and some of what you hear will be within your power to arrange.
Which emoji matches how you're doing right now?
Why ask it
On a video call everyone posts at once and the round is over in fifteen seconds. Scroll back through for any that stand out and message that person afterwards. In a room, sticky notes and a marker do the same job.
If your week so far had a newspaper headline, what would it say?
Why ask it
Expect jokes along the lines of 'Local Woman Defeats Inbox', and let them be jokes. Composing one takes longer than picking a word, so save it for a group of ten or fewer, or post it in the chat a few minutes before you start.
Fist to five: how ready do you feel for what we're about to do?
Why ask it
Everyone holds up zero to five fingers at the same instant, so nobody copies a neighbor. Because it asks about readiness for this session and not about mood, it is the safest choice for a group that has only just met.
Are you arriving rushed, calm or somewhere in between?
Why ask it
People come from somewhere: a commute, a school drop-off, the meeting before this one. If most of the room arrived rushed, a slow minute before the first item will get you better attention than starting on the dot would.
What two words would you pick: one for work or school, and one for everything else?
Why ask it
Splitting it in two lets someone say that the job is fine and the rest is hard, or the reverse, without telling a story. The second word is always optional, and neither word gets a follow-up in the round.
Fun
Which animal best matches your energy today?
Why ask it
Sloth, hummingbird, a cat woken from a nap: people tell the truth about their state and get a laugh for it. The animals tend to become a shorthand the group reuses, so 'still a sloth' may be all the check-in you need next week.
What song title sums up your week so far?
Why ask it
People need a moment to scroll through their memory, so post it in the invite or the chat ahead of time. Do not ask anyone to justify 'Under Pressure'; the title already said it.
If your mood were traffic, what are we looking at: open road, slow crawl or total standstill?
Why ask it
Best on a Monday or after a long commute, when the comparison is already on people's minds. A standstill said with a grin is a joke, and one said flatly is a reason to catch that person on the way out.
Which GIF or meme would you post to sum up your week?
Why ask it
Made for a team chat: everyone posts on a count of three and the scroll does the rest. Allow thirty seconds of searching, ask for images people would be happy for the whole organization to see, and let anyone on a phone describe theirs in words.
How many cups of coffee or tea has today needed so far?
Why ask it
A count is the whole answer, and 'none, and it shows' always gets a laugh. It reads the room's energy without using the word. Leave out any remarks about how much is too much, since nobody came for advice on caffeine.
If your brain were a phone right now, which notification keeps popping up?
Why ask it
Answers range from 'dentist at four' to 'did I lock the door'. Saying the distraction out loud can be enough to set it down for an hour, and if it is not, at least the group knows why someone keeps glancing at the clock.
What's your spice level today: mild, medium or handle with care?
Why ask it
'Handle with care' is a way to warn the room that patience is short without it sounding like a threat. Take it at face value: keep requests to that person brief today and save the debate for tomorrow.
What day of the week does today feel like, whatever the calendar says?
Why ask it
A Tuesday that feels like a Friday is good news, and a second Monday in a row needs no translation. It suits the middle of a long stretch, when the week has stopped making sense to everyone.
If you were a houseplant today, would you be thriving, drooping or overdue for water?
Why ask it
People who would never say 'tired' will cheerfully admit to drooping. The obvious follow-up is what counts as water, and it belongs in the round only when the person is plainly waiting to be asked.
Where would you teleport for the next ten minutes if you could be back before anyone noticed?
Why ask it
A beach means one thing and 'my own bed' means another, so you get a mood reading along with the daydream. Keep it moving, since a few people will want to describe the whole trip.
What sound effect would have played as you walked in today?
Why ask it
Invite people to perform theirs if the group is that sort of group, and let anyone who would rather describe it do that. Fanfares and sad trombones are the usual range, and a dial-up modem means someone is still connecting.
Which cartoon or storybook character matches your mood right now?
Why ask it
Children answer instantly and adults take a little longer, then enjoy it more. Characters come with a temperament built in, so one name tells you grumpy, bouncy or anxious without a single feeling word.
How many stars out of five does your morning get, and what's the one-line review?
Why ask it
The review is where the fun is: 'two stars, would not commute again'. In a large group take the stars from everyone by a show of fingers and reviews from three volunteers.
If your to-do list were a creature, how big is it and is it friendly?
Why ask it
'Small and tame' and 'enormous, with teeth' tell a manager or teacher what a status report hides. The practical use is simple: whoever has the biggest creature is the last person to be handed anything new today.
What would your out-of-office message say if it told the truth today?
Why ask it
Save it for a team that already jokes together, on a day when everyone is plainly worn out. The laugh is real and so is the information underneath it, so notice who says they are at capacity until further notice.
What's the best thing you've eaten since we last met?
Why ask it
Not a mood question at all, which is its use: some weeks a group is tired of being asked how it feels. Everyone has an answer and none is wrong, and the person who says 'I can't remember sitting down to eat' has told you about their week anyway.
Team meetings
What's your top priority this week, in one sentence?
Why ask it
One sentence is the rule that makes it a check-in and not a status report. When two people name priorities that collide, do not solve it in the round: note it and put it first on the agenda.
Did yesterday go to plan, mostly to plan, or not at all?
Why ask it
Built for a daily standup: three options and no story. When 'not at all' becomes the usual answer, look at what keeps interrupting the plan before you look at the people.
What's standing between you and your most important task today?
Why ask it
'Nothing' is a happy answer here, so say so before the round starts. Whoever can remove an obstacle says 'that one is mine', and the two of them sort out the details once the meeting is over.
If someone handed you one more task today, would you have room for it?
Why ask it
People answer this more truthfully than 'how busy are you?', because it is concrete. Ask it before work is handed out, not after, and treat a no as information and never as a lack of commitment.
What do you need to walk out of this meeting with?
Why ask it
Each person names the decision or the answer they came for, while there is still time to reach it. If nobody can name anything, that is a fair sign the meeting could have been a message.
Is there anything you need from someone in this room this week?
Why ask it
The round becomes a quick exchange of requests: a review, an introduction, ten minutes of someone's time. Keep each ask to a sentence and let the two people arrange the rest between themselves.
What's changed since we last met that the rest of us should hear about?
Why ask it
This is where the news comes out that otherwise surfaces forty minutes in, after a decision has been made without it. 'No change' is a complete answer and often the most welcome one.
Is there anyone you'd like to thank before we start?
Why ask it
Open the floor instead of going person by person, because a compulsory thank-you is worth nothing. Two or three specific ones take a minute and change the tone of what follows. If the floor stays silent, offer one yourself and carry on.
How confident are you that we'll hit this week's goal, from one to five?
Why ask it
Have everyone show their number at once. A spread of fives and twos means the team does not share a picture of the work, and that gap is the first thing to talk about. Ask the low numbers what they are seeing, not why they are negative.
What deadline or decision is weighing on you most this week?
Why ask it
Pressure is easier to name as a date or a decision than as a feeling. When the same deadline comes up from several people, deal with the deadline. When it is one person's alone, ask them afterwards what would help.
Which part of this week's work are you looking forward to, and which part are you dreading?
Why ask it
Dread often points at a task that is unclear, not hard, and five minutes of clarifying can take it off the list. Anyone may give only the looking-forward half.
Do you need to leave early, step out or keep half an eye on something else today?
Why ask it
Pure logistics, and kinder than it looks: the person waiting on a call from school or a delivery no longer has to pretend. Nobody owes a reason. Ask it first, so that an early exit is not read as a walkout.
What's one word for how the project feels right now?
Why ask it
A word about the project costs less to say than a word about yourself. 'Slippery', 'stuck' and 'quiet' are each worth a follow-up later in the meeting. Collect the words on a board if you want to compare them next month.
What would you like more of from this team this week: input, quiet, speed or patience?
Why ask it
Four options keep it quick and stop it turning into criticism of anyone in particular. Remote teams get a lot from it, since nobody can see that a colleague has their head down. Repeat back what you heard at the end so the requests are not lost.
Where are you working from today, and how's the setup treating you?
Why ask it
On a hybrid or remote team it tells the group who is on a train with bad signal and who cannot be reached after three. It also gives the people working alone at a kitchen table a moment of company.
What three words sum up your weekend?
Why ask it
The Monday question, capped at three words so nobody has to account for their time off. 'Quiet', 'too short' and 'mostly laundry' are all good answers, and a word like 'rough' is left exactly where the person put it.
What are you saying no to this week so the main thing gets done?
Why ask it
Hearing a colleague say 'no new requests until Thursday' gives everyone else permission to do the same. A person who cannot name anything is probably saying yes to all of it, and that is something a manager can help with after the meeting.
What are you carrying over from last week that you'd like to finish or drop?
Why ask it
'Or drop' gives permission to say that a task has stopped mattering. A manager who hears the same carry-over three weeks running should either clear time for it or cancel it.
What are you glad to be done with this week?
Why ask it
Ask it at the last meeting of the week. People name the report, the audit or the difficult call, the room gets to exhale, and you learn which kinds of work cost each person the most.
Students
How's your brain this morning: wide awake, warming up, or still asleep?
Why ask it
Three choices that even a tired student can manage, answered by a show of hands so the whole class is done in half a minute. A room that is mostly still asleep is a reason to begin with something active and leave the hardest explanation for later.
If your mood had a color today, what would it be? You don't have to say why.
Why ask it
Younger students pick fast and older ones get inventive: 'beige', 'the green of a bruise'. Leave the meanings to them and do not decode a dark color in front of the class. Coloring a square on a slip of paper works for those who would rather not speak.
Which fits you right now: I've got this, I need a hand, or I need a minute?
Why ask it
Three ready-made phrases let a student ask for help or for space before either turns into a problem. 'I need a minute' only works if a minute is truly available, so decide beforehand what that looks like in your room.
If you drew a face to show how you feel right now, what would it look like?
Why ask it
The youngest classes can do this before they can name a feeling, and so can any student who finds feeling words hard. Have them draw it on a whiteboard or a scrap of paper and hold it up. If a face puzzles you, 'tell me about your drawing' at a quiet moment beats guessing.
How are you feeling about today's test: ready, nervous, or please don't ask?
Why ask it
The third option gets a laugh and is often the honest one. Take it by a show of hands, tell the class how many others felt the same, and spend two minutes on the kind of question they fear most before you hand out the paper.
How full is your backpack of worries today: empty, a few things, or stuffed?
Why ask it
Children understand the image at once, and it asks how much, not what, so nobody has to unpack the bag. A student who says 'stuffed' two days running should get a moment alone with you or with the school counselor.
Is anything making it hard to concentrate today? You can write it instead of saying it.
Why ask it
Hunger, noise, a falling-out at lunch, a test next period: much of it you can fix by moving a seat or giving five minutes. For the rest, knowing still beats reading the student as lazy, and a written answer keeps it between the two of you.
Would you rather start today with something easy or get the hard part over with first?
Why ask it
Only ask on days when you can honor the vote, because this check-in hands the class a real choice. The split tells you about the room's nerve that day, and a class that chose the order has less to grumble about.
Do you want to be called on today, or would you rather listen first?
Why ask it
A thumbs up or down at the start of class, or a colored card on the desk. It costs you nothing to respect for one lesson. If the same student opts to listen every day for weeks, ask them about it one to one, and ask what would make speaking easier.
What's one thing you're hoping happens at school today?
Why ask it
'Pizza for lunch' and 'I get picked for the team' are both real answers, and each shows what that student's day turns on. If someone cannot think of anything, a kind word does more than a prompt to try harder.
What's something you're proud of from this week, in school or out of it?
Why ask it
'Or out of it' matters to the student whose week at school was nothing special but who taught a little brother to ride a bike. Take a few volunteers and never go down the rows, because being made to produce an achievement on demand feels like a test.
How much sleep are you running on: plenty, enough, or not nearly enough?
Why ask it
Take it as information and never as the opening for a lecture about bedtimes. If most of an older class is short on sleep in exam week, put the demanding work early in the lesson and keep instructions short.
What's something that made you laugh this week?
Why ask it
A lighter start for a Friday or the lesson after a test. Have students tell a partner first, then take a few for the whole class, which keeps the quiet ones from being put on the spot. Jokes at another student's expense get stopped at once.
Since yesterday, have things gotten better, worse or stayed the same?
Why ask it
Useful the day after a hard one, for a class or for a single student, because it follows up without making anyone retell the story. 'Worse' is your signal to find a private minute with that student before the day ends.
What are you looking forward to after school today?
Why ask it
Practice, a game, a nap, a younger sibling to pick up: you find out what your students' lives hold outside the building. Be ready for 'nothing', and let it stand without comment in front of the others.
On your way out: was today better, worse or about what you expected?
Why ask it
A check-out for the door, answered with a word or by dropping a slip in one of three boxes. Compare it with the morning's check-in when you have both. A run of 'worse' from one student is worth mentioning to their advisor or homeroom teacher as well as to the student.
Groups
What's your rose, thorn and bud this week: one good thing, one hard thing and one thing you're looking forward to?
Why ask it
A person having a bad week still has a bud, and a person having a great one is asked to find a thorn, so nobody is stuck without an answer. Allow about a minute each, which means groups of eight or fewer. The thorn can be skipped, no reason needed.
What's your name, and what brought you here today?
Why ask it
Use it at a first session or whenever there are new faces. 'Curiosity' and 'a friend made me come' are complete answers. In any kind of support group the reason can be very personal, so say plainly that a name on its own is enough.
What are you bringing into the room with you today?
Why ask it
Open on purpose: people answer with a mood, a piece of news, a headache or a cake. Because it does not specify feelings, a group that would resist 'how are you feeling?' will often answer this without fuss.
What would you like to leave at the door while we're in here?
Why ask it
Good before a session that needs concentration. The person names the thing and nobody discusses it; some groups write it on paper and literally leave it by the door. If what is named sounds serious, acknowledge it and offer to talk once the session is over.
What's a high and a low since we last met?
Why ask it
It suits a group that meets weekly or monthly, since there is always something to report. Make clear that the low can be as small as a parking ticket. When a low is big, thank the person, pause a moment, and ask whether they would like to say more now or later, then respect the answer.
What's your intention for this session, in a few words?
Why ask it
'To listen more than I talk', 'to finish one thing', 'to stay off my phone'. Saying it in front of others gives the person something to come back to at the end. It fits workshops, retreats, study groups and practice sessions better than routine meetings.
How much do you feel like talking today: a lot, a little, or mostly listening?
Why ask it
The facilitator learns who to invite in and who to leave in peace, straight from the people concerned, and quieter members are off the hook for the whole session. Honor it: do not call on a declared listener.
Who or what are you grateful for this week?
Why ask it
A steady ritual for groups that meet often, from volunteer teams to youth groups. Keep it voluntary, since a person in a hard stretch may have no patience for it. Small and specific beats grand: a ride from a neighbor, a dry day.
What's one thing you did for yourself this week?
Why ask it
In a group of caregivers, parents or volunteers, where everyone looks after somebody else, the honest answer is often 'nothing'. Receive that kindly and do not turn it into homework. A walk, an early night and saying no to something all count.
Is there anything the group should know about how you're doing today?
Why ask it
What it invites is context without detail: 'I'm tired, so I may be quiet', 'I had good news and I'm distracted'. That heads off wrong guesses about someone's silence or mood. Most weeks most people will say no, and that is the question working.
What's something you've been looking forward to telling this group?
Why ask it
It needs a group with some history, where members save things up between meetings. Good news and progress tend to come out, and the wording treats the group as people who want to hear it.
What has stayed with you from our last session?
Why ask it
One meeting gets linked to the next, and the facilitator finds out what landed, which is not always what was planned. Those who missed the session, or remember nothing, can pass or say what they hoped to hear about.
What feeling is loudest for you right now?
Why ask it
Wait until a group has met a few times and has agreed to speak more openly. 'Loudest' admits there can be several feelings at once and asks only for the one on top. The facilitator's job is to hear it and say thanks, not to interpret it or settle it.
Is there something on your mind this week that you'd like the group to hear in a sentence?
Why ask it
One sentence is a kindness to the speaker as much as to the clock: it lets someone say the thing without having to hold the floor. Do not let the group rush in with advice. Ask the person afterwards whether they want any.
What one word describes how you're leaving today?
Why ask it
A check-out that takes a minute at the end. Comparing the leaving words with the arriving ones is the simplest feedback a facilitator gets. If someone leaves on a hard word, catch them before they go.
What's one thing you'll take with you from today?
Why ask it
Each person names something concrete: an idea, a task, a sentence someone said. It works as a closing round or on sticky notes by the exit, and 'I need to think about it' is allowed.
One to one
How are you doing, and would you like to give the short answer or the real one?
Why ask it
Offering the choice says that 'fine' is allowed and that more is welcome. Then wait, because the real answer tends to come after a pause. Do not ask it five minutes before your next meeting: if they choose the real one, you need the time to hear it.
What's on your mind that we should make time for today?
Why ask it
It hands the agenda to the other person before your own list takes over, which is why it comes first in a manager's one to one. Whatever they raise, deal with it before your items, even if that means yours wait a week.
Is your workload at a level you could keep up for another three months?
Why ask it
The three months is what makes it answerable. Most people can sprint for a week and will say so. A no deserves a specific next step from you: something moved, dropped or delayed, with a date.
What's one thing I could take off your plate or unblock this week?
Why ask it
'One thing' makes it easy to ask for something small and real. Write it down in front of them and report back at the next check-in, because an offer that goes nowhere teaches people to stop asking.
Do you have what you need for this week's work: information, access, equipment?
Why ask it
Naming the three kinds prompts the answer a general 'need anything?' never gets: the login still pending, the figures from finance, the laptop that drops calls. These are often the cheapest problems a manager can fix, so fix one the same day.
What's taking more energy than it should right now?
Why ask it
This is where the friction a status update never mentions comes out: a clumsy process, a tense working relationship, a task nobody explained. It is not always something you can fix. Ask whether they want help with it or only wanted to say it.
Is there anything you've been waiting for a good moment to bring up?
Why ask it
Ask it in the middle of the conversation, not in the last two minutes, when there is no time for the answer. Whatever follows, the first response is thanks for raising it.
Which part of your work has felt most worth doing lately?
Why ask it
A check-in should not only hunt for problems. The answer shows what to protect when priorities shift, and if the person struggles to name anything at all, that tells you more than a complaint would.
What would you like to be learning that your current work doesn't give you?
Why ask it
Growth gets crowded out of check-ins by whatever is due on Friday, so ask it about once a month and not weekly. Offer one concrete thing in reply, such as sitting in on a call, a small piece of a different project or an hour with someone who does that work.
How are things outside of work, as much or as little as you'd like to say?
Why ask it
The person sets the depth, and that is the point of the wording. 'All good' closes the topic and you leave it closed. If they share something hard, listen, ask what would help at work, and leave the advice about their life out of it.
Do you feel clear about what's expected of you this month?
Why ask it
It sounds like a planning question, so people answer it honestly, and a hesitant yes is a no. Follow it with 'what would make it clearer?' and fix the vagueness yourself instead of asking them to cope with it.
When did you last take a proper break, and is another one in sight?
Why ask it
Time off is the subject here, not health, so never use it to hint that someone looks tired. If the answer is 'I can't remember', help find dates before the conversation ends.
What would you like from me today: advice, a decision, or just someone to listen?
Why ask it
It suits any pair: manager and report, mentor and student, two friends. Then do only the thing they chose, which is harder than it sounds when you have opinions.
Is there something I did or didn't do recently that made your work harder?
Why ask it
Only a person with more authority can ask this, and only if they can hear the answer without defending themselves. Say thanks, fix what you can, and say what you fixed. The first honest answer may take a few weeks of asking to arrive.
What's one thing you're worried might go wrong in the next few weeks?
Why ask it
People hold back an early warning because they are not yet sure. Treat the answer as a favor and not as pessimism, and decide together whether the worry needs action now or only watching.
How did the thing we talked about last time turn out?
Why ask it
Remembering is most of what makes a regular check-in worth turning up to. Keep a line of notes after each conversation, so that you can ask about the client call or the exam by name and not as 'the thing'.
How are you finding things lately: easier, harder or about the same?
Why ask it
Loose enough for a mentor, a tutor, a coach or a parent, and it compares now with before instead of asking for a grade. 'Harder' needs one follow-up, 'which part?', and then patience.
How connected do you feel to the rest of the team these days?
Why ask it
Mostly for people who work remotely or joined recently. A low answer is not a complaint about anyone. Offer something concrete, such as pairing them on a piece of work or making an introduction, instead of telling them to speak up more.
What did we not get to today that should go first next time?
Why ask it
Most one to ones run out of time, and this is the question for the last minute of one. Write the answer at the top of the next agenda while they watch. It also catches the topic someone was working up to.
How to run a check-in
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Running the round
Say what it is and how long it takes
Tell people the question, the length of answer you want and the total time: 'one word each, two minutes, then the agenda'. A check-in with no stated limit makes the people who want to get on with things resent the people who are answering.
Make passing ordinary
Before the first answer, say that 'pass' is a full turn, and when someone passes, say thanks in the same tone you use for everyone else. Do not come back to them at the end to ask if they are ready now. A check-in people cannot decline is a demand, and the answers turn polite and empty.
Go first, at the depth you want back
Whoever runs the round answers first and sets the level. If you say 'fine', so will everyone. If you say 'a bit stretched, it has been a long week', others have permission to be that honest and no more. Do not overshare to make the point: a leader's long story becomes something the group has to look after.
Thank, do not fix
The whole response to a check-in answer is 'thank you' or a nod. No advice, no follow-up questions, no jokes about someone's word. The round is for hearing where people are, and anything that needs a conversation gets one afterwards.
Count heads before you choose
With more than ten people use a word, a number, a color or a gesture, or have everyone type at once on a call. Questions that take a few sentences to answer, such as rose, thorn and bud, belong in groups of eight or fewer, or in pairs who report nothing back to the room.
Four ways to run it
The two-minute word round
Pick a question tagged Quick and say it once. Name who starts and which way the round travels, so nobody has to wonder when their turn is. Each person gives a word or a number, or says 'pass', and you respond to none of them. When the last person has spoken, say thank you and start the first agenda item straight away.
All at once, for big or remote groups
Ask a question whose answer is a number, a color or an emoji. In a room, count to three and have everyone hold up fingers or a thumb together. On a call, have people type and press send on your count. Say one sentence about the overall picture, such as 'mostly yellow today, so we will keep this short', and message anyone whose answer stood out once the meeting ends.
The written check-in for a class
Hand out slips or open a private form as students come in, with one question from the Students section and a line that says 'or leave it blank'. Collect them within the first two minutes and read them while the class starts its first task. Speak quietly with any student whose slip asks for it before the lesson ends. Read them every time: a class soon works out whether the slips are looked at, and stops writing on them if they are not.
Check in, check out
Open with an arriving question and close with a leaving one, such as the one-word check-out in the Groups section. Put the two sets of words side by side and you can see whether the session helped, drained or changed nothing. It suits workshops, retreats and any group that meets on a schedule.
When an answer is heavy
Receive it and keep the round going
Sooner or later someone answers 'red', 'stormy' or 'my father is in the hospital'. Say 'thank you for telling us' or 'I'm sorry to hear that', leave a short pause, and carry on to the next person. Stopping the round to discuss it puts the speaker at the center of a conversation they did not ask for.
Follow up in private, the same day
Find the person afterwards, alone, and say what you heard: 'you said stormy this morning, do you want to talk or would you rather I left it?' Either answer is acceptable. What matters is that the check-in led to something, because an honest answer that is met with silence will not be given twice.
Know where a check-in ends
A check-in tells you how someone is arriving. It is not counseling, and the person running it is not expected to solve what they hear. If an answer leaves you worried about someone's safety or wellbeing, follow your school's or employer's procedure and bring in the person whose job that is, such as a school counselor, an administrator or human resources.
Support, therapy and recovery groups
People also look for check-in questions for group therapy and for recovery meetings. Nothing on this page is clinical, and none of it replaces the format a program or a trained leader already uses. A facilitator of a support group chooses and adapts questions for their own group: what its members have agreed to, how long they have known each other, and what the group is for. The Groups section is a starting point for that choice and nothing more.
When check-ins stop working
Everyone says fine
A row of 'fine' and 'good' means the question is too open, the room is too big for honesty, the same question has been asked every week until people answer without thinking, or the last honest answer went badly. Switch to a scale or a color, where a middling answer is easy to give, change the question while keeping the slot, and think back to how you reacted the last time someone said they were struggling.
The round turns into a status report
At work, 'how are you arriving?' drifts into 'what I am working on' within a few weeks, because tasks are easier to talk about than people. If you want the status, ask for it separately. To get the check-in back, pick a question that a task list cannot answer, such as the battery or the weather, and answer it yourself first.
It runs long
Ten people answering a story question takes fifteen minutes. Decide the time first and choose the question to fit it, and if a round is running over, say 'a word each from the rest of us' without apology.
Tuesday's answer turns up on Thursday
A low battery mentioned at a check-in does not belong in a performance review, a report home or a joke later in the week. People answer honestly on the understanding that the answer stays in the round. Once someone finds theirs repeated elsewhere, expect one-word answers from the whole group for a long time, and expect to have earned them.
The same answers, and nothing moves
If the team says frantic three weeks running and the workload stays the same, the check-in becomes a ritual of complaint. Act on one thing you hear, however small, and say that you did. If you cannot change anything, say that too, because people can tell the difference between 'I heard you and I am stuck' and silence.