#015 Start With A Check-In
We’re all human — some days are going to be better than others.
It’s the middle of July, the middle of winter, and not-yet-the-middle of another lockdown here in Melbourne.
It’s a tough time for many of us, physically and mentally.
While some of us feel the need to, and are able to, continue with life as usual, others may be feeling the need to slow down and create space to process the feelings that come with living through great change.
Today, I’m in the latter camp.
Today, I’m struggling to put my thoughts in order and show up with a smile on a video call.
But I’m lucky — because I am in a space where I can share that with the people I’m working with, and know that it’s okay. (Thank you to the incredible people in the Coalition of Everyone.)
So today, I want to talk about the humble check-in, and how it can be a powerful tool in giving teams permission to be however they are, on that day.
So, what’s the big idea?
Checking-in is a concept used by many facilitators to open a workshop or gathering. Through a series of short questions that each participant answers individually, the intent is to bring people’s attention and focus to the current task, acknowledge distractions that may be present and contribute towards psychological safety within the group.
Importantly, it’s also a chance for each person to speak at the beginning of the meeting. This gets people comfortable speaking in front of each other and can help ease the tension of speaking later in the session.
On a more practical level, while many of us are working remotely, getting everyone to speak at the beginning also helps to quickly identify audio or visual tech problems too!
Getting Started
There are heaps of great resources out there on how to run a check-in, depending on the time you have, the familiarity of the group working together and what you’d like to address.
Some things to think about might be:
🗓️ When — is a check-in appropriate in your work everyday, every week, or for important, collaborative meetings only?
⚙️ How — how much time do you have to check-in? How will people respond to the questions? How will people know (and remember) what the questions are? How will you get each participant to speak (and in what order)?
✋ Who — who leads the check-in, who decides when one is helpful? If this is to be a new practice in your work, who will make them a consistent thing?
❓ What — what do you want to check-in on? What context is important to set at the beginning of this gathering? What is going on outside of work right now?
Some examples of different styles, formats and questions are below. We also really like this guide by Hyper Island.
- How are you feeling about today’s meeting/workshop?
- What do you want to bring to this meeting/workshop?
- What do you want to get out of this meeting/workshop?
- What do you want to achieve by the end of our time together?
- What are you excited about at the moment and/or what’s worrying you at the moment?
- What’s your day/week been like so far?
- What’s got your attention at the moment?
- What’s one thing you’re grateful for today, or what’s something that’s been delightful lately?
The list is endless. Ask what feels right in that moment.
Conversation Starters
If you need some ways to open this conversation with peers, seniors or even your own internal dialogue, here are some things you could ask:
- Which of our practices contribute to psychological safety in our team?
- How do we encourage people to bring their full selves to work?
- What practices do we have for opening and closing gatherings already?
- Where and when might make sense for us to check-in with each other?
Going Further
Already incorporating check-ins into your regular gatherings? That’s great. How about checking-out too? Closing the workshop or meeting with a quick, “how was that?” can be a good pause point to reflect on the process and productivity of your time together.
You might also like to think about other practices that build upon a culture of psychological safety as a further step too. Have interesting ways you’re doing this, or ways that deserve more attention? Reach out and let me know, I’d love to work with you on a collaborative piece.
