Check-In Questions for Meetings
A check-in question is a short prompt that everyone answers at the start of a meeting, so each person speaks once before the real work begins. Use one when a group meets regularly, when people are joining from different places, or when a new group needs to hear each other’s voices. Keep it to one quick round of about one sentence per person, and skip it when time is short.
Below you’ll find how to run the round, 60 questions sorted by meeting type, five check-out questions for the end of a meeting, and a short list of questions to avoid. Each list sits in a box you can copy.
How to run a check-in round
A check-in works when it’s fast and nobody feels put on the spot. These habits keep it that way:
- Go first yourself. Your answer sets the length and the tone. If you answer in one sentence, others will too.
- Pick an order. Go around the table, or down the list of names on the call. Waiting to see who volunteers wastes time.
- Set a time per person. About 20 to 30 seconds each is enough. Say it before you start: “One sentence each.”
- Allow “pass.” Say out loud that passing is fine, and mean it. Don’t ask a person who passed to explain.
- Keep it optional and personal-safe. Pick questions anyone can answer without sharing something private.
- Don’t take notes on the answers. The round is for the people in it. The only exception is anything that changes the agenda, like a blocker that needs a decision today.
At Fernhill Studio, the fictional design studio we use as a sample on this site, Maya Okafor runs a 30-minute team meeting every Tuesday. She opens with one round of “one win, one blocker.” Maya goes first, then Priya, Daniel and Sam. It takes about three minutes. When Daniel says his blocker is a decision on the offsite venue, Priya, who takes the notes, adds it to the agenda as an item. Everything else stays out of the notes.
Check-in questions for weekly team meetings
Weekly meetings need questions that are quick and close to the work. Rotate them every few weeks so the round doesn’t go stale.
1. What's one win from last week, big or small?
2. What's one thing that's slowing you down right now?
3. In one word, how full is your plate this week?
4. What's something you finished recently that nobody saw?
5. What are you most looking forward to working on this week?
6. Who helped you out recently, and how?
7. What's one thing you learned at work since we last met?
8. From 1 to 5, how clear are your priorities this week?
9. What's one thing you'd like help with from someone here?
10. What's one task you're glad to have off your list?Questions 2, 8 and 9 tend to surface work issues. If an answer needs more than a minute, move it to the agenda instead of solving it during the round.
Check-in questions for one-on-one meetings
In a one-on-one, the check-in is a way to find out what the other person wants to talk about. It can be a little more personal than a group question, because only two people are in the room. It should still be easy to answer briefly.
1. What's taking up most of your head space this week?
2. What's one thing that went better than you expected?
3. What do you want to make sure we cover today?
4. How's your energy this week compared with last week?
5. What's one thing I could do to make your week easier?
6. What part of your work would you like more of?
7. What are you stuck on that we could look at together?
8. What's something you're proud of that I might not know about?
9. If you could clear one thing off your calendar, what would it be?
10. What would make this half hour worth it for you?For deeper questions about career, feedback and workload, see the full list of one-on-one meeting questions. To keep a running record across meetings, use the one-on-one meeting template.
Check-in questions for board and committee meetings
Boards, HOA committees and nonprofit committees are more formal. Skip personal questions entirely. A good board check-in points people at the agenda and what the meeting has to produce. It also gives quieter members a turn to speak before the debate starts.
1. What's one thing you want this board to decide today?
2. Which item on today's agenda do you feel most ready for?
3. What's one thing you've heard from members since our last meeting?
4. What question do you hope we answer before we leave?
5. Which open action item from last time do you want an update on?
6. In one sentence, what would make today's meeting a success?
7. What's one risk you think we should keep in view this month?
8. What's something the organization did well since we last met?
9. What's one piece of information you wish you'd had before today?
10. Which of our goals for the year needs the most attention right now?If your board follows a formal order of business, put the check-in before the first report and keep it to two or three minutes. The board meeting agenda template shows where it fits.
Check-in questions for remote and hybrid meetings
On video, people can’t read the room, and it’s easy for someone to go the whole meeting without speaking. A check-in gets every voice and face on screen early. Some of these questions use the chat or a hand signal, which is faster than going around one by one.
1. Show us one object near your desk and tell us why it's there.
2. Describe the weather where you are in three words.
3. What time is it where you are, and what's next in your day?
4. What's one tool or shortcut that made remote work easier lately?
5. Post one emoji in the chat that sums up your week so far.
6. What's one thing you'd like the people in the room to know before we start?
7. Thumbs up, sideways or down: how's your week going?
8. What's one message this week that saved you a meeting?
9. What kind of spot are you working from today?
10. What's one thing you've done today away from a screen?In a hybrid meeting, call on the remote people first. It’s harder for them to cut in, and it shows the room they’re part of the meeting. How to run a meeting has more on running meetings with people on video and in the room.
Icebreakers for a new group or first meeting
An icebreaker is for people who don’t know each other yet. It should be light and low-risk, and it should help people learn something useful about each other. Ask for names and roles along with the answer.
1. What's one thing you're hoping this group gets done?
2. What's a skill you have that wouldn't show up on your resume?
3. What's the best piece of work advice you've been given?
4. If this group had a team name, what would you suggest?
5. What's a small thing that reliably makes your day better?
6. What's one thing people often get wrong about your job?
7. What's a place you'd recommend to someone visiting your town?
8. What's a book, show or podcast you've told someone about recently?
9. What's a work habit you've picked up that you'd recommend?
10. What should this group know about how you like to work?Questions 1 and 10 do the most work in a new group. The first shows whether people agree on the purpose. The last saves weeks of guessing how each person likes to communicate.
Check-in questions for project kickoffs and retrospectives
At the start of a project, a check-in can bring hopes and worries into the open while they’re still cheap to deal with. At the end of a sprint or project, it sets up the retro by getting each person’s view on the table before the discussion.
KICKOFF
1. What would make you proud of this project when it's done?
2. What's one worry you have going in?
3. What's one thing from a past project you'd like us to repeat?
4. What's one thing from a past project you'd like us to avoid?
5. In one sentence, what do you think this project is for?
RETROSPECTIVE
6. In one word, how did this stretch of work feel?
7. What's one moment from this project you'd like to remember?
8. Who on the team deserves a thank-you, and for what?
9. What surprised you most since our last retro?
10. If we started over tomorrow, what's the first thing you'd change?Kickoff question 5 often shows the group doesn’t agree on the goal yet. That’s worth finding out on day one. The project kickoff meeting template and the retrospective meeting template both have a place for these answers if one of them turns into a risk or an action.
Check-out questions for the end of a meeting
A check-out is the same idea at the end. It takes a minute and tells you whether people leave knowing what to do next. Use it after the read-back of decisions and action items, not in place of it.
1. What's one thing you're taking away from this meeting?
2. What's your next step, and when will you do it?
3. In one word, how are you leaving this meeting?
4. Is anything still unclear that we should follow up on?
5. From 1 to 5, how useful was this meeting, and what would make it a 5?Questions to avoid
Even a friendly question can put someone in a bad spot. In a group, and especially in front of their manager, people can’t easily opt out without it being noticed. Leave these out of a check-in:
- Health, family, religion, politics or money. These can touch on things people keep private for good reasons, like an illness, a divorce or a tight budget.
- Questions that make people share personal details. “What did you do this weekend?” sounds harmless, but not everyone wants to say.
- Childhood, relationships or “where are you from.” Some answers are painful, and some invite assumptions.
- Trick, embarrassing or “confess something” questions. People end up performing or worrying instead of settling in.
- Questions that assume money or free time, like the best trip you’ve taken or your favorite restaurant.
- Long games or activities when people are busy. A ten-minute game in a 30-minute meeting tells people their time doesn’t matter.
A simple test: if your most private colleague would find the question awkward to answer in front of the whole group, pick another one.
Where the check-in goes on the agenda and in the notes
Put the check-in as the first item on the agenda, right after you say the goal and who is taking notes. Give it a time, usually 2 to 5 minutes depending on the size of the group. How to write a meeting agenda explains how to time each item, and the meeting agenda template has a slot for it at the top.
In most cases, don’t record the answers. A line such as “Check-in round (3 min)” is enough, or leave it out entirely. The exception is anything that becomes an agenda item or an action item. If someone mentions a blocker that needs a decision, note the blocker under the item where it’s discussed, with an owner and a date. How to write meeting minutes covers what belongs in the record and what doesn’t.
FAQ
What is a good check-in question for a meeting?
A good check-in question is quick to answer, safe for anyone to answer in front of the group, and connected to the meeting’s purpose. “What’s one win and one blocker from this week?” works for most teams. For a board, try “What’s one thing you want us to decide today?” Avoid questions about private life, and rotate questions so the round stays fresh.
How long should a check-in take?
About one sentence per person, which works out to 2 to 5 minutes for most groups. Put the time on the agenda. If the group has more than about ten people, use a one-word answer or a chat response instead of going around. If the meeting is short on time, skip the check-in.
Should check-ins be mandatory?
The round can be a regular part of the meeting, but answering shouldn’t be required. Always allow people to say “pass” without explaining why. Pick questions that make passing rare, because people pass most often when a question asks for something personal.
What’s the difference between a check-in and an icebreaker?
A check-in is for a group that already knows each other. It’s short, often work-related, and helps people arrive in the meeting. An icebreaker is for people who are new to each other, usually at a first meeting or a kickoff. It helps them learn names, roles and a bit about how each person works. Many questions work as either one.