What are check-in questions?
short, structured questions used at the beginning (or end) of meetings to quickly understand how people are doing — both professionally and personally. Simple yet powerful
They create a moment for reflection, alignment, disconnection from previous work and human connection before diving into tasks and decisions.
How to use?
Keep it short: choose a check-in question that will not overtake the meeting. E.g. in a 30 min meeting choose a question that all team will answer in max 5 min. In a 60 min meeting max 8 minutes.
Encourage answers but don't force people: little by little everyone will feel safe to share their answer
Listen for patterns: the way people answer to the question will tell you more about the energy level, tension or stress within the team and this is a valuable information to decide how to proceed during the meeting.
Why they are important?
Build psychological safety: when everyone has space to speak early in a meeting, participation becomes normalized
Surface issues early: small blockers, stress, or misalignment often emerge during check-ins
Strengthen Connection: remote and hybrid teams especially benefit from moments that humanize collaboration
Increase engagement: when people feel seen and included, they contribute more actively
