Every meeting offers a chance to strengthen relationships and grow an environment of trust and care. One simple way to do this is to start a meeting with a check-in question and have each person reply. When we make a personal connection and acknowledge each person’s presence and voice before jumping into the work to be done, it creates an experience of warmth and welcome. I find the meeting often flows more easily.
Whether in person or on Zoom, you can start with a brief check-in asking each person to share a reply to one question. I find this works with groups less than about 20 people. If more than that, I might ask them to check in with 1-2 others (or in breakout groups on Zoom.)
Here are some of my favorite questions for check-ins.
- What is something you’ve recently fallen in love with?
- Desmond Tutu talked about the people who “helped form him.” Who is a person who helped form you? Without them you wouldn’t be who you are today…
- What is one thing you’re grateful for, that you might take for granted?
- Each of us has natural gifts we enjoy working with – What do you ‘have a way with” for example, green plants, a special dish you cook, remembering names?
- What is a creative piece of work that changed your life (e.g. song, poem, movie, painting)?
- When did a person or experience change your mind about an idea or belief?
- What is your go-to comfort food?
- What is a smell that reminds you of home?
- What was one thing that changed in your life during the pandemic that you want to continue?
- How are you arriving today?
- What is new and good?
Here are some that call forth our connection with nature and place:
- What is one word you’d use to describe this community?
- What is a landscape that you connect with, e.g. rugged island, waterfront, meadow, desert?
- What is one thing you love about [spring] where you live? ((can do any season or holiday))
- What is one of your favorite places on earth?
- I was born in… I now live in…
Here are a few more from a list that Amanda Fenton put together: Questions for Check ins –
- What words would you use to describe where your head is? And where your heart is?
- What are you noticing in your environment that relates to this project?
- What’s one new and interesting thing you’ve been thinking about lately?
I learned this questions from Lori Hanau and her colleagues at Global Round Table Leadership: When a group that is gathering for the first time, ask each person to share: Why do you care to be here?
Please share additional ones you like at this contact page and I will add them to this list.