115 Best Check-in Question for Meetings
Starting meetings with the right check-in questions boosts engagement.
With GoInsight.ai，effortlessly design and automate a custom set tailored to your business workflow.
Tired of unproductive meeting starts? The solution is simpler than you think: effective check-in questions boost engagement, clarity, and team connection from the get-go.
This guide offers a diverse collection of ready-to-use questions, organized by goals, to make your meetings truly click.
Essential Check-in Questions for Every Meeting Type
Different meetings call for different vibes. That’s why we've categorized 115 powerful check-in questions to help you pick the perfect one for any scenario.
A. Quick Warm-Ups & Icebreakers
These questions are designed to break initial tension, get everyone speaking briefly, and transition into the meeting in a lighthearted, engaging way.
1. What's one positive thought you've had this morning?
2. If you could instantly travel anywhere for an hour, where would you go?
3. What's your preferred hot drink (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc.)?
4. Describe your commute (or journey to your workspace) in one word.
5. What's your favorite season?
6. What's your favorite type of food?
7. What's one small thing you're looking forward to today?
8. What's a new skill you're casually exploring or learning?
9. What's a TV show or movie you've enjoyed lately?
10. What's one positive observation you've made recently?
11. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
12. What’s the last new, simple thing you tried (e.g., a new recipe, a different walking route)?
13. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
14. What's one quick thing you'd like to share before we start?
15. What's one thing you're hoping to learn or gain from today's meeting?
B. Mood & Energy Checks
Use these to quickly gauge how team members are feeling, their current energy levels, or what's on their mind before diving into work. Great for empathy and understanding.
1. On a scale of 1-10, how are you feeling today? (1=low energy, 10=supercharged)
2. What's one word to describe how you're showing up today?
3. How are you feeling about the day ahead?
4. What's one thing you're bringing into this meeting that might affect your focus?
5. What's one thing that could help you be more present right now?
6. How ready are you to tackle today's agenda?
7. What's one thought occupying your mind right now?
8. What's your current energy level?
9. What's one feeling you're experiencing today?
10. What's a positive thought you've had this morning?
11. How are you doing, considering everything?
12. What's one thing that could brighten your day today?
13. What's your current state of readiness for this discussion?
14. Is there anything you need to share briefly that might impact your participation?
15. What's one thing you're hopeful for today?
16. How would you rate your current stress level (1-5)?
17. What's one thing you've accomplished already today?
18. What's one thing you're grateful for at this moment?
19. What's one underlying thought or concern affecting your focus right now?
20. What's one thing you want to leave behind to focus on this meeting?
C. Focus & Alignment Check-ins
These questions get everyone on the same page, clarify expectations, and ensure mental presence for the meeting's agenda. Use them to smoothly transition from personal thoughts to meeting objectives.
1. What's one thing you hope to get out of this meeting?
2. What's one key topic you're ready to dive into today?
3. What's your biggest priority for the next hour/today?
4. What's one burning question you have about today's agenda?
5. What's one thing you'd like to achieve by the end of this meeting?
6. What's your main objective for participating today?
7. What's one expectation you have for this discussion?
8. What's one area you'd like us to focus on most today?
9. What's one commitment you're making for this meeting?
10. What's one piece of information you're hoping to receive or give?
11. What's your current understanding of today's main goal?
12. What's one thing that could help you contribute more effectively today?
13. What's your primary takeaway you're looking for from this session?
14. What's one item on the agenda that you're most interested in?
15. What's one thing we absolutely must decide or align on by the end?
16. What's one key area you're prepared to contribute to today?
17. What's your top question regarding the topic we're discussing?
18. What's one specific outcome you're aiming for from this meeting?
19. What's your personal goal for this meeting?
20. What's one thing that would make this meeting a success for you?
D. Team Connection & Collaboration Boosters
These questions foster stronger bonds, encourage mutual support, and enhance team dynamics. They can be slightly more personal, but ensure comfort for all.
1. What's one thing you appreciate about a teammate on this call?
2. Share a recent success story from our team (big or small).
3. What's one way we can better support each other this week?
4. What's one valuable lesson you've learned from a teammate recently?
5. If our team had a unique "superpower," what would it be?
6. What's one thing that helps you feel more connected to the team?
7. What's a challenge you're facing that the team might be able to help with?
8. Share one thing you're excited about for our team's future.
9. What's one fun thing our team has done together (or virtually) recently?
10. If you could swap roles with anyone on the team for a day, who would it be and why?
11. What's one new skill or insight you've gained from working with this team?
12. What's one small act of kindness you've observed in the team lately?
13. What's one word to describe our team's current dynamic?
14. How can we make this meeting (or our interactions) more inclusive?
15. What's one thing you're proud of our team for accomplishing?
16. What’s one shared goal we should all be focused on right now?
17. What’s one thing that helps you collaborate effectively with others?
18. What’s one simple thing we could do to boost team morale?
19. What’s a good example of our team overcoming a recent challenge?
20. How can we ensure everyone feels heard and included in our discussions?
E. Questions for Virtual & Hybrid Teams
Specifically tailored to overcome communication challenges and build presence in remote or mixed environments. Great for ensuring everyone feels seen and heard, regardless of location.
1. What's one benefit of working remotely/hybrid you've enjoyed recently?
2. What's one time zone challenge you've faced this week, and how did you manage it?
3. What's your ideal virtual background if you could have any?
4. What's one tool or method that has significantly helped your asynchronous communication lately?
5. How are you staying connected with colleagues while working remotely?
6. What's your go-to remote work snack or beverage?
7. What's one thing you miss about in-person interactions (if applicable)?
8. What's one strategy you use to combat virtual meeting fatigue?
9. What's a recent technology win or challenge you've encountered?
10. If you could magically improve one aspect of our remote setup, what would it be?
11. What's one thing you've learned about yourself while working remotely?
12. What's a quick tip for staying focused during virtual meetings?
13. How do you transition from work mode to personal time when working remotely?
14. What's one small joy you've found in your remote work environment?
15. How connected do you feel to the team right now on a scale of 1-5?
16. What's a new routine you've adopted for remote/hybrid work?
17. How do you handle distractions when working remotely?
18. How do you ensure you're aware of key information shared asynchronously (e.g., in Slack channels, emails)?
19. What's one way to keep everyone engaged during long virtual sessions?
20. What's one thing you appreciate about our setup for remote work?
F. Project-Specific & Action-Oriented Check-ins
These are perfect for quickly reviewing progress, identifying blockers, or priming the team for problem-solving in project-focused meetings (e.g., stand-ups, retrospectives). Keep answers concise and focused on actionable items.
1. What's your key focus or priority for this project today/this week?
2. What's one success related to this project since our last sync?
3. What's one challenge or blocker you're currently facing on the project?
4. What's one thing you're hoping to get clarity on today regarding the project?
5. What's your next immediate action step after this meeting?
6. What's one risk you see for this project right now?
7. What's one area where you need support from the team on this project?
8. What's one thing you're excited about for this project's progress?
9. What's one key assumption about this project we need to validate or clarify?
10. What's one insight you've gained since the last project update?
11. What's one thing we should stop/start/continue doing on this project?
12. What's your "gut feeling" about our progress on this project?
13. What's one data point or piece of information that would be helpful for this project?
14. What's one area of this project that needs more attention?
15. What's one thing you're committing to deliver or complete by our next check-in?
16. What's one key learning from our recent project phase?
17. What's one dependency you're aware of for your current task?
18. What's one aspect of the project plan that needs a closer look?
19. What's your current confidence level in meeting the next project milestone?
20. What's one lesson from this project we should make sure to document for future teams?
Making Check-ins Click: Simple Facilitation Tips
Having the right questions is half the battle. How you use them is the other. Here are a few quick tips to make your check-ins truly shine:
- Keep it Brief: Check-ins shouldn't eat up too much meeting time. Aim for 30-90 seconds per person, depending on your group size and the question's depth.
- Be Intentional: Always pick questions that genuinely fit your meeting's goal and your team's vibe. Don't just pick one at random.
- Create a Safe Space: Stress the importance of active listening and non-judgment. Everyone's answer is valid, and no one should feel pressured to share more than they're comfortable with.
- Adapt for Team Size: For larger teams, encourage even shorter, one-word or phrase answers to keep momentum. For smaller teams, you might allow slightly more detail if time permits, but always set clear expectations for length.
- Model the Behavior: As the facilitator, go first! Your vulnerability and enthusiasm will set a positive tone for the rest of the team.
- Smooth Transition: Have a clear plan for how to gracefully move from the check-in to the main agenda. A simple "Thanks everyone for sharing, now let's dive into..." works wonders..
Conclusion
Effective check-in questions are a small investment with significant returns, transforming meetings into dynamic and highly productive sessions that boost team morale and focus. Try them in your next meeting to experience the difference.
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