100 and 1⭐ Check-In Questions for Memorable Meetings

“You have a meeting to make a decision, not to decide on the question.” – Bill Gates

Following these famous words, important decisions are made in meetings and the path to the right decisions is created by the right questions.

Let’s find your “right questions” to start meetings out of 100 and 1 check-in questions for meetings.

What Are Check-In Questions?

“Lack of participant preparation is the main culprit of ineffective meetings.”

%71 of executives say that meetings are inefficient.

Meeting check-in questions are specific questions posed at the beginning of a meeting with the aim of encouraging participants to share their current state, feelings, or thoughts. This practice is designed to foster a more inclusive, engaging, and empathetic meeting environment.

Purpose of Meeting Check-In Questions

• Check-In: Not to state the obvious, but the general purpose of check-in questions is to check-in on workers and their state of mind about work or life events that are effecting their work.
• Gauge Mood and Energy Levels: Understanding how participants are feeling can help tailor the meeting approach for better engagement.
• Build Rapport: Sharing personal insights or feelings can strengthen team cohesion and trust.
• Enhance Participation: Early engagement through check-ins can lead to more active participation throughout the meeting.
• Identify Potential Distractions or Concerns: Early insights into what’s on participants’ minds can help address issues that might otherwise hinder focus.

The meeting organizers can have different goals in mind before asking check-in questions, so we will provide different groups of check-in questions tailored for different purposes.

Types of Check-In Questions for Meetings

Different types of check-in questions for meetings can be categorized based on their purpose, the atmosphere they aim to create, and the outcomes they seek to achieve. These categories help in tailoring the check-in process to fit the meeting’s context, the team’s dynamics, and the specific goals of the gathering.

Here are several types of check-in questions for meetings and an example for each of them:

1. Emotional Check-Ins

These questions are designed to learn how participants are feeling emotionally. They can help in understanding the team’s mood and adjusting the meeting’s tone accordingly.

• “How are you feeling today, in one word?”

2. Energy Level Check-Ins

These questions assess the energy levels of participants, which can be crucial for the meeting’s engagement and productivity.

• “How ready do you feel to tackle today’s agenda?”

3. Personal Highlight Check-Ins

Asking about personal highlights can create a positive start to the meeting and help team members get to know each other better.

• “Share a personal win from this week.”

4. Focus and Productivity Check-Ins

These questions aim to identify any distractions or concerns that might affect participants’ focus or contribution during the meeting.

• “What’s on your mind that could impact your participation in today’s meeting?”

5. Expectation and Goal-Oriented Check-Ins

Setting clear expectations and goals from the outset can align the team and clarify the meeting’s purpose.

• “What’s one thing you believe we must discuss today?”

6. Creative and Fun Check-Ins

Introducing creativity and fun into check-ins can lighten the mood and foster a more relaxed environment.

• “If you could choose a soundtrack for today’s meeting, what song would it be?”

7. Reflective and Forward-Looking Check-Ins

These questions encourage participants to reflect on past experiences and look forward to future aspirations.

• “Looking ahead, what’s one thing you’re excited about in the coming week?”

Mixing and matching different types can keep meetings fresh and ensure that all participants feel valued and heard. Also, don’t be afraid to tailor check-in questions for unique purposes in order to get the most out of an individual during a meeting.

Top 100 Check-In Questions and a Special One

The 100 check-in questions will be divided into 6 sections, including: productivity, entertainment, problem-solving, new employees, creativity and emotional state.

The 101th question at the end is a general check-in question that can be used in any meeting to improve the mood and start off the right way.

20 Productivity Check-In Questions

Productivity can dwindle from time to time. With these 20 productivity check-in questions for meetings, you can supervise and improve the productivity levels of the participants.

1. What’s one thing you accomplished since our last meeting that you’re proud of?
2. How would you rate your productivity level this week on a scale of 1-10?
3. What’s the biggest challenge affecting your productivity right now?
4. Can you share a recent time-saving technique you’ve discovered?
5. What’s one goal you’re focusing on today?
6. Is there a task you’re stuck on that the team could help with?
7. How do you prioritize your tasks when everything feels urgent?
8. What part of your project are you most excited about right now?
9. How are you balancing your workload this week?
10. What’s one small change that could improve your productivity?
11. Are there any tools or resources you need to be more productive?
12. What’s been your biggest distraction lately, and how are you managing it?
13. How do you recharge during the day to maintain productivity?
14. Can you share a recent win or success story?
15. What’s one thing you’d like to achieve by the end of this week?
16. How are you feeling about your current projects and deadlines?
17. What’s one habit you’ve developed that’s helped your productivity?
18. Is there an aspect of your work you’d like more support with?
19. How do you plan your day to ensure you meet your goals?
20. What’s one lesson you’ve learned recently that’s improved your work efficiency?

20 Entertaining Check-In Questions

Stress can come with any type of work, and especially before meetings. By starting the meeting with an entertaining check-in question, participants will be at ease and confidently continue the meeting.

21. If you could have any superpower to help you at work, what would it be?
22. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
23. If today’s meeting had a theme song, what would it be?
24. What’s your go-to activity for a quick work break?
25. If you could teleport to any place in the world right now, where would you go?
26. What was your favorite TV show or movie as a kid?
27. If our team were a sports team, what would our mascot be?
28. What’s the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
29. If you could switch jobs with anyone in the company for a day, who would it be?
30. What’s a hobby you’ve always wanted to pick up but haven’t yet?
31. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
32. If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?
33. What’s your favorite way to unwind after a long day?
34. What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud?
35. If you could be an expert in any subject instantly, what would it be?
36. What’s your most unusual talent?
37. Which fictional world would you like to live in for a week?
38. What’s the best joke you’ve heard recently?
39. If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
40. What’s one thing on your bucket list?

20 Problem-Solving Check-In Questions for Meetings

Every other meeting there are different problems that need solving, so here are 20 check-in questions tailored to improve the problem-solving process and bring hasty results.

41. What’s a recent problem you solved that you’re proud of?
42. Can you describe a challenge you’re facing and how you plan to tackle it?
43. What’s one creative solution you’ve come up with in the past month?
44. How do you approach a problem that initially seems insurmountable?
45. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from a mistake or failure?
46. In what area do you think our team could improve our problem-solving skills?
47. What tools or methods do you find most effective for brainstorming solutions?
48. Can you share a time when you had to think on your feet to solve a problem?
49. What’s one strategy you use to prioritize problems when they pile up?
50. How do you maintain motivation when faced with a difficult challenge?
51. What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken that paid off?
52. How do you gather information to make informed decisions?
53. Can you share an example of a time when collaboration led to a great solution?
54. What’s one problem you see on the horizon that we should start addressing?
55. How do you balance speed and quality when solving problems?
56. What’s one unconventional method you’ve used to solve a problem?
57. How do you decide when a problem needs a team solution versus an individual one?
58. What’s one area where you think we could innovate more?
59. How do you stay resilient in the face of setbacks?
60. Can you share a time when a failure led to an unexpected opportunity?

20 Check-In Questions for New Hires

New employees can sometimes seem distant or quiet. Get them accustomed to the environment and the other participants by asking them check-in question tailored for their situation.

61. How has your onboarding experience been so far?
62. What’s one thing you wish you had known on your first day?
63. Are there any tools, apps, or resources you’re still getting accustomed to?
64. What’s been the most surprising aspect of your job or our company culture?
65. How can we better support you during your transition into the company?
66. What’s one question you have about the way things work here?
67. Have you identified any areas where you’d like more training or knowledge?
68. What’s one goal you have for your first month here?
69. Is there anything about your role or responsibilities that’s still unclear?
70. How comfortable do you feel reaching out to your new teammates?
71. What’s been a highlight of your experience with us so far?
72. Are there any processes or systems you find particularly challenging?
73. How can we make your integration into the team smoother?
74. What’s one piece of feedback or insight you’ve received that you found valuable?
75. What are you most excited about learning in your new role?
76. Have you encountered any unexpected challenges since starting?
77. What’s one thing that would make your daily work easier?
78. How do you prefer to receive feedback or guidance?
79. What’s one thing you’ve enjoyed about our company culture?
80. How can we facilitate better connections with your colleagues?

10 Creativity Check-In Questions

Creativity goes hand-in hand with productivity. Sometimes, a manager needs to spark that creativity of employees by asking the right questions, so here are 10 creativity check-in questions for meetings.

1. If you could invent a new product or service right now, what would it solve?
   • Encourages thinking outside the box about solutions to everyday problems.
2. What’s one project you’ve seen or heard about recently that inspired you?
   • Prompts reflection on sources of inspiration and creative thinking.
3. If our team was given an unlimited budget for a creative project, what would you propose we do?
   • Opens up possibilities for dream projects and innovative ideas.
4. Can you share a hobby or activity you do outside of work that helps fuel your creativity?
   • Connects personal interests with professional creativity.
5. What’s a book, movie, or art piece that has challenged your way of thinking recently?
   • Invites sharing of impactful cultural experiences.
6. If you could collaborate with anyone in the world on a project, who would it be and why?
   • Encourages big-picture thinking and identifying influential figures in their field.
7. What’s one problem you wish had a more creative solution?
   • Identifies areas for innovation and creative problem-solving.
8. How do you overcome creative blocks when working on a project?
   • Shares strategies for staying productive and innovative.
9. What would your dream creative workspace look like?
   • Imagines an ideal environment for creativity and productivity.
10. If you could design a new feature for our product/service, what would it be and why?
    • Encourages thinking about innovation within the current business model.

10 Emotional Check-In Questions

“Check-in” questions are great for checking-in your employees. Here are 10 emotional check-in questions for meetings to learn about the state of mind of your employees and learn how you can help them improve.

1. How would you describe your current emotional state in three words?
   • Offers a quick snapshot of someone’s feelings in a concise way.
2. What’s been the most significant emotional challenge for you lately?
   • Delves into personal struggles that might be affecting work or well-being.
3. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your stress level, and what’s contributing to it?
   • Quantifies stress levels and identifies potential sources of stress.
4. Is there a particular emotion you’ve felt more frequently than others recently? Why do you think that is?
   • Aids in recognizing patterns in emotional responses and their triggers.
5. Can you share a recent situation that made you feel proud of yourself?
   • Focuses on positive emotions and achievements.
6. What’s something small that made a big impact on your mood this week?
   • Highlights the significance of minor events or interactions on emotional well-being.
7. How have you been managing your work-life balance, and how is it affecting your mood?
   • Connects personal and professional life balance with emotional states.
8. What’s one thing you do to lift your spirits when you’re feeling down?
   • Shares personal coping strategies for difficult times.
9. Have you experienced a moment of empathy or kindness recently that moved you?
   • Reflects on the importance of empathy and kindness in everyday interactions.
10. Looking ahead, what’s one thing you’re either excited or anxious about?
    • Anticipates future emotions related to upcoming events or tasks.

⭐101. A General Check-In Question for Any Meeting

101. What is an accomplishment you had in the recent past?

Talking about an accomplishment always improves the mood of the individual, allowing them to be more engaging, confident and productive during meetings.

FAQs on Check-in Questions for Meetings

What are good check-in questions for meetings?

A good check-in question isn’t the one that seeks the right answer, but seeks the right problem. Staying in touch with participants, estimating their problems, improving them and starting the meeting the right way are what makes a good check-in question.

How to do a fun check-in?

A fun check-in question immediately improves the mood of every participant and creates a comfortable environment for the meeting. Let’s look at 3 examples of a fun-check in questions for a meeting:

1. If you could choose any fictional character to join us in this meeting, who would it be and why?
   • This question sparks imagination and can lead to interesting and humorous discussions about favorite characters and their perceived contributions to the meeting.
2. What’s the most unusual or unexpected thing you’ve learned or tried in the past month?
   • Encourages sharing of personal anecdotes and discoveries, fostering a sense of curiosity and adventure.
3. If our team were stranded on a deserted island, who would be in charge of what tasks, and why?
   • This playful scenario invites team members to think about each other’s skills and qualities in a fun and imaginative way, promoting team bonding and laughter.

When to ask a check-in question during a meeting?

A check-in question is generally asked in the beginning of a meeting to start it off the right way. So, after introduction and greeting is the perfect time to as a check-in question. Questions asked at the end of a meeting are called check-out questions.

What is the point of a check in question?

Since check-in questions are asked in the beginning of meetings, it does set the tone. But the point of a check-in question can differ. It might be to check-in on an employee, solve a general problem or simply start a meeting by asking a fun question.