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Team meeting check in questions: 60 to use, and how to run them

A good team meeting check in question takes each person under a minute to answer and tells you something you'll use: how they are, what's on their plate, or what's in their way. Pick one question per meeting, matched to the meeting, go round the room in the same order, and answer it yourself first. Below are 60 questions sorted by purpose, how long to spend, and what to do with the answers.

Check-ins get a bad name because they're often done badly: a forced "fun fact" that eats 15 minutes, or a "how is everyone?" that gets a room of "good." Done well, they're the cheapest way a manager has to notice who's struggling before it shows up in the work. This guide covers why to use them, how to run one in five minutes, 60 questions in six groups, check-out questions for the end, what to do with a worrying answer, and the mistakes that make people dread them.

Why start a team meeting with a check in

• Everyone speaks once, early. People who have said one sentence in the first five minutes are more likely to speak again. It's the simplest way to stop the meeting being two loud people and six quiet ones.
• You see how people are. "Somewhere between a 3 and a 4 this week" from someone who's usually a 9 is information you won't get from a status update.
• It moves the room from the last thing to this thing. People arrive from other calls and tasks; a short question gives them 30 seconds to arrive.
• It builds the kind of team where people speak up. Google's study of its own teams, Project Aristotle, found psychological safety (people feeling safe to take risks and speak up in front of each other) was the most important factor in how well a team worked. A routine where everyone talks, and nobody is punished for an honest answer, is one small way to build it.

For a new manager it also does something else: it shows the team you care how they are, not just what they've done, without a speech about it.

How to run a check in: five rules

1. One question, the same for everyone. Put it in the agenda or say it at the start.
2. Go first. Your answer sets the length and the honesty. If you say "a 6, the budget's been a lot this week," people will be honest. If you say "great!", so will they.
3. Set the length. "One sentence each" or "30 seconds each." Time it roughly by team size (table below).
4. Go round in an order. Alphabetical, the order on the screen, or clockwise. "Who wants to go next?" creates silence and leaves the quiet ones last.
5. Don't discuss answers there. Say "thanks" and move on. If something needs a follow-up, note it and do it after (see below).

For a 30-minute weekly meeting, keep the check in to five minutes or less. Our team meeting agenda template shows where it sits, and the guide to running an effective team meeting covers the rest of the 30 minutes.

How people are (12 questions)

Use these weekly, especially in busy or difficult stretches. Numbers and single words are easier to answer honestly than "how are you?"

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how's your week been so far?
2. One word for how you're arriving at this meeting.
3. Green, amber or red: how's your energy today?
4. What's one thing that went well since we last met?
5. What's taking up most of your head this week?
6. If your week were weather, what would it be?
7. What's one thing you're looking forward to this week, at work or outside it?
8. What would make this week a good one for you?
9. How full is your plate: light, about right, or too much?
10. What's one thing that's drained you this week, and one that's helped?
11. What do you need more of this week: time, help, quiet or answers?
12. What are you leaving at the door to be in this meeting?

The work: priorities and blockers (12 questions)

Best for weekly team meetings and project meetings. They're closer to a status round, but one sentence each keeps them short.

1. What's your one priority this week?
2. What's one thing blocking you that someone here might help with?
3. What did you finish since last week that you're glad to have done?
4. What's the thing you're most worried about getting done on time?
5. What decision are you waiting on?
6. Who on the team helped you this week?
7. What's one thing you'd drop if you could?
8. Where do you need a second pair of eyes?
9. What's one thing you learned this week that others should know?
10. What's one thing a customer said this week?
11. What's one task you've been putting off?
12. On a scale of 1 to 5, how clear are your priorities this week?

If several people answer the last one with a 2, you've learned more than the rest of the meeting will tell you.

Light and quick, for new or tired teams (12 questions)

Good for a first team meeting, a team that doesn't know each other well, or a Friday. Keep them optional to answer in depth: a short answer is fine.

1. What's the best thing you ate this week?
2. What's something you're reading, watching or listening to?
3. What was your first ever job?
4. What's a small thing that made you smile this week?
5. What's one thing on your desk (or near you) and why is it there?
6. What's a skill you have that nobody at work knows about?
7. Coffee, tea, or neither, and how?
8. What's the best piece of advice you've had at work?
9. Where would you be if you weren't here right now?
10. What's one thing you're proud of from the last month, however small?
11. Best or worst holiday you've had, in one sentence?
12. What's one app or tool you couldn't do your job without?

Avoid questions that need money, family or health to answer well ("Where did you go on holiday?", "What did your kids do this weekend?"). Not everyone wants to share, and not everyone has the answer the question assumes. If this is your first meeting with the team, our guide to your first team meeting has more on icebreakers that don't make people cringe.

Want words like these ready every morning? Take the 2-minute quiz and get a 10-minute lesson and one script a day, for the meetings you lead.

How the team is working (8 questions)

Use these once a month or so, or when something's changed. They're closer to a quick retrospective.

1. What's one thing we do as a team that you'd keep?
2. What's one thing we do that you'd change?
3. What's one meeting or process that wastes your time?
4. Where did we work well together this month?
5. What's one thing we should stop doing?
6. What's one thing you wish you knew about someone else's work here?
7. On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think we communicate as a team?
8. What's something I (the manager) could do to make your week easier?

The last one is worth asking out loud even if the answers are polite at first. It tells the team you mean it. The honest answers usually come later, in 1:1s.

After bad news or a hard week (8 questions)

After a reorganisation, a lost customer, layoffs, a mistake that hit the team, or a stressful launch, a cheerful icebreaker lands badly. Use something that lets people say how they really are without having to explain:

1. One word for how you're doing today. Any word is fine.
2. What's one question on your mind about what happened?
3. What do you need from me this week?
4. What's one thing that would help right now?
5. On a scale of 1 to 10, how settled do you feel?
6. What's one thing you're still unsure about?
7. What's one thing that's still going well?
8. You can pass on this one: what's been hardest this week?

Go first and be honest: "I'm a 5. It's been a hard week and I don't have all the answers." Then collect the questions and say when you'll come back with answers.

Check out questions for the end (8 questions)

A check out takes two minutes and makes sure the meeting turned into something. Use one in the last two minutes:

1. What's one thing you're taking away from this meeting?
2. What's the one thing you'll do next because of it?
3. Is there anything we decided that you're not clear on?
4. In one word, how was this meeting?
5. On a scale of 1 to 5, was this meeting a good use of your time?
6. What should we cut from this meeting next time?
7. Who do you need to talk to after this?
8. Anything you didn't say that you wanted to?

If "was this a good use of your time" keeps coming back as a 2, shorten the meeting, change it, or turn it into a written update. A short daily version can follow our stand up meeting format.

What to do with the answers

The check in only works if you act on what you hear, quietly.

• A low number or a worrying word. Don't ask about it in front of the team. Send a short private message after: "You said a 3 this morning. Anything I can help with? No need to explain." Then follow up in your next 1:1.
• A blocker. Note it and name an owner after the meeting: "Sam, can you and Jo find 15 minutes today on the access problem?"
• A pattern. If three people say their plate is "too much," that's a workload problem to raise in the meeting or with your own boss, not a mood.
• Something serious. If someone says something that suggests they're unwell, unsafe or in real difficulty, talk to them privately the same day, and point them to whatever support your company has (an employee assistance programme, HR). You don't have to be the expert.
• Nothing. If answers are always "fine," change the question (a number or a colour is easier than words), go first more honestly, and give it a few weeks.

Check ins on remote and hybrid teams

• Cameras optional. Requiring them for the check in makes it feel like a test.
• Use the chat for big teams. "Type a number from 1 to 10 in the chat," then read out the range: "Mostly 6s and 7s, two 4s. Thanks." Follow up the 4s privately.
• Read the order off the screen so nobody waits to be picked.
• Include the people in the room. On hybrid calls, go to the remote people first, or alternate; otherwise the room talks and the screen listens.
• Async version. For teams across time zones, post the question in the team channel on Monday morning and ask everyone to answer by noon.

Mistakes that make people dread check ins

• Too long. A ten-person team answering "tell us about your weekend" can take 20 minutes. Set the length.
• Too personal. Questions about family, health, money or beliefs put people on the spot. Always let people pass.
• Forced fun. Some teams love a silly question; some find it childish. Ask them, or mix serious and light.
• Discussing every answer. It turns a five-minute round into a meeting of its own.
• The manager skipping their turn. It makes the check in feel like an inspection.
• Doing nothing with what you hear. If a "3" never gets a follow-up, people stop telling you.
• The same question for six months. Rotate, but keep one simple "how are you" scale as a regular so you can see changes.

Not sure what kind of meeting leader you are yet? The free leadership style quiz takes about two minutes and names your style.

Questions about check ins

What is a check in question in a meeting?

A short question everyone answers at the start of a meeting, one by one, such as "one word for your week" or "what's your one priority?" It gets everyone talking and tells you how people are.

How long should a team check in take?

Two to six minutes. For a small team, a minute each; for six to nine people, 30 to 45 seconds; for bigger teams, one word or a number, or the chat.

What are good check in questions for a team meeting?

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how's your week?", "What's your one priority?", "What's one thing blocking you?" and "What's one thing that went well?" are good weekly defaults.

Should check ins be mandatory?

Everyone gets a turn, but anyone can pass or give a one-word answer. Forcing a personal answer defeats the purpose.

What's the difference between a check in and an icebreaker?

An icebreaker helps people get to know each other, usually once. A check in is a regular round on how people are or what they're working on.

What should I do if someone gives a low answer?

Thank them, move on, and message them privately after the meeting. Follow up in your next 1:1.

Next: read our team meeting agenda template, take the free leadership style quiz, or browse all our guides for new managers.

Sources

• Google re:Work, "Guide: Understand team effectiveness" (Project Aristotle): https://rework.withgoogle.com/en/guides/understanding-team-effectiveness
• PerformYard, "Best check-in and check-out questions for team meetings": https://www.performyard.com/articles/check-in-questions-for-meetings
• Mentimeter, "52 engaging check-in questions for meetings": https://mentimeter.com/blog/meetings/check-in-questions-for-meetings
• Teambuilding.com, "Check-in questions for meetings": https://teambuilding.com/blog/check-in-questions