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Check-in question generator

A question for the first minute of the meeting that asks how people are, not what they did. Filter by stand-up, weekly, retro, one-to-one or energy, hit Next until one fits, and copy ten for the month.

Daily stand-up · 1 of 80

What is one word for how today is starting?

Tip: the right and left arrow keys move between questions. Copy 10 pastes a numbered list from the current filter into your agenda or chat.

How to run a one-minute check-in

  1. Put the question on the first slide or in the chat before people join.
  2. Answer it yourself first, briefly. The example sets the length.
  3. Go round once. One sentence each, passing allowed, no follow-up questions yet.
  4. Note anything that needs a conversation later and have it later, not now.
  5. Use the same question for a few weeks. Familiar questions get faster, honest answers.

The check-in is the cheapest meeting habit there is. It costs a minute, and over a quarter it is the difference between a manager who knows the team is tired and one who finds out at the exit interview.

Daily stand-up check-in questions

Ten seconds each, same channel every day.

  1. What is one word for how today is starting?
  2. What is the one thing you want to get done before lunch?
  3. What is in your way today, if anything?
  4. Who do you need five minutes with today?
  5. What is a small win from yesterday?
  6. What would make today a good day?
  7. Which task are you looking forward to, and which are you avoiding?
  8. What do you need from the team today?
  9. On a scale of one to five, how clear is your day?
  10. What is one thing you could hand off today?
  11. What is the first thing you will do after this call?
  12. What are you most curious about today?
  13. Is anything from yesterday still open in your head?
  14. What would you like someone to ask you about today?
  15. What are you saying no to today so you can say yes to something else?

Weekly check-in questions

For the Monday meeting or the Friday wrap.

  1. What is one thing that went better than expected last week?
  2. What is the one thing this week that, if it got done, would make the week a success?
  3. What is taking up the most headspace this week?
  4. What did you learn last week, work or not?
  5. Who helped you last week, and have you told them?
  6. What is one thing you want to leave behind before this week starts?
  7. Which meeting this week do you need, and which could be an email?
  8. What is something you are proud of from last week that nobody saw?
  9. What is one risk you can see coming this week?
  10. What are you looking forward to this weekend?
  11. What would you do differently if last week ran again?
  12. What is one thing the team should stop doing?
  13. What is one thing you want more of this week?
  14. What is one thing you want less of this week?
  15. How would you describe last week in a film title?

Retro check-in questions

Opening a retrospective without jumping to blame.

  1. What is one thing that surprised you this sprint?
  2. What is one thing we should keep doing exactly as it is?
  3. Where did we lose time, and was it avoidable?
  4. What is one decision we made that turned out well?
  5. What is one thing you would do differently next time?
  6. What did someone else do that made your work easier?
  7. What is one thing we assumed that turned out to be wrong?
  8. What is one small change that would make the next sprint better?
  9. What is one thing we should celebrate before we move on?
  10. What was the hardest moment, and how did we get through it?
  11. What do we know now that we wish we had known at the start?
  12. What is one thing outside our control that affected us?
  13. What is one piece of praise for someone in this room?
  14. If this sprint had a weather forecast, what was it?
  15. What is one question we should have asked earlier?

One-to-one check-in questions

For managers who want more than a status update.

  1. What has your energy been like this week?
  2. What is one thing I could do that would make your work easier?
  3. What are you working on that you are most proud of?
  4. What is something you want to get better at, and how can I help?
  5. What is frustrating you that you have not mentioned?
  6. What is one thing you would like more feedback on?
  7. What is one thing you would like less of from me?
  8. What is a conversation you have been avoiding?
  9. What would you like to be doing more of in six months?
  10. What is something you have noticed about the team that I might not have?
  11. What did you learn this month that you want to share?
  12. What is one thing you would change about how we work together?
  13. What is one thing that would make you feel more recognised?
  14. What are you worried about that is not on the agenda?
  15. What is one thing you would like me to ask you next time?

Energy & mood check-in questions

How people are, with an easy pass.

  1. On a scale from one to ten, how is your energy today, and what would nudge it up by one?
  2. What is taking up most of your headspace this week?
  3. What is one thing you want to leave behind before we start?
  4. What colour is your mood right now?
  5. What is one thing that would make today a good day?
  6. What is one thing you are carrying that the team could help with?
  7. What kind of weather describes how you feel today?
  8. What are you most looking forward to this week?
  9. What is one thing you need less of right now?
  10. What would make this meeting worth your time?
  11. If today were a song, which part of it are we in?
  12. What is one thing that went well since we last met?
  13. What is one thing you are unsure about this week?
  14. Which battery level are you at: full, half, or needs charging?
  15. What is the one thing you want to get done before the weekend?
  16. What is your energy like right now, and what would nudge it up?
  17. What is one thing you would like to park before we start?
  18. If today were weather, what would it be?
  19. What is one thing you are looking forward to after this?
  20. What is one word your week would use to describe you?

Check-ins that go deeper

A check-in tells you how people are today. The animal quiz tells you how they work every day: five minutes each, results on one free team map, and a profile per person covering how they like feedback, pressure and decisions. For the start of a meeting with new people, use the icebreaker question generator; for a daily channel post, the question of the day generator.

Quick answers

What is a check-in question?
A question at the start of a meeting that asks how people are arriving rather than what they did. One word for the week, energy out of ten, what would make today good. It takes a minute, gets every voice in the room once, and tells a manager more than a round of status updates.
How is a check-in different from an icebreaker?
An icebreaker introduces people to each other; a check-in reconnects people who already work together. Check-ins are shorter, more routine and more honest, and they work best when the same question is used for a few weeks before it changes.
Which set should I use?
Daily stand-up for ten-second answers, Weekly for the Monday meeting or Friday wrap, Retro to open a retrospective without jumping to blame, One-to-one for managers who want more than status, and Energy & mood when you just want to know how people are.
Are the questions safe to ask any team?
Yes. All 80 can be answered in a sentence or passed, and none ask for private detail. The One-to-one set assumes some trust, so it is written for a manager who already has it.
Can I get a list for the week?
Copy 10 puts ten random questions from the current filter on your clipboard as a numbered list. The full bank is printed by category on this page.

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