The Power of Meeting Check Ins
By Mary Silva Doctor
At Realize, we’ve started a practice called weekly reflections where we examine the most impactful client moments from that week in order to continually sharpen our work.
This week mine came at the start of a session where @kristinekern and I guided a team through a check in. As the team settled into the challenging work they needed to do at the offsite, I experienced again the power of this simple practice that’s accessible to all meeting leaders.
A meeting check in is a proven, and, in our experience, underused tool to improve meetings. A check in is a 5 to 10 minute initiation activity centered on a question not related to the stated meeting purpose that each participant answers, that:
Here are some check ins that our Realize team used with clients recently:
As you can see, the specific focus can vary and does not necessarily relate to the business at hand. But, meetings are a relational activity and acknowledging this creates the best platform for productive collaboration. If you’re still skeptical of the benefits, give it a try in a few meetings and experience the impact first hand.
Already an experienced check in practitioner? What are your favorite check in questions? Please share in the comments.
Executive & Leadership Coach
1yAnd if I might add - this simple exercise is also very effective in coaching individuals. Sometimes the simple techniques are the most powerful!