The Why: Meetings typically start with agenda items and updates, but they rarely start with people. This creates a transactional dynamic where attendees feel like cogs in a machine. A simple check-in question changes that energy. It surfaces context (e.g., knowing someone is “frazzled” explains their silence) and nudges the group into present-moment awareness.
The How: Before diving into work, invite each person to share a quick response to a prompt. Keep it fast and low-pressure:
- “What is one word for how you are arriving today?”
- “What is something that energized you this week?”
- “What is a non-work win you are proud of?”
In Practice: Organizations such as IDEO and Atlassian have long used this to foster psychological safety. Atlassian encourages teams to start with a “health check” to surface how people are really doing. Both companies have found that when people feel seen as individuals, they contribute more openly and listen more generously.