Activity Overview
Either checking-in or checking-out is a simple way for a team to open or close a process, symbolically and in a collaborative way. Checking-in/out invites each member in a group to be present, seen and heard, and to express a reflection or a feeling. Checking-in emphasizes presence, focus and group commitment; checking-out emphasizes reflection and symbolic closure.
Objectives
- Checking-in emphasizes presence, focus and group commitment
- Checking-out emphasizes reflection and symbolic closure
Step By Step Instructions
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Checking-in
Stand or sit in a circle. Invite each member of the group to share one thing they “check-in” with. This could be a feeling, a reflection from the previous day, an attitude they bring into this session, or something playful like “the animal that represents my mood today.” Choose a check-in question based on the group and the purpose of the program. -
One-by-one participants check-in, either in order around the circle or at random. Once every person has checked-in one time, check-in is over.
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Checking-out
Stand or sit in a circle. Invite each member of the group to share one thing they “check-out” with. This could be a feeling, a reflection experience, the most important thing they take with them. Choose a check-out question based on the group and the purpose of the program.
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One-by-one participants check-out either in order around the circle or at random. Once every person has checked-out one time, check-out is over.
Tips for running this activity online
Ask people to check-in and check-out in order of how they’re positioned in the video conferencing screen. i.e. start with the top left participant and cycle around.
Alternatively, have the facilitator call on people to deliver the check-in and check-out, though be sure to ensure everyone gets a turn.
