25 Check-In Questions to Start Your Workshop on the Right Foot

The First Five Minutes Set the Tone

People walk into a workshop with their head somewhere else. They are thinking about the email they did not answer. The meeting they just left. The traffic. Their kids.

If you jump straight into your content, part of the group is not there yet. They are in the room, but not with you.

A good check-in question fixes that. In a few minutes, every person speaks once. They arrive. They hear each other. And you learn a lot about the group in front of you.

I have been facilitating workshops for about 20 years, in person and online. The check-in is the one part I never skip. Here are 25 questions I like, grouped by what you want to achieve.

Check-In or Icebreaker: What Is the Difference?

The two are often mixed up. They are not the same.

An icebreaker helps people who do not know each other start talking. It is often light and fun.

A check-in helps people arrive in the room, even if they already know each other. It asks: how are you, right now, and what do you bring today?

You can use a check-in with a team that works together every day. In fact, that is where it is most useful. Colleagues often know each other's job, but not how they feel this morning.

25 Check-In Questions

To Help People Arrive

  1. What are you leaving behind to be fully here today?
  2. In one word, how are you arriving this morning?
  3. What is taking up the most space in your head right now?
  4. On a scale from 1 to 10, how much energy do you have today?
  5. What would you need to be fully present for the next few hours?

To Connect People to the Topic

  1. What brought you to this workshop today?
  2. What is one question you hope we answer together?
  3. What do you already know about this topic? What do you want to learn?
  4. If this session is a success for you, what will be different when you leave?
  5. What is one challenge you face at work that links to today's topic?

For Leadership Training

  1. Who is a leader who shaped you, and what did they do?
  2. What is one leadership moment you are proud of this month?
  3. What decision is waiting on your desk right now?
  4. When do you feel most confident as a leader? When do you feel least confident?
  5. What is one thing your team needs from you that you have not given yet?

To Build Trust in the Group

  1. What is something about you that people here might not know?
  2. What helps you do your best work in a group?
  3. What is one thing that would make this a safe space for you today?
  4. What is a small win you had this week?
  5. What are you grateful for today?

For a Light and Quick Start

  1. What is the weather like inside you today?
  2. If your week was a movie title, what would it be?
  3. What is the best thing you ate this week?
  4. Coffee, tea, or something else: what are you drinking right now?
  5. What is one thing that made you smile recently?

How to Run a Check-In That Works

A good question is only half the job. How you run it matters just as much.

  • Go first. Answer the question yourself. Keep it short and honest. People copy the tone you set.

  • Give a time limit. Say it clearly: "one minute each" or "one sentence each." Without it, the first person talks for five minutes and the check-in eats your morning.

  • Do not comment on answers. Just say "thank you" and move on. If you react to one answer, people start to perform instead of share.

  • Allow a pass. Some people need more time. Tell them they can pass and come back later. Most of them will speak.

  • Choose the question for the group. A personal question works with a team that knows each other. A new group needs something lighter.

  • Use small groups for big rooms. With more than 12 people, a full round takes too long. Put people in groups of 3 or 4.

One mistake to avoid: asking a deep question to a group that is not ready. "What are you afraid of?" in the first minute of a workshop with strangers will close people, not open them. Start light. Go deeper later.

Make Your Check-In Easier with DESIDEES

Reading questions from a sheet of paper works. But there is a simpler way.With the Discussion Board on DESIDEES, questions are drawn at random. Nothing to install. Nothing to print. And it works in any setting.

  • Online: each participant sees the question on their own screen. Each breakout room can have its own link.

  • In person: project the question on the big screen for the whole room. Participants can also scan a QR code and see the question on their phone. Very handy with large groups when the screen is far away.

  • You stay in control: set a target time with the timer, and send a message to all participants at once.

  • In English and French: every activity works in both languages.

You can use our questions, or add your own. You decide the rules: group size, speaking time, format.

I used the Discussion Board for a full year at Business Power Breakfast, a monthly networking event in Vancouver. The feedback was clear: people talk more, and they talk about things that matter.

Want to see it in action? Book a short demo.

Hey, I’m Frédérique

Vancouver-based facilitator, coach, and trainer — and the person behind DESIDEES. I build tools, templates, and honest resources to help coaches, trainers, and facilitators run better sessions and sustainable practices.

ABOUT ME

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