Start each session or gathering by inviting everyone to speak in turn, uninterrupted, for an agreed amount of time.

In this practice, the main part is starting a collective interaction by being allowed to say something and be easily heard by everyone.

Why is this important? It gives everyone the opportunity to speak up and be heard. This prompts the behaviour and gives permission for each person to share their own insights, establishing a good foundation for psychological safety.

This is a great way in virtual setup to tests out microphones etc and sets the expectation that everyone can talk.

Check-ins also help teams begin their work together with a sense of unity as they share and hear about how each of them come in, establishing presence and purpose.

Simply ask the following:

• How are you (really) doing?
• In which state do you join?
• Random non-work-related question e.g.: What do you hope to get out of this call/meeting/workshop?
• Pass on to someone else :)

If you're pairing this with a standup practice, the following questions are great for sharing information and for accountability and for creating feedback loops!

• What are your intentions for the day?
• How did yesterday’s intentions go?
• Do you see any blockers to our progress?
• What’s something that you’re grateful for in the team?
• What’s one thing you’d like help/advice with?