People engage in rituals to achieve a broad set of desired outcomes. Rituals support a team to work efficiently and can be a way to change culture and habits and help you establish a framework for being productive. Many workplaces have their rituals. At Walmart stores, workers begin the day with a company cheer. At Yelp, salespeople bang a gong when they close a sale. Research shows these group rituals can help increase a team’s bonds and boost performance.

When I started my journey at Hyper Island, I learned about daily Check-Ins and Check-Outs. Check-in processes are fundamental for the work the team engages in and for setting its purpose. It is a simple way for a team to open a process. Checking-in invites each member to be present, seen, and heard. Checking-in emphasises presence, focus, and group commitment.

The check-out process is fundamental to the work we engaged in. It sets the context for what we did. It is a simple way for a team to close a process. Checking-out invites each member in a group to be present, seen, and heard. Checking-out emphasises reflection and closure.

When meeting face-to-face, stand in a circle. Choose a check-in question based upon the context of the session.

One-by-one, team members answer the check-in question and then make a step forward. Once every team member has checked-in, the task is complete. Teams should conduct check-ins before every meeting or workshop. If possible, they should also check-in at the beginning of each day.

At the end of the session, stand again in a circle. Invite each group member to share something they would like to “check-out” with. This could be a feeling, a reflection, the most important thing they take with them, what stands out the most, etc. Choose a check-out question based on the group and the purpose of the session.

One-by-one, team members answer the check-out question and then take a step backwards. Once every person has checked-out, the process is complete. Check-outs should be done after every meeting or workshop. Ideally, check-outs should be conducted at the end of each day.

When I was working at NZZ for the digital product department, we started to introduce weekly Check-Ins and Check-Outs to our teams. We also made them a mandatory part of each workshop. In the beginning, it felt weird for everyone.

In my experience, this is how change works. You have to embrace the new which feels different, uncomfortable and challenging. From then, it is like building a muscle. The more you do it, the easier it gets. At one point it just becomes the new normal.

The same happened with Check-Ins/Outs. They became part of the culture, and they had a fantastic impact on the teams. People started sharing new things about them. The result was that people began to know each other better which helped to build trust and empathy. Check-Ins/Outs also helped that people are present for a session and then close it afterwards. Everyone appreciated the feeling of closure.

I also started to introduce Check-Ins/Outs at Vorwerk. They have not become a part of the culture yet but helped my team to move closer.

My team is mostly remote, so we do not have the chance of doing face-to-face Check-Ins/Outs. My team also did not want additional meetings, so we do a weekly Check-In on Monday and a Check-Out on Friday via Slack. On Mondays, we are also sharing what we plan to work on and where the team can support.

On Fridays, we share how the week went, how happy the team feels, and what work wasn’t finished.

I would recommend doing Check-Ins/Outs for every working session over 40 minutes. Give it a few weeks and see how your teammates feel about the new ritual.

In the second phase, I would start with weekly Check-Ins/Outs and then move to daily ones with your direct team. Check-Ins/Outs are fundamental part at Hyper Island, and I have not met a team yet that did not become stronger with the new ritual. So investing a few minutes of each day will pay off.

To get you going, I am sharing my full collection of questions you might ask with you. Many of them I found online, some are recommendations and some I came up with myself. If you are using Check-Ins/Outs and you have some additions, please share them with me.

✨ Who is one person who changed your life but doesn’t know it?

🔪 If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be and why?

🎭 What is one thing you love that most people hate, and one thing you hate that most people love?

😎 What mattered to your high-school self more than anything else?

📢 If you were handed a megaphone and could blast out one message for the entire world to hear, what would you say?

🧠 What’s one thing that you’ve changed your mind about lately?

🖌 If your life is a story and at this point you’re in chapter two, when did you go from chapter one to chapter two (or in other words, what‘s been the most significant moment of change in your life thus far)?

📚 What would the title of your autobiography be?

🧸 What is your number one comfort item?

👀 If you walked into a room with everyone you’ve ever met in it, who would you look for?

❤️ If all of your romantic partner’s personality traits / attributes were going into a bag and you could only guarantee that they’d get three of them back, which three would you choose?

🎶 What’s your hype song (the song that would play as you enter the arena)?

🕰 If you could, would you rather spend a day with your younger self or your older self?

🔥 What’s on fire (in a good way) in your life right now?

🎅🏽 What is something that you learned much later in life than most people?

🍱 What’s your death-row last meal (pick a main dish, two sides, a drink, and a dessert)?

🔮 What’s a story from your childhood that, looking back, predicted what you do for a living today?

🎯 If you were on Jeopardy and could pick your Final Jeopardy category, what would you pick to give yourself the best chance of winning?

🤯 What’s something that you assumed was true for everyone that you later found out is only true for you / your family?

🚚 If you could win a lifetime supply of any one thing, what would you choose?

🏆 What’s one thing you always wanted that you have now?

3️⃣ What are three words your best friend would use to describe you?

👩‍👦 What is one thing your parents did right? And what’s one thing you wish they’d done differently?

If you want to learn more about how to build effective teams and what other rituals will help you to build strong connections, you should have a look at The TeamKit. TeamKit provides a practical solution for teams everywhere to work towards improving team culture and experience. It is a self-facilitated team formation process, which encourages teams to use the right tools, or methods, during team formation. TeamKit enhances effectiveness by focussing on “how“ teams come together and define their journey ahead. Importantly, TeamKit does not require any prior knowledge in team formation.