Checkin DECK

an invitation for
presence and connection
Chris Marcell Murchison
Vice President for Staff Development
and Culture

HopeLab
 why this book ?

Checkin
contents getting acquainted
DEC K

01 – 05

inviting presence 06 – 10

diving deeper 11 – 15

reflecting and closing 16 – 19

about Chris
why this book?
We spend so much time and energy at
work. For most of us, it is is a major part of
life yet we often speak of it as somehow
separate from “life” as we strive for work /
life balance. This is a false dichotomy. Work
is fully a part of life. Non-work and work –
it is all life, to be interwoven and integrated,
rather than separate and balanced.
The workplace is a perfect laboratory for
practicing new ways of relating to one
another and to ourselves.
At HopeLab, we experiment with creating a
culture where the whole person is nurtured.
We believe that under the right conditions – an
environment of connection, respect, integrity,
learning, and joy – the exquisite humans in our
organization have the opportunity to flourish and,
as a result, our business will too. It just might be
that the workplace has the greatest potential to
improve how we relate to each other, transforming
the workplace and, by extension, the world.
What you have before you is a collection of our
most creative and memorable check-in activities at
HopeLab, divided into four categories: Getting
Acquainted, Inviting Presence, Diving Deeper, and
Reflecting and Closing.
We offer this book as a invitation for you to
transform your own workplace. Check-ins are
a great first step!
Let us know what you learn and how you experiment
with and improve upon our ideas. Enjoy!
a note on facilitation
This is a collection of check-in exercises that
we have borrowed, customized or designed
for our own use. I expect you will want to do
the same.
Every group dynamic is unique, with different
players, needs and interests. You know your
group best – their personalities, balance of
extraversion / introversion, openness,
willingness to take risks, etc. So, mold these
exercises to your group’s needs.
My advice to facilitators is this:
Ease in. Similar to a social gathering, people often
benefit from some simple structure to help them feel
comfortable, to open up, and to meaningfully connect
with each other.
Innovate. Re-craft or revise the exercises to meet the
needs of your group.
Improvise. Experiment and have fun with it! It’s not
world peace, it’s a check-in exercise. Take some risks,
make some mistakes, be willing to shift course. Most
importantly, play around with the ideas and have fun.
You’ll be amazed at the energy you’ll unleash!
Engage. Try to engage multiple senses. If an
experience can connect to the head, heart and gut
participants are more likely to experience it in a
deeper way.
Bring it! Bring your whole self to these exercises. It is
not about perfection, it is about showing up and
being your most creative self. In this way you and your
exercises will be more compelling.
 DEC K

01 i am...
02 fortune teller
03 jeffry’s fabrics
04 a welcoming exercise
05 concentric circles

Many people are a little bashful in groups, particularly when they are new.
This shyness often translates to hesitance, awkwardness and reticence. When
multiplied, it can make a group experience less collaborative, less productive
and downright painful. Introducing some structured activities to help group
members get acquainted can make all the difference. Creating space for this
connection can open the doorway for greater openness, trust and interest and
allow your group to thrive.

getting acquainted
 TOOLS

HANDOUTS

PENS

D E CK 01

i am...
getting aacquainted
 DECK
i am...
getting
acquainted
01
Many acquaintance exercises stop at
“silly.” Being in a new group can be
uncomfortable and icebreakers experienced
as nerve wracking, so it can be tempting to
hurry through them or to keep them
superficial. However, in our experience,
if you push through discomfort you are
likely to learn so much more about your
peers / colleagues and even yourself.
I have used this exercise a couple of times at HopeLab and
with great success. It’s fun and invites self-reflection, inquiry
and connection through new, shared insights.
1 Create handouts that are 10 sentence completions – all
starting with “I am .”
2 Distribute the handouts and pens and give participants
3-5 minutes to complete all 10 sentences (typically, as you
progress you get beyond the obvious responses and begin to
reveal more interesting or meaningful things about yourself).
If this is a new group, or one with some new members, the
first “I am ” can be completed with the person’s name.
3 Have participants mingle silently about the room for 3-5
minutes, looking at each other’s lists. Participants can hold up
their lists in front of them as shown in the photo.
4 Then ask participants to find a partner, share his/her list
and allow the listener to ask questions to learn more.
5 After both partners have shared (3 - 5 minutes in total), ask
participants to find a new partner and repeat the exercise.
6 Complete as many rounds as time allows.
 TOOLS

D e s i gned,
p rinted and
folded
For tune
Tellers

For a copy of our

template, go to
our blog post at
blog.hopelab.org
(May 31, 2012)
1 2

D E CK 02
3

4 5
fortune teller
6 7 8

getting acquainted
9
 DECK

fortune teller This exercise is a “riff” off of a childhood game called

getting
acquainted
02 Fortune Teller or Cootie Catcher. We crafted this exercise,
full of fun and provocative questions, to help conference
attendees meet and get acquainted. Fortune Teller design
templates and folding instructions are easily available online.

We created this exercise for the 2012 To play:

Wisdom 2.0 Business conference in San
Francisco. The intention was to creatively
1 Have one partner (A) hold the Fortune Teller.

help the 400+ participants connect with 2 The other partner (B) chooses one of the outer words.
each other and experience the value of Our outer words were values.

check-in exercises.
3 Partner A spells out the word, opening and closing the
Fortune Teller horizontally then vertically with each letter as
they spell out the word.

4 When finished spelling the word, four inner words will be

revealed. Partner B chooses one of them. Our inner words
were emotions.

5 Partner A lifts up that panel and reveals and reads the

question there that relates to the chosen emotion.

6 Partner B responds and thus ensues a fun “get to know

you” conversation!

If time allows, instructing participants to fold their own

Fortune Tellers would be a fun addition to this exercise.
 TOOLS

a ss or ted
fabri c
samples

D E CK 03

jeffry’s fabrics
getting acquainted
 DECK

jeffry’s fabric
getting
acquainted
03

We always begin our HopeLab board

meetings with a check-in exercise.
Since we only meet a few times each year,
the check-ins are a nice opportunity to
re-connect with each other. Jeffry, a 1 Collect a diverse selection of fabric samples.
businessman and interior designer who Spread them out on your meeting table.
serves on our board, devised this
wonderful exercise.
2 Ask participants to choose one they like.
3 In a go-round, have participants share what appealed
to them about the particular fabric they chose (its pattern,
texture, etc.) and how this fabric might represent something
about them or their role in the group.

Note: When we did this exercise, one participant creatively drew upon
the list of materials and other information (like fire retardance) on the back
of the fabric sample label for inspiration. Delightful!
 a welcoming DECK

getting
exercise 04
acquainted

In any organization the introduction and orientation

of new team members is an important and highly
leveraged opportunity. Take advantage of it! Doing
this well allows for quick connection, immersion and
productivity. Our Research and Product Development
team came up with a fun way to do this.

After general introductions by all team members, have

each existing staff member introduce themselves and share
the following:

DECK 04 1 Share 1 or 2 things you have learned at work.

2 Share 1 or 2 things that you do in your role that you
a welcoming never expected.

exercise 3 Name a “super-power” of one other person in the group,

something they do really well and seemingly effortlessly.

This exercise has been an effective way to introduce

getting acquainted new staff members to the areas of expertise of their new
colleagues. It is also a great way to illuminate for all team
members the amazing talents in the group.
 TOOLS

This is a fun activity which allows for a

maximum number of introductions in a
c hi me or short amount of time. I like this exercise
bell
because the questions can be tailored
to the group – focusing on basic
introductions or infused with more
serious questions related to the content
of your meeting or questions designed
to elicit deeper sharing.

D E CK 05

concentric
circles
getting acquainted
 concentric
circles
getting
acquainted
05
1
Divide the group into two.
2 Create two circles, with equal numbers of people,
one inner and one outer - the inner circle facing outward
and the outer circle facing inward. Each person should be
opposite and paired with one other.
3 The facilitator poses the first question to the
group. Each person in a pair takes turns answering the
question. The listening partner does so actively,
asking questions for clarification or deeper understanding
where appropriate.
4 After about 5 minutes close the conversations (a
chime or non-offensive bell is handy) and then ask the
inner circle to rotate clockwise by 3-5 people so they are
facing a new partner.
5 Pose the second question and so on.
6 Conduct as many rounds as time allows.
DECK
Some Sample Questions
• What vegetable do you most resemble?
• Which of the four seasons do you most enjoy?
If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month,
•
which show would you choose?
• You can cast any actor alive or dead to play you in a film
about your life. Whom would you cast in the role?
• If you could have one superpower, which would
you choose?
• What’s the first thing you notice about someone when
you meet them?
• If you could be any age again for one week, what age
would you be?
• If you could have another occupation for one week, what
occupation would you choose?
• What was your favorite toy as a kid?
• What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
• If you could have personally witnessed one event in
history, what would you want to have seen?
• What did you want to grow up to be when you were little?
 DEC K

06 a tea exercise
07 energy check-in
08 seuss
09 pot-shots
10 paint a postcard

In our busy worlds of work tasks and projects, email, texting, cell phones,
etc., it is easy to be distracted when entering a meeting. Our minds can
continue to race with distracting thoughts throughout the meeting. Bringing
attention to this, and creating an opportunity for group members to “press
the pause button,” can help them focus their attention and be present
for the task at hand and to the relationships in the room. As a result, your
meeting is likely to be more engaging and yield greater results.

inviting presence
 TOOLS

t e a balls

Our President, Pat Christen, asked

me to create and facilitate a check-in
exercise for a Board meeting –
d ecorati ve
boxes,
as sor ted
something centered around tea or a tea
tea
ceremony. This is what I came up with!
Lorem ipsum
 dolo
r sit
sed diam nonu  am
mmy et, 
 nib co
h e ns
uis ec
mo tet
d t ue
inc r a
idu di
nt
 u
pi

t l
sc

a
ing  
or

 
ee
t

p rinted tea
quotes
D E CK 06

a tea exercise
inviting presence
 DECK
a tea exercise
inviting
presence
06
1
Prepare small boxes that contain tea balls filled with
a variety of fragrant teas. Wrap each tea ball in tissue
paper and place one in each box along with a tea-related
quote (see samples quotes). I like to use a decorative box,
wrapped beautifully, so it looks curious and inviting.
2 Start by asking participants to take three deep
breaths – to “press the pause button” on any distracting
thoughts and to bring focus and attention to the exercise.
3 Ask participants to notice the box in front of them.
Then invite them to unwrap and open their box.
4 Have participants quietly read the quote inside.
5 Then have participants hold the tea ball to their
nose and take in the aroma of their tea. Ask them to
quietly reflect on what they smell and what memories
are evoked.
6 In a go-round, ask participants to:
• Read aloud their quote.
• Describe the aroma of their tea.
• Share a memory your tea inspires –“This tea
reminds me of .”
7 In closing, invite participants to make and enjoy a
cup of “their” tea sometime in the near future and be
reminded of the exercise and their inspired memory.
Sample Tea-Related Quotes
As a practice, tea can be a source of pleasure for a lifetime. It is a way
to focus, to center. In a world constantly telling you to hurry up, it is the
easiest way to slow down. – Norwood Pratt, New Tea Lovers Treasury
  
Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy,
doesn’t try it on. – Billy Connolly (Actor)
...She had that brand of pragmatism that would find her the first
brewing tea after Armageddon. – Clive Barker, Weave-World
Tea. Earl Grey. Hot. And whoever this “Earl Grey” fellow is, I’d like
to have a word with him… – Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek
Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of
solitude and the pleasures of company. – Author Unknown
There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished
by a nice cup of tea. – Bernard-Paul Heroux (Philosopher)
May you always have walls for the winds, a roof for the rain, tea
beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you and
all your heart might desire. – Old Irish Blessing
 TOOLS

Several years ago, we began

q ues ti ons
experimenting with a wellness program
on a
handout or at HopeLab called HOGS (health and
fli pchar t
( o pti onal) other good stuff). The program
focuses on engagement and energy
management in four dimensions –
physical, emotional, mental and
spiritual energy.

D E CK 07

energy
check-in
inviting presence
 energy
inviting
check-in
presence
Periodically, we find it helpful for staff to
check-in on how they are managing and
investing their physical, emotional,
mental and spiritual energy. The following
are some questions we’ve posed for this
purpose, some of them drawn from the
book The Power of Full Engagement, by
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.
DECK
07 Who am I becoming? Do I feel a sense of purpose today?
Where? How? What rituals might I create that would give me
a greater sense of meaning in my life?
What am I thinking? What is in my head? Is there a pattern to
the thoughts in my busy mind? Am I able to maintain focus
or am I consistently distracted? How might I bring more focus
to my attention?
What am I feeling? What emotion/s am I feeling right now?
How consistent with my personal values are my emotional
responses in any given situation? Are my responses
different at work than at home? If so, how? How much nega-
tive energy am I experiencing – defensiveness,
frustration, anger*, fear, resentment, envy? How might I
redirect this energy in a more positive direction?
What am I sensing? How does my body feel right now?
What physical sensations do I notice? How are the choices I
am making – my habits of nutrition, exercise, sleep, and the
balance of stress and recovery – affecting my physical
energy? What choices might help me maximize my physical
energy to fuel my engagement and my goals?
* Note – anger is not necessarily a negative emotion! In fact, the
expression of anger can sometimes be highly creative, supportive
and beneficial for self and others.
 TOOLS
DECK

seuss
inviting
presence
08
quote
cards In our 2012 strategic plan, presented to our Board,
HopeLab’s Management Team got creative and used
Dr. Seuss’s Horton as a muse to tell the story of our
work for the coming year. As a check-in for the board
meeting I collected a variety of Dr. Seuss quotes (there
are hundreds available online!) and created cards out
of them. We spread the cards out on the meeting table
and conducted the following exercise:

Ask participants to browse the selection and pick two cards:

08
• One to describe how they are feeling at year’s end
DECK and another that reflects their thoughts or feelings
about the year ahead.
• In a go-round, have participants read each quote then
describe why they chose it.

seuss For us, this exercise proved to be a creative and meaningful

opportunity for reflection and sharing, perfect for a year-end
planning meeting.

inviting presence While Seuss quotes worked for us, any collection of funny,
provocative or inspiring quotes would work well. You could
also use this exercise at any time of the year to inspire
thoughtful reflection.
 TOOLS
DECK

pot-shots
inviting
presence
09
P ot-Shot
cards Over the course of 40 years, Ashleigh Brilliant has
produced a vast archive of original thoughts, each
one expressed in 17 words or less. She calls her cards
“Pot-Shots” or “Brilliant Thoughts” and they are
designed to “hit” you in your heart, brain or funny
bone - or perhaps all three. She has amassed a
collection of over 10,000 cards to date and they can
be ordered at ashleighbrilliant.com.

We have our own box of Pot Shot cards (a very large one) and
use them regularly. They are a creative way to access people’s
DECK 09 thoughts and feelings. Here’s how we use them:

1 Scatter an assortment of cards on your meeting table

and ask participants to pick one that says something about

pot-shots
them, something they are willing to share with the group.
To set more context, the instruction could include how people
are feeling in general today; how they are feeling about work
today; about the week/month/year ahead; about a particular
team dynamic or the status of a project; etc. Allow 3-5
inviting presence minutes for participants to choose a card.

2 In a go-round, have participants read their card aloud and

then share with the group why they selected it.
 TOOLS

painting a DECK

inviting
postcard 10
presence
Watercolor
PAI NTSETS

In crafting an exercise, it is often helpful to think about

the use of different senses and imagery, not just words,
to tap into everyone’s creativity.
Watercolor
p o s tcards Pat Christen concocted this exercise as a board meeting
check-in with the caveat that “no talent is required.” With this
disclaimer, we all painted away and, not surprisingly, produced
some lovely art! The process was quite joyful. Pat then mailed
pens
the cards to each of us at the address we provided. Receiving
the postcard in the mail several weeks later was a sweet
reminder of the exercise and of our time together.

DECK 10 1 Gather watercolor postcards and small watercolor sets.

p os tage
stamps Have these, plus small cups of water and paper towels, at
each participant’s place setting.

2 Pose the following question to the group for inspiration:

paint a postcard Coming into this meeting, how do you intend to “show up” or
be present?

3 Have participants draw/paint their response to this

inviting presence question. (10-15 minutes)

4 When completed, in a go-round, have participants share

their postcards and describe what they created and its
significance to them.

5 At the end of the exercise, have participants self-address

their postcards. Collect and mail them at a later date of
your choosing.
 DEC K

11 give an authentic gift

12 engaging the spirit
13 busy
14 story spine
15 finding your genius

When a group has been working together for a while and is well
acquainted, there is an opportunity to create even deeper and more
meaningful connections. Taking this opportunity requires greater risk
for group members but offers greater reward.

diving deeper
 give an DECK

authentic gift 11
diving deeper

We have been experimenting a lot with the power of

improvisation. I crafted this exercise as an opportunity
for group participants to acknowledge and appreciate
each other.

1 Gather participants in a circle.

2 Have the group take a moment to be still with each
other. A short breathing exercise is useful, e.g., have the
group breathe in and out together, each to the count of five.

DECK 11 3 Have participants consider the person on their left – How

have you experienced this person so far in the group’s time

give an together? What have you observed? What have you learned?
What seems important to him/her? What have you seen this

authentic gift
person struggle with?

4 With the above in mind, craft an imaginary gift to give to

this person.

diving deeper 5 To demonstrate, start with yourself, and give your

imaginary gift to the person on your left, acting out the
process of giving it and describing the gift and why you chose
it to give.

6 Continue the gift giving around the circle until the last gift
is given to you.
 TOOLS

In our health and wellness program at

d ec orat iv e
or n a m en t
HopeLab, we pay specific attention to the
or box
ways we invest and use energy physically,
emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. A
long-time friend and organization con-
PA P E R
sultant, Susan Edsall, created this “spirit”
exercise as part of one of our staff retreats.
The personal notes produced in the
PEN exercise were stuffed into handmade
ceramic ornaments for safekeeping. The
DEC K 12 ornament could be broken open at some

engaging
future point to reveal and remind you
of your reflections. Our beautiful clay

the spirit
ornaments were crafted by our artist friend
Sheri Jarvis (sherimjarvis.com) but any
decorative container could be used.

diving deeper
 engaging
the spirit
diving deeper
1 Set the context for the exercise. Referencing our
clay ornaments, we made the analogy that these
beautiful objects were once just a lump of wet brown
clay, but were turned into objects of beauty through
the devoted attention of the artist - thinking of the
shape, forming the clay, carving it, firing the ornament,
glazing it and firing it again. It is a detailed and lengthy
process, riddled at various times with error, excitement,
tedium, exploration, discovery, satisfaction,
disappointment, and discipline.
The same is true of the intention we bring to our
own lives.
2 Ask participants to commit to 30 minutes of
continued “free writing” with no editing or criticism
allowed. Assure them that they will not be asked to
share anything that they write unless they want to.
The free writing stem is:
“The purpose of my life is....”
DECK
12
3 Participants should respond to this sentence
stem over and over again with various versions or
possibilities until they start hitting on something that
really rings true. They might feel a surge of energy
or emotion at that moment.
4 At the end of the 30-minute free-write, have
participants choose a piece of origami paper or other
lightweight paper and write their clarified purpose
statement on it. Then they should roll the paper into a
tight scroll and put it in the hole of the ornament or in
the container you have provided.
 
5 Encourage participants to place their ornament
wherever they can see it daily or in a place that is of
special significance so it reminds them of the exercise
and of their life purpose and the kind of intention that
is necessary to bring it to pass.  
Insert purpose here.
 TOOLS
DECK

busy
diving deeper
13
q ues ti ons
on a
handout or Over the course of one year, I noticed a pattern of staff
fli pchar t
( o pti onal)
remarking about how “busy” they were, and not always
in a good way. I was curious about this, about the cause
of this busy-ness, how we might be creating these
burdensome conditions ourselves, and how we might
PAPER un-busy ourselves to create a more intentional and
satisfying workload and life.

I crafted the following questions after reflecting upon my own

PEN busy-ness. I posed these questions for individual reflection
and then group discussion in a Management Team meeting
DECK 13 during a strategic planning session. The intent was to be sure
we (individually and collectively) were not creating completely
unattainable goals for the year ahead.

busy
What is your relationship to being busy?
•
• What might you get out of being busy?
• How do you know when you are too busy, when you
have slipped from being busy to being overwhelmed?
• How might others know or recognize when you are

diving deeper too busy?

• What are the consequences of being too busy?
• What typically gets back-burnered when you are busy?
• What might be the consequences of that – for you? Your
colleagues? The organization?
 In the summer of 2011, I took part in
an intensive four-day improvisation
workshop. In it I discovered the
powerful principles of improv and
how they apply not only on the stage
but in life.
TOOLS
DECK
story spine
diving deeper
14
We used a version of this exercise in a staff retreat, as
a way to illuminate how easy it is to create unhelpful
stories about situations in the workplace and in life.
The Story Spine exercise can help you uncover the
impact of your stories.

1 Divide the group into triads.

2 Have each person share a story following the outline
below. Stories about a conflict or something that “bugs” you
q ues ti ons
on a DECK 14 are particularly useful and instructive.
handout or • Once upon a time…
fli pchar t
( o pti onal) • It was…
• So every day…

story spine
• And because of that...
• And because of that…
• And because of that…
• Until finally…
• And the moral of this story is…

diving deeper 3 After each person has shared a story, the triad can
debrief with the following inquiry:
• Is this story a familiar one in your life? How?
• How does telling this story help you? How might it not
be helpful?

4 After each triad has completed their storytelling and

debriefing, discuss the exercise in the larger group by asking
for any reflections, ah-ha’s or things learned.
 TOOLS

The purpose behind this exercise is to

provide a means for participants to identify
ar t their “genius” through a process of discovery.
p o s tcards,
q u esti ons
on a
We crafted a series of tasks to help people
h a ndout or
flipchar t
illuminate times and activities when they felt
( o pti onal)
they were in “flow” (a term coined by Mihaly
Csíkszentmihályi). Flow is a state of
paper concentration or complete absorption with an
activity, so much that you might ignore or
forget about time, eating, etc. It is a time
paper
when you are completely involved in an
DECK 15 activity for its own sake and you’re using your
skills to the utmost.

finding your When you are in flow there is a freedom to

genius express, to just be, without fear of external

motivation or judgment. In this space you are
likely to be expressing genius, the natural
diving deeper talents or gifts you have.

This exercise is designed to help you discover

your genius and how you might create
opportunities to express it even more!
 finding your DECK

4 On the back of the art card, participants

genius 15 should write down what they see as the
diving deeper
thread between their flow experiences?
These might be:
• A common activity

1 Ask participants to reflect on times in their lives when

• Common kind of companion
• Certain skills or talents being used
they were in a state of “flow.”
• A certain kind of motivation
• To help, think about specific periods of life – • A shared emotion
First decade - Birth to 10 years
Second decade - 11 to 20 years 5 What is the genius being expressed?
Third decade - 21 to 30 years
Fourth decade - 31 to 40 years 6 In small groups (no more than 4 people):
Fifth decade - 41 to 50 years
• Share the common characteristics you discovered
• For each decade, write down things you did that were about your “flow” experiences (share as much/little as
a “flow” experience. Write down as many as you can you like)
think of.
• What does this imply about your genius?

2 Scatter a variety of art postcards on the floor. • In what ways might you use your genius more?
For postcards, go for the greatest diversity you can find – • Note - others in the group should listen attentively and
art genres, subject matter, etc. then respond to what they have heard – Does what you

3 Ask participants to
have heard make sense to you, given how you know
this person? What might you add?
choose an art card from
the floor that seems to 7 In the large group, have participants share what struck
represent all that they them as interesting or helpful in this exercise.
just wrote down.
 DEC K

16 letter to self
17 you are...
18 in a box
19 one-word-at-a-time wisdom

Providing space at the end of a meeting or retreat for reflection allows for
learning and creates an opportunity for participants to think about how
they can apply and sustain what they have learned. It is a powerful pause
that supports impact.

reflecting and closing

 TOOLS

Sometimes in meetings or retreats, the

en evelopes
day ends with some learning to practice
or some goal to achieve. A check-out
exercise can remind and encourage
PAPERs participants of these intentions.

PEN

D E CK 16

letter to self
reflecting and closing
 DECK

letter to self
reflecting and
closing
16 Below is a reaction from one of our staff members to
receiving her card to herself months later:

“On my refrigerator door hangs the note I wrote to my child

In one particular staff retreat, our group
self at the retreat.  I wrote that note at a time in my life when
spent time discovering our “genius,”
I was struggling with a major life decision, and I knew I was in
our individual core talents, and reflecting
for a challenging road ahead, no matter the decision I made. 
on how we can express this more in our
Writing that note was a powerful exercise in the moment –
personal lives and work. We ended the day
it helped me to ground myself in love and let the decisions
with this exercise:
I was struggling with flow from this space. And then to read it
a few weeks ago, wow.  What a blessing and a reminder that
1 Imagine you see yourself as a child standing despite how painful a situation can be, when rooted in love,
before you.
it’s all worth it. ”

2 Given our work today, and what you have learned

about your self and your genius, what advice would you
give to unleash this child’s (your) genius?

3 Write down what you’d say on the provided card.

When done, insert the card in an envelope and address it
to yourself.

4 Facilitator – collect the envelopes from everyone and

mail them at a future date of your choosing.
 TOOLS
DECK

you are...
reflecting and
closing
17
o n e pos ter
p er pers on This exercise is a nice follow-up to the “I am” check-in
activity. At the end of a meeting or retreat, this exercise
is a nice way for participants to affirm each other.

p en/ marker
1 Create posters, one for each participant, with their name
at the top.

2 Tape the posters around the room, allowing ample space

between posters.

3 Distribute pens or markers and instruct participants to

DECK 17 make their way around the room, writing an affirmation
for each team member. Depending upon the content of your
meeting, this exercise could be framed in different ways:
• A skill, strength or competency observed

you are...
• A contribution this person has made to the team
• Something you appreciate about the person

4 The length of the exercise will depend upon the number

of participants. A helpful formula might be 30 seconds
reflecting and closing multiplied by the total number of participants.

5 At the end of the exercise, have participants take down

their poster and review the comments their peers have made.

6 The exercise might be debriefed as a large group,

asking participants to share what it was like to write the
comments and to receive them.
 TOOLS
DECK

in a box
reflecting and
closing
18
b o x, random
obj ects
( m ore than I love this exercise. It is so random and so interesting
n u mber of
par ti ci pants)
to see what people come up with!

1 Collect a variety of random, varied objects and place

them in a box.

2 At the close of your meeting, have each participant

blindly select an item from the box.

3 Instruct participants to reflect on how their chosen object

18
might represent what they learned in the meeting or how they
DECK will use the meeting’s content in the future.

4 In a go-round, have participants share what their object is

and their answers to the questions.

in a box 5 You can let folks keep their object if you like, as a fun
reminder of the day.

My craziest box object was a fart machine with a remote

reflecting and closing control. When the lucky person who drew this object was
about to report out, I made it “fart” which greatly amused
our group!
 one-word-at DECK

reflecting and
a-time wisdom 19
closing

Here’s another improv activity inspired by a game

called Proverbs in which participants invent a new
proverb by speaking it one person and one word at
a time.

I have adapted the exercise to be a group reflection on the

outcomes or learning from a meeting or retreat.

1 Have participants stand or sit in a circle.

2 Ask the group to reflect quietly for a moment on the day
DECK 19 and what they learned.

3 Then have one person start by saying one word. The next
one-word-at- person in the circle (going clockwise or counter-clockwise)

a-time wisdom
adds the next logical word to what was just said.

4 Continue around the circle until a “wisdom” has been

reflecting and closing
completed. At that point, the whole group claps, supporting
the wisdom, and then the next person in the circle starts a
new wisdom. Note – like a proverb, wisdoms are intended to
be short and wise (or pithy!). Some examples from our team:
• Beware of mysterious objects in a box
• Check-ins are good for the soul

5 Continue making wisdoms for as long as it makes sense.

The activity will move along more smoothly as the group gets
the hang of it.
 Why is this work important to me?

I grew up in a military family. We moved many times during

my childhood – between various countries, between rural and
urban centers, between ethnically diverse and homogenous
communities. This nomadic life left a mark on me and
being “new” was a challenge I learned to navigate. Along the
way, I developed a keen sense of the actions groups and

about Chris communities can take that can leave one feeling either
welcomed or sidelined.

From my life experience, I developed a mission to support

people feeling welcomed. Check-in exercises are one of the
tools I use to accomplish this.

Facilitating these exercises has been a tremendous

experience for me. I have explored the limits of what works
(and doesn’t) and have experimented with many ways of
creating positive “energy” in groups. I am proud to be the
gardener of the HopeLab community and culture and I give
great thanks to my colleagues for their encouragement and
openness to grow and create with me.

For more information please contact me at

cmurchison@hopelab.org.

Chris
 This project is inspired from 30 years of experience with
check-in exercises – from the many workshops, ropes courses,
orientation sessions, retreats and other group experiences I
have had the privilege to participate in. These experiences
have informed my philosophy and practice and I am grateful.

Many people have helped me learn this craft. I particularly

want to acknowledge the following:
• My student affairs professors, mentors and colleagues
• The hundreds of students, employees and friends that have
engaged in these exercises with me over the years
Acknowledgments • All the facilitators, trainers and OD professionals that I have
observed and learned from
• The staff at Bay Area Theater Sports (BATS) in
San Francisco
• The staff at HopeLab for being the most awesome guinea
pigs and co-learners

This project would not have been successful without the

contributions of:
• Diana Chapman for the inspiration to start this project
• Sheri Jarvis for her artistic gifts and inspiration
• Liz Song for her gift of photography and for capturing so
many of our cultural events at HopeLab
• Kian Kuan for his well honed design skills
• Pat Christen, Susan Edsall and Richard Tate for being the
best co-conspirators

Many thanks to you all!

 In the late 1980s, HopeLab founder Pam Omidyar spent
her days as a research assistant in an immunology lab.
At night, after hours watching malignant cancer cells multiply
under a microscope, she unwound by playing video games
with her husband, Pierre Omidyar, the software engineer
who went on to found eBay. As a scientist and game
enthusiast, Pam began to wonder if giving young cancer
patients a chance to blast their cancer in a video game might

about actually improve their health. In 2001, Pam founded HopeLab

to develop and test this concept, which led to our first
product, Re-Mission.

Today we continue to harness the power and appeal of

technology to improve kids’ health. Our most recent
product, Zamzee, is a kid-friendly activity meter designed
to get kids moving and ultimately help battle the childhood
obesity epidemic. Our future work will explore ways to
nurture resilience in young people facing adversity.

The energy and innovation we use in our product

development is equally applied to the tending of our
organization culture.

Read more about HopeLab’s story at www.hopelab.org.