---
title: "Emotional Check-In"
description: "Participants pause, identify their physical and emotional state through guided prompts, and choose whether to record or share a single descriptive word."
last_updated: "2026-09-07"
canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/well-being-check-in-exercise-for-groups-emotional-check-in/"
---

# Emotional Check-In

Participants pause, identify their physical and emotional state through guided prompts, and choose whether to record or share a single descriptive word.

**Time:** 5 minutes. Playmeo lists 1 to 2 minutes; UWT suggests 5 minutes to allow for calm pacing, individual reflection, and voluntary sharing.
**People:** 4 to 24. Individual reflection followed by voluntary whole-room share

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Help participants notice their current internal state and transition attention into the current session.
**Use it when:** Use at the start of a meeting, workshop, or training session when people arrive distracted or rushed.
**Skip it when:** Skip when team relationships are acutely conflicted and quiet self-disclosure would feel unsafe.

## Materials and tools

- Optional scratch paper and pen per participant

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange seating so everyone can sit comfortably. Eliminate sudden noise or distractions where possible.

## Say this to open

We will take two minutes to pause and check in with ourselves before we start our work. You do not have to share your thoughts out loud unless you choose to. Find a comfortable position in your chair or on the floor.

## How to run it

### 1. Settle and breathe (1 minutes)

Deliver the opening script. Invite participants to sit comfortably, rest their feet on the floor, and either lower their gaze or close their eyes. Lead two slow breaths without forcing depth or pace.

### 2. Guided body scan (1 minutes)

Read the guided scan prompt: 'Notice where your body touches the chair or floor. Scan from your shoulders down through your back and hands. Notice any tension or ease without trying to fix it.' Pause for 20 seconds.

### 3. Identify current feeling (1 minutes)

Read the feeling prompt: 'Ask yourself quietly: What word best matches how I feel right now? For example, tired, alert, rushed, or curious.' Give participants 30 seconds of silence to settle on a word or phrase, writing it on scratch paper if they prefer.

### 4. Return and voluntary share (2 minutes)

Invite people to open their eyes and return attention to the room. Offer an open floor for up to 5 voluntary contributions: participants may speak their chosen word aloud or say 'pass'. Close the activity when time ends or after 5 contributions.


## Debrief questions

- What did you notice about your attention once you paused?
- How does naming your state change how you approach the rest of this session?

**Finished output:** Each participant identifies a current personal state, with optional voluntary spoken check-ins.

## Remote

Ask participants to adjust their seating and optionally turn off video for the quiet reflection. During sharing, participants can unmute to speak their word or type it into the chat, with the explicit option to type 'present' or pass.

## Hybrid

Ensure the in-room microphone captures spoken words clearly for remote callers. In-person participants speak first, then remote participants unmute or post in chat. Both groups see any chat contributions on the shared screen.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may keep eyes open, lower their gaze, or sit in any posture that suits their body.
- Sharing is strictly voluntary; participants may remain silent or say 'pass' without giving a reason.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant shares deep personal trauma or distress during the share step.**

Acknowledge their contribution with simple appreciation ('Thank you for sharing that'), offer support after the session, and transition smoothly to the group's agenda.

**The room feels awkward or rushed during the silence.**

Hold steady during the quiet periods. Resist filling the silence with extra talk; calm facilitator posture helps the room settle.


## Terms used here

- Body scan: A brief mental check of physical sensations in different areas of the body from head to feet.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo activity database, credited to Lisa Laura (published August 2021).

Retained the core structure from Playmeo (seated pause, guided self-reflection on feelings, bringing attention back). UWT structured the sequence into a 5-minute schedule with an exact facilitator script, defined a clear voluntary sharing step, and added access options.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/health-wellbeing/emotional-check-in)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/health-wellbeing/emotional-check-in/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/well-being-check-in-exercise-for-groups-emotional-check-in/