Digital Check-in Cards

Check-in Cards in a nutshell

What it’s for

This game can be used to start any workshop or learning experience. It enables the participants to orientate and open their minds to be receptive to new learning.

The Contents

The deck includes check-in questions from four categories, plus a visual card set:

1. Me – Looking inside and sharing insights with others.

2. Learning – Opening minds and mindsets conducive to learning.

3. Now – Sensing the environment and being present in the here and now.

4. Creativity – Breaking mental barriers and inspiring creative thinking.

The orange-coloured fifth set of cards is called Visual Triggers. Use these for people to make free associations and connections with the visuals and express themselves beyond questions.

How to use the cards

The cards are designed to suit multiple use cases, so depending on your setting and audience, you can come up with a method of your own or follow the guidelines provided with the cards.

The question cards

The common way to do a check-in is to ask each participant in turn to randomly pick a card and answer it. Continue picking cards until your time is up or the cards run out. While some categories may work better for a specific occasion, you can also mix all the cards to create more variety.

Visual Triggers

Lay out all the orange trigger cards visible if possible, and ask participants to choose one that they relate to at this moment. Participants can elaborate on why they chose this image.

Using the cards on virtual collaboration platforms

Drag and drop or import the card PNGs to your platform (such as Miro, Mural, Figjam, Howspace, Butter etc) and arrange them for participants to discover. Include instructions on how you would like participants to answer.

Here’s an example of how it could look like:

Projecting questions in a virtual meeting

Project the screen version PDF file and choose a question to display to your audience. Ask participants to answer one at a time or write their thoughts in the meeting chat.

If you want to create different compilations, import the PNG files to your slideshow.

Print and cut out when face to face

Choose a thicker paper if your printer allows to create a solid feel for the cards. Print as many decks as you think is required for your audience.

Tips for a successful check-in

Duration

Decide how long you are allocating to the check-in. Depending on the size of your group and the purpose of your event, dedicate a minimum of 30-60sec to a few minutes per person per card, plus group discussions.

Group size and format

In some use cases, you might opt to stay in a plenary with the participants, but often it is more engaging to divide the participants into groups of maximum 5-6 people.