Weather Check-in
The Weather Check-in is an opening round in which each person describes how they are right now as a kind of weather, such as sunny, foggy or a storm passing through. The metaphor lets people name their mood without having to explain or justify it. It is a widely used check-in with no single known originator, and repeating it at the end of a session shows how the climate in the group has shifted.
Facilitation script
- 1
Introduce the weather question and model your own answer in one sentence.
1 min - 2
Round: each person names their weather with an optional sentence; no comments.
5 min - 3
Summarise the overall forecast in a sentence and say how you will take it into account.
1 min - 4
Optional at the close: repeat the round quickly and note what shifted.
3 min
Tips
Model an honest, middling answer yourself; if the facilitator is 'brilliant sunshine' every time, nobody will admit to fog.
Resist asking why someone is stormy in front of the group, and follow up privately in the break if it seems needed.
With a regular team, use it for a few weeks and then rotate to another check-in before it becomes a routine people answer on autopilot.
Common pitfalls
The facilitator or a manager responds to each answer, which turns a quick round into a series of mini-conversations and makes people guarded
Pressing someone to explain a stormy answer in front of the group, which teaches everyone to say 'sunny' next time
Hearing a room full of fog and thunder and then carrying on with the plan as if nothing had been said, which makes the check-in an empty ritual
Letting individual answers run to several minutes; with ten people the check-in then eats a quarter of the meeting
Treating the answers as data about performance or repeating them outside the room, which breaks the trust the round depends on
Variations
Remote: ask everyone to type one weather emoji in the chat and send them all at the same moment, then invite two or three people to say more. Large groups: have people share in pairs or show a hand signal on a scale from storm to sunshine instead of a full round. Forecast version: at check-out, ask for the weather people expect for the coming week or for the project. Drawn version: each person sketches their weather on a sticky note and posts it on a shared 'weather map', which gives a picture of the room you can return to later. With a physical prop, the same metaphor is used in Weatherball, where a patterned ball is passed around.
Where it fits
When to use it
You need to know the mood in the room before deciding how to pitch the first agenda item
The group is not used to talking about feelings and a direct 'how are you' would get 'fine' from everyone
A meeting follows a hard week, a reorganisation or bad news and people need a moment to arrive
You want a before-and-after comparison without running a survey
There are only five minutes for a check-in
When not to use it
The group is larger than about 30: a full round takes too long, so use an emoji poll or pairs
You want people to say something about the content or their expectations: ask a targeted question from Check-In Questions instead
The team has used it every week for months and answers have become automatic: switch to a One Word Check-In or Photo Check-In
You need a more precise picture of ups and downs over time: the Rollercoaster Check-In shows the trajectory, not only the current state
Someone is visibly upset and needs a conversation: a metaphor round in front of everyone is the wrong place, so speak to them directly
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Weather Check-in?▾
The Weather Check-in is a short opening round in which each participant describes their current mood as weather, for example sunny, overcast or stormy. It takes five to ten minutes and needs no materials. The image makes it easier to be honest about how you are without going into detail.
Why use weather instead of asking how people feel?▾
Many people answer a direct question about feelings with 'fine'. A weather image is indirect, a little playful and understood by everyone, and it carries nuance such as 'sunny with a cold wind'. It also suggests that moods pass, which lowers the stakes of naming a bad one.
How does the Weather Check-in work in a remote meeting?▾
Ask everyone to type a weather emoji or a few words into the chat and send them together on your count, so nobody copies the first answer. Then invite a few volunteers to add a sentence. In a small team a spoken round with cameras on works as well as it does in person.
What should the facilitator do with the answers?▾
Listen, thank people and name the overall picture in a sentence. If the mood is clearly low or tense, adjust: slow the start, add a break or acknowledge what is going on. Do not analyse individual answers in the group.
What is the difference between the Weather Check-in and Weatherball?▾
Both use weather as a metaphor for mood. Weatherball works with a physical ball whose patches show different kinds of weather and is passed from person to person, while the Weather Check-in needs no prop and lets people invent their own image. The prop-free version is easier to run remotely and in large groups.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Common facilitation practice.