Rollercoaster Check-In

Step 1:

Gather the group in a horseshoe around a flipchart/whiteboard. Explain the purpose of a check-in if necessary, that it’s an important tool to take the group’s emotional temperature, to uncover any fears, concerns, or needs. Explain that this is a method to explore the whole group’s feelings in a playful and visual way.

Facilitator notes

In certain cases, some participants may choose not to check-in. Make sure that everyone is given the opportunity to check-in but if some choose not to, simply check with them after the session to see if there are any issues that might need to be addressed.

Step 2:

Draw a wavy line across the entire flipchart/whiteboard that resembles a basic rollercoaster with loops, steep sections, and shallow sections.

Step 3:

Explain that we are going to draw ourselves on the rollercoaster, depicting how we feel right now, then share that feeling with the group. We’ll do this one-by-one, either in order around the horseshoe or at random.

Step 4:

Give each participant as much time as you think is necessary and practical. It can be as little as one word, or as much as 5-10 minutes.

Step 5:

When everyone has checked-in if there is time then look at the rollercoaster as a whole group and share/discuss any thoughts that emerge.

Tips for running this activity online

• Pick an online whiteboard tool that allows you to use a large, zoomable canvas.
• Draw the basic rollercoaster in the collaborative space and invite users to add themselves to the rollercoaster as drawn notes.
• When facilitating group discussion, we’d recommend that participants use non-verbal means to indicate they’d like to speak. You can use tools like Zoom’s nonverbal feedback tools, a reaction emoji, or just have people put their hands up.The facilitator can then invite that person to talk.
• If you’re not using an online whiteboard, we’d recommend the facilitator draw the rollercoaster digitally or on paper and invite the participants to draw an image of themselves and upload it to a shared Google Doc or Slack. The facilitator then places their initials where they’d like to be on the rollercoaster and invites them to describe why.