Method guide · Progress through phases
Check-out
Close a meeting with a brief indication of each person's current state, allowing everyone to speak or pass.
- People
- 5–100
- Base procedure time
- 5 minutes
- Recording
- No record
Purpose: Reflect and learn; Build working relationships.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for people to briefly share their current state, one at a time, at the end of a meeting. Each person can choose to speak or pass. Use it where dispersing immediately after discussion leaves people unaware of one another's feelings or need for further conversation. Share briefly in turn, without solving problems or exploring feelings in depth there and then; connect any needed consultation to another setting. No record remains afterwards, but participants know one another's current state and are ready to close the meeting. Do not use it on its own for urgent consultations or where deep feelings need careful attention in the moment.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
Use the arrow keys, Home or End while these controls have focus. The complete phase schedule remains below, including without JavaScript.
- Invite a brief word0–1 minutes from the start (1 minute)
Action: Invite. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Add a brief word1–4 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Add. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Close the session4–5 minutes from the start (1 minute)
Action: Close. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
Facilitation steps
- Shortly before closing, resettle in the circle and tell participants that this is the final activity.
- For 1 minute, the facilitator explains that people can choose to say just a brief word or pass, and shows the speaking order.
- For 3 minutes, in that order, each person says just a brief word about their current state or passes, then hands over to the next person.
- For 1 minute, after the last person has finished, the facilitator closes with a short phrase and the group disperses.
If something changes
If
One person's contribution continues for more than 20 seconds.
Then
The facilitator briefly acknowledges it with "Thank you, let's pick this up another time" and moves to the next person.
Preparation
Materials
- One clock or timer visible to everyone
- One chair per person, arranged in a circle
Room and setup
- Circular seating for everyone, where all faces are visible
- Place one clock or timer where everyone can see it
Adjust for people and time
With fewer than 5 people, the closing effect of leaving a brief word is too weak for the method to work. With more than 12, split into several circles of 6–7 people and run them simultaneously to retain the 5-minute frame. Give the closing signal only once for everyone. With fewer participants, you may extend the time per person and leave a longer pause to notice the after-effects.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Allow speaking or passing. Do not solve problems or explore deep feelings during the round; arrange any needed consultation separately. Do not use this on its own for urgent consultation or feelings needing careful immediate attention. Keep no record afterwards.
Historical translation and source notes
These original notes are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. This historical label does not resolve a source-specific concern or establish current acceptance.
- For more than 12 participants, scaling requires circles containing only 6 or 7 people. Totals of 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 29 within the catalogue range cannot be divided that way. No different circle size or remainder procedure has been added.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Seeds for Change: Check-out (Tools for meetings and events)
https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/tools
anti-copyright adaptation; changes made
- Seeds for Change: anti-copyright notice
https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/guides
"All Seeds for Change guides are anti-copyright. Feel free to copy, adapt, use and distribute them, as long as the final work remains anti-copyright." (retrieved 2026-07-25)
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
English video-library navigation. Original Japanese audio, subtitles and transcripts remain labelled Japanese resources. Their translations are separate later work. No remote player is embedded here.
The manual English phase controls are a navigation aid, not a live facilitation timer. Interactive diagram motion remains pending.
Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.