What is the Weather Report technique?
A weather report is a way to run meeting check-ins and check-outs developed by Diana Larsen for teams who meet on weekly basis.
During the check-in, each person gives their weather report for the previous week’s work.
Check-in Example
Welcome! Let’s start with a weather report for last week. We’ll go around the room, and when it’s your turn, share what the weather was like for your work this past week and why.
Then person 1 might say:
Last week was foggy for me. I made some progress, but it felt like everything was harder to figure out than I expected and I had to move really slowly. I didn’t get near as much done as I expected.
Everyone gives their personal weather report before the group moves on to the next agenda topic.
Check-out Example
At the end of the meeting, the team checks-out by giving their weather forecast for the week ahead.
OK everyone! Now that we’ve set our plans for the week ahead, let’s close with the weather forecast. How do you predict the next week will go for you?
And person 1 might say:
I’m still anticipating light fog, with hopefully some sun breaks midweek. The stuff I’m working on is really challenging, but now that we’ve talked about it I can see some ways to approach it that could go a lot faster.
