How To Run A TEAM RETROSPECTIVE Workshop - Live Facilitation Training
TLDRThe video script details a live training session led by Rebecca Courney, a facilitation coach at AJ&Smart, on how to conduct a sailboat retrospective exercise. The session is designed to improve team productivity and happiness by identifying and addressing challenges faced by a team. Rebecca introduces herself, her transition from teaching to facilitation, and the relevance of the session for educators, trainers, and coaches. The sailboat exercise is a metaphorical tool used to visualize what's moving a team forward and what's holding them back. It involves anonymous collection of positive and negative aspects affecting the team, followed by categorization and prioritization through a voting process. The session also covers handling large group dynamics, ensuring anonymity in contributions, and the importance of clear instructions and examples. Rebecca emphasizes the versatility of the exercise, addressing various scenarios from improving internal communication to selecting holiday destinations. The training concludes with a live Q&A, providing an interactive platform for participants to engage and clarify their understanding.
Takeaways
- 📚 The training is focused on teaching participants how to run a sailboat retrospective, a method for teams to reflect on past events and improve processes or projects.
- 🚢 The sailboat exercise is a versatile tool that helps teams identify and prioritize challenges, and it can be applied to various situations, including product reviews and internal communication improvements.
- ⏰ The exercise takes approximately 30 minutes and is suitable for a team of seven participants, which is considered ideal for effective brainstorming and idea generation.
- 📝 Participants require materials such as sticky notes, a Sharpie, and voting dots, while the facilitator needs a rectangular block of sticky notes for organization.
- 🌟 The facilitator should model clear writing and instruct participants to write one idea per sticky note for clarity and ease of reading.
- 🕒 Time management is crucial, with specific time allocations for each part of the exercise to maintain momentum and engagement.
- 🤝 Group dynamics play a significant role, and the facilitator should manage the group's energy while also taking care of their own to maintain a positive and productive environment.
- 📈 The categorization of challenges helps in visualizing the team's issues and identifying common themes, which can then be prioritized through a dot voting system.
- 📉 Addressing shy or disengaged participants is achieved by creating a safe and inclusive environment, using visualizing discussions, and ensuring anonymity to encourage honesty.
- 🤔 Questioning techniques such as clarifying and probing questions are essential for facilitators to deeply understand the team's challenges and guide discussions effectively.
- 📊 The sailboat exercise is the first of several in a retrospective workshop, with subsequent exercises like '10 for 10' aimed at generating solutions and narrowing down to actionable items.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of the live training presented by Rebecca?
-The primary focus of the live training is to guide participants through running a sailboat retrospective exercise, which is a method used to improve team productivity and happiness by reflecting on past events and behaviors.
What are some practical facilitation tips mentioned by Rebecca for running the sailboat exercise?
-Some practical facilitation tips include ensuring anonymity to encourage honesty, using humor to boost energy, being clear and concise in writing on sticky notes, and managing the group's energy along with your own as a facilitator.
How does the sailboat exercise help in a team setting?
-The sailboat exercise helps teams by providing a structured way to discuss and visualize what is moving the team forward and what is holding them back. It allows for anonymous input, which can be particularly useful for introverted team members or those who may be hesitant to speak up in a group setting.
What materials are needed to run the sailboat exercise in person?
-To run the sailboat exercise in person, you need a whiteboard or flip chart, two square blocks of sticky notes in two different colors, a Sharpie for each participant, eight voting dots per participant, and a rectangular block of sticky notes in a different color for the facilitator.
How long does the sailboat exercise take to run, and what is the ideal number of participants?
-The sailboat exercise takes about 30 minutes to run. The ideal number of participants is seven, as it provides a good balance where ideas can be generated without the session becoming too messy.
What is the role of the facilitator in the sailboat exercise?
-The facilitator's role is to guide the team through the exercise, provide clear instructions, give examples, manage the group's energy, ensure anonymity, and maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all participants to share their thoughts.
How can the sailboat exercise be adapted for a virtual setting?
-The sailboat exercise can be adapted for a virtual setting using collaboration tools like Miro, which allows participants to write on a virtual whiteboard, use sticky notes, and vote on challenges in a digital format. The facilitator should ensure clear instructions and maintain engagement to replicate the anonymous and collaborative aspects of the in-person exercise.
What is the purpose of the 'how might we' statement in the sailboat exercise?
-The 'how might we' statement is used to reframe the identified challenge into a question that the team can work on solving. It shifts the focus from the problem to potential solutions, making it easier for the team to brainstorm and come up with ideas.
How does the facilitator ensure anonymity during the sailboat exercise, especially in a virtual setting?
-To ensure anonymity, the facilitator can use a countdown to have everyone post their sticky notes at the same time, preventing participants from seeing who wrote what. In a virtual setting, tools like Miro allow for anonymous posting of ideas, and the facilitator can manage the process to maintain anonymity.
What are some of the challenges that a facilitator might face when running a workshop with a large group of participants?
-Challenges include managing the time effectively due to the increased number of ideas, maintaining engagement among all participants, and ensuring that all ideas are heard and considered. The facilitator may need to appoint co-facilitators or volunteers to assist with these tasks.
How can the facilitator deal with difficult participants or group dynamics during a workshop?
-The facilitator can set clear expectations and ground rules at the beginning of the workshop, create a safe and inclusive environment, and use techniques like the parking lot method to manage off-topic discussions. They can also involve difficult participants in the process by giving them tasks or responsibilities, such as helping with categorization.
Outlines
🎉 Introduction to the Sailboat Retrospective Training
Rebecca Courney, a facilitation coach at AJ&Smart, introduces the live training on how to conduct a sailboat retrospective. She outlines the session's flow, which includes her facilitation journey, a hypothetical client brief, the sailboat activity, and a live Q&A. Rebecca emphasizes the importance of engagement and questions from participants throughout the session and briefly discusses her background as a teacher turned facilitator.
🚢 Understanding the Sailboat Exercise and Its Application
The paragraph delves into the sailboat exercise, a method used to identify and prioritize challenges faced by a team. Rebecca explains that the exercise is versatile, can be used in various contexts, and is particularly useful when issues are vague. She details the setup for the exercise, including materials needed and the process of drawing the sailboat as a visual metaphor for discussion.
📝 Preparing for the Sailboat Exercise
Rebecca guides participants through the preparation for the sailboat exercise. This includes drawing the sailboat on a whiteboard, explaining the process, and setting the stage for a positive and structured workshop. She emphasizes the importance of facilitator energy and managing group dynamics, even in challenging situations.
🌟 Focusing on Positives and Kicking Off the Workshop
The facilitator leads the team through the first step of the sailboat exercise, which involves collecting positive statements about what's moving the team forward. Participants write down ideas and present them one by one, adhering to the principle of anonymity to encourage honesty. The facilitator provides an example and sets a timer for this activity.
🔍 Identifying What's Holding the Team Back
Shifting to the negatives, the facilitator instructs participants to anonymously write down challenges the team faces. This part of the exercise focuses on honesty and anonymity, allowing for open expression of issues. The facilitator provides examples of potential challenges and guides the team through the process.
📉 Categorizing Challenges for Clarity
After listing the challenges, the facilitator discusses categorizing them for better organization and understanding. This step involves reading through all challenges and creating categories that make sense to the team. The facilitator emphasizes the flexibility of this step and the option to skip it if time is tight.
🗳️ Dot Voting to Prioritize Challenges
The facilitator explains the dot voting process, which allows participants to silently vote for the challenges they feel are most significant. This step is designed to be anonymous and encourages participants to consider all challenges before voting. The facilitator clarifies voting rules and the importance of using all voting dots.
🤔 Handling Challenges with Many Sticky Notes
Rebecca addresses the question of managing a large number of sticky notes produced by multiple participants. She suggests strategies such as setting a limit on the number of ideas per person, adding buffer time to the agenda, and involving volunteers to assist with categorization. She also highlights the importance of clear communication and managing expectations.
🌐 Encouraging Honesty in a Team with Power Imbalances
The facilitator discusses techniques for encouraging honesty in workshops, especially when there are power imbalances within the team. She suggests creating a safe and inclusive environment, using anonymous exercises, and setting clear expectations to ensure all participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts.
📈 The Importance of Clustering in the Sailboat Exercise
Rebecca explains that clustering challenges during the sailboat exercise helps in visualizing and organizing problems. She addresses concerns about time constraints by suggesting the step can be skipped or expedited based on the time available and the number of sticky notes generated.
🏆 Celebrating the Completion of the Sailboat Exercise
The facilitator wraps up the session by expressing enthusiasm for the sailboat exercise and its effectiveness in identifying and addressing team challenges. She invites questions and provides insights into the exercise's benefits, emphasizing the importance of anonymity and the collaborative nature of the workshop.
🤝 Facilitating with a Foot in Both Worlds
Rebecca advises on the challenges of facilitating while also being a participant, particularly in situations where one has to play dual roles. She suggests being transparent about these roles and using physical or verbal cues to signal when transitioning between them.
📊 Dealing with a Large Group in a Workshop
The facilitator discusses strategies for handling large groups in workshops, such as appointing table facilitators, managing the number of ideas per person, and incorporating buffer time into the agenda. She also addresses the use of technology to assist with anonymity and engagement in large group settings.
🤔 Encouraging Participation and Honesty
Rebecca provides insights on how to encourage participation from shy or quiet team members. She emphasizes the importance of creating a safe space, visualizing discussions, and using anonymous exercises to allow all voices to be heard.
📝 Questioning Techniques in Facilitation
The facilitator explains various questioning techniques, including clarifying and probing questions, and their importance in facilitation. She discusses how these techniques help in understanding the group's challenges and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
🌟 The Sailboat Exercise's Follow-Up
Rebecca outlines the steps that follow the sailboat exercise, such as the 10 for 10 exercise for generating solutions and the process of committing to a course of action. She highlights the importance of identifying and focusing on solutions to the challenges identified.
🏃♀️ The Dynamics of In-Person versus Remote Workshops
The facilitator discusses the pros and cons of in-person versus remote workshops, emphasizing the convenience and inclusivity of remote workshops and the energy and connection benefits of in-person sessions. She also shares tips for running effective workshops in both settings.
📚 Facilitation Fundamentals Course Overview
Rebecca provides an overview of the Facilitation Fundamentals course, which she co-created with Jonathan. The course covers the basics of facilitation, essential techniques and skills, and how to design and run workshops. It is aimed at both beginners and experienced facilitators, offering a comprehensive guide to effective facilitation.
🎓 The Facilitation Fundamentals Workbook
The facilitator describes the comprehensive workbook that accompanies the Facilitation Fundamentals course. Initially intended as a brief guide, it expanded into a detailed resource filled with additional information, research, data, and practical tools for facilitators.
📣 Closing Remarks and Future Live Events
Rebecca concludes the live training session with a positive note, expressing excitement for the success of the event and looking forward to future live events within the Facilitator Club. She encourages participants to join the club for more interactive sessions and opportunities to engage with the community.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sailboat Exercise
💡Facilitation
💡Workshop
💡Retrospective
💡Sticky Notes
💡Anonymous Voting
💡Dot Voting
💡Group Dynamics
💡Active Listening
💡Questioning Techniques
💡Hybrid Workshop
Highlights
Introduction to a live training on how to run a sailboat retrospective, a method for improving team productivity and happiness.
The facilitator, Rebecca Courney, shares her journey from being a primary school teacher to a facilitation coach, emphasizing the transferable skills.
Explanation of the sailboat exercise as an effective tool for identifying and addressing team challenges in a structured manner.
Emphasis on the importance of anonymity in the sailboat exercise to encourage honest participation from all team members.
Practical tips for facilitating the sailboat exercise, including the use of a whiteboard and sticky notes for visualization.
The sailboat exercise is versatile and can be applied to various situations beyond just team retrospectives, such as personal decision-making.
Description of the preparatory steps for the sailboat exercise, including drawing a sailboat on a whiteboard to represent positive and negative factors.
Engagement strategies discussed, such as using humor and maintaining a positive energy level to keep participants involved and the session interactive.
The use of dot voting as a method for participants to silently vote on the most critical challenges to address, ensuring an unbiased outcome.
Addressing the challenge of managing a large number of sticky notes by suggesting the use of digital tools or additional facilitators to assist.
Strategies for dealing with difficult participants, such as setting clear expectations and creating a social contract for the workshop.
The facilitator's role in creating a safe and inclusive environment to encourage honesty and candidness, especially in teams with power imbalances.
Techniques for encouraging shy and quiet participants to speak up, including visualizing discussions and ensuring anonymity in activities.
The process of transitioning from the sailboat exercise to other exercises like '10 for 10' for generating solutions and voting to decide on the next steps.
Comparison of in-person versus remote workshops, highlighting the pros and cons of each and tips for effectively running both.
Discussion on the challenges and strategies of running hybrid workshops, and why they are generally avoided in favor of in-person or fully remote sessions.
Introduction to the 'Facilitation Fundamentals' course, a comprehensive guide for individuals looking to develop or enhance their facilitation skills.
Transcripts
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