Thoughts on Facilitating Retros

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Today, I get the fun job of facilitating our regular Engineering/Product retrospective. Whenever this falls on me, there are some things I like to reflect on beforehand:

• The facilitator should never be the main speaker
  • My role is to get others speaking openly and honestly
  • Taking over the conversation can sometimes stifle whether or not people feel free to contribute
• While you want others to be talking, you don’t always want the same people talking
  • Look for people who are trying to get a word in, and make space for them
  • In COVID times, this is why it’s important for everyone to have their video on!
• Some people just aren’t comfortable talking in group settings
  • Try to offer them opportunities, but don’t force it
  • Consider following-up afterward to see if there was anything specific that made them feel uncomfortable with sharing
• One of the side-effects of a well-run retro is the build-up of psychological safety
  • Google found that this was the key to their most successful teams

Go forth and retro!

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