{"id":1191,"date":"2025-04-15T11:22:51","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T09:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/?p=1191"},"modified":"2026-02-19T18:34:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T17:34:02","slug":"10-during-the-retrospective-the-actual-facilitation10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/10-during-the-retrospective-the-actual-facilitation10\/","title":{"rendered":"10. During the retrospective \u2013 The actual facilitation10."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>[This post is part of <a href=\"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/corinnas-guide-to-facilitating-retrospectives\/\">Corinna&#8217;s Guide to Facilitating Retrospectives<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Welcome back, friend!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re at the midpoint of the course but it was actually the very last post I wrote. In fact, I almost forgot the topic altogether. Not because it\u2019s not important but because it\u2019s mostly invisible to me while I do it. The other parts of facilitation \u2013 proper preparation and follow-up \u2013 I block time for but the actual facilitation is the meeting itself, no \u201cextra\u201d event.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So much of what I do when I facilitate has become automatic. It is hard for me to drag it out of semi-awareness into the light to consciously inspect. There was a lot of \u201cOkay, but <em>how<\/em> do I actually do this?\u201d-reflection involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the team, this is inverted: <strong>facilitation during the retro is the most visible part<\/strong> of my work with the biggest impact <strong>for the participants<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That might be, why it\u2019s hard to learn how to facilitate a meeting from a book (or blog post for that matter). If there\u2019s any way for you to take part in an actual in-person workshop on facilitation, do it! Additionally, take every opportunity to practice facilitating. Observing other facilitators is also a great idea, especially if you can shadow capable ones. Facilitation is a broad skill that will translate to <em>any<\/em> meeting, not just retrospectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So, how do I see my role during the retrospective?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m there to provide structure not content. For example, I set the categories in which we collect topics but not what topics get written down. As a Scrum master I may set the topic wholesale (after running it by the team: \u201cI will bring topic X. If you see something else as more important or urgent, come talk to me\u201d) but not what they do within the topic. I define how many votes each person can cast but not what to vote for. I allocate X minutes of discussion time but rarely influence the actual discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The value I add as a facilitator:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>[Preparation]<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Covered this in previous posts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Providing structure<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>With the activities I picked \u2013 already covered<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>My undivided attention and genuine interest<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Asking questions to bring out observations, clarify, and broaden what\u2019s possible<\/strong><br>More on this in a later email. Impatient? Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/debriefing-cube-online\/\">Debriefing Cube<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/leanpub.com\/askingforabetterfuture\/\">Asking for a Better Future<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Note taking during the discussion in a highly visible place<\/strong><br>This validates people\u2019s input and cuts down on repetitions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Making sure decisions happen, sometimes seemingly plucking them out of \u201cthin air\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Making action items more concrete<\/strong><br>More on this in a later post<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Intervene in the few situations I think it\u2019s necessary<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Time-keeping<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>[Follow-up]<\/strong><br>More on this in a later post<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Arriving at Decisions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>After each inner loop \u2013 discussion of a topic until thumbs down \u2013 I take time to wrap it up by asking whether the team want to follow up on this topic with an action item, a todo or a rule change. They usually do. If a new discussion erupts about <em>what exactly to do<\/em>, I\u2019d ask for another vote on whether to spend time on this or fold without an action.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I try to keep this \u201cafterburn\u201d short, like 2 to 5 minutes. This usually works, because <strong>I take notes of all the solution ideas that people suggest during the discussion<\/strong>. If it feels like a specific proposal had broad support I will just ask, \u201cThere seems to be broad support for suggestion X. Can I write it down as your action item?\u201d If yes, we will then add details to make it more actionable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there was no clear favorite, I will present all options and ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s something small that you can try?\u201d There are instances in which a team doesn\u2019t want to take any action for a specific topic and if that doesn\u2019t happen all the time, then that\u2019s okay. I\u2019d rather have few action items that get implemented than too many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are only starting out as a facilitator, I recommend a more structured approach to action items, because people get really angry when you mark something as \u201cdecided\u201d when they feel like they haven\u2019t had a say in it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I\u2019m Hands-off<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>On the \u201cexplicitly steer the discussion vs. completely hands-off\u201d-spectrum I am quite close to the \u201chands off\u201d extreme. I talk very little and interrupt the flow rarely. When I do, it\u2019s usually with a question. Almost every facilitator I had the privilege of observing, interrupts more than I do. This is an <em>observation<\/em>, not a <em>judgment<\/em>. I\u2019m <em>not<\/em> saying that \u201chands-off\u201d is better, it\u2019s merely my style. I shifted towards it over the years nudged by my interest in <a href=\"https:\/\/corinnabaldauf.de\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/clean-questions-and-the-power-of-metaphors\/\">clean language<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/sinnvoll-fuehren.com\/solution-focused-coaching-for-agile-teams\/\">solution-focused coaching<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Things that support my hands-off style:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>I <strong>sit to the side<\/strong> of the board and try to melt into the background. I want the <strong>participants to talk to each other, not to me<\/strong>. I\u2019m there to provide structure and thought-provoking questions. I\u2019m not a show master. Apart from instructions, I should not be the focus of their attention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For virtually every activity, <strong>I give time to think in quiet (and take notes) before participants go round robin<\/strong>. Not everyone is a chatterbox like me. Shy and\/or introverted people have valuable perspectives to add. In order to make it more likely for them to speak up, I make everyone shut up and write first. That levels the playing field for less outspoken people and I don\u2019t have to make sure that everyone gets a turn, because I create conditions for it to occur \u201cnaturally\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We all follow <strong>basic meeting etiquette and queue to speak<\/strong>. Teams can do a lot to <a href=\"https:\/\/leanpub.com\/facilitation-is-a-team-sport\">co-facilitate<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/corinnabaldauf.de\/blog\/2016\/06\/02\/all-eyes-not-on-you-chain-question\/\">Chain questions<\/a> are one specific example to deflect focus from you as the facilitator<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Setting a timer that\u2019s visible to all<\/strong><br>Having a countdown in a visible spot means that most people are aware of time and try to stay within the limit. And when the time is up, the timer beeps and I don\u2019t have to interrupt. I\u2019m not the bad guy, the timer is. For real, physical meetings in meat space I highly recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/visualize-time-with-timetimer\/\">TimeTimer<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If I work long-term with a team I will <strong>offer my observations after the retrospective<\/strong>. More on this <a href=\"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/what-can-you-do-if-retrospectives-repeatedly-go-wrong\/\">here in the paragraph \u201cStyle Critique\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe I\u2019m lucky that I work with teams that need little guidance. But I think it\u2019s also something particular to me. My mantra is \u201cEverybody is the expert for their own situation\u201d from Solution-focused Coaching.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead of \u201cYou are off-topic\u201d I would say \u201cOur topic was X. It sounds like you\u2019re now discussing Y. Is that what you want?\u201d Because who am I to say which of the two topics is more important to them. It\u2019s their time, they get to decide how they use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the years I\u2019ve often seen teams self-regulate: Approximately 10 seconds after I started wondering if now is the time to intervene and get a discussion back on track, someone from within the group will rein the them back in. I always love it when that happens, because I\u2019d rather teach teams to do it themselves. Their discussions will be productive even when I\u2019m not there.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh! Okay, writing that out actually revealed one of my big underlying goals! I\u2019m always trying to make teams self-sufficient, to teach them so that they can do the basics themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the record, this is just my style and goal. It\u2019s not \u201cthe right way\u201d to do it. I\u2019ve seen all kinds of facilitation styles work. My real-life boards are ugly, <a href=\"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/retromat-miroboard-mega-template\/\">my digital boards look nice<\/a>. I never bring sweets. I do follow up on action items. I\u2019m hands-off. It\u2019s how I roll. You\u2019ll figure out what works for you, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When will I intervene?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Obviously there are situations that will make me intervene and cut into a discussion, e. g. these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>When the discussion seems to be <strong>going in circles<\/strong><br>This rarely happens if someone (usually me) takes notes on a board<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When I suspect that the <strong>team avoids something<\/strong>, be it a topic or taking responsibility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Disruptive behavior<\/strong>, esp. when repeated<br>I will neither let people talk over others, nor let one person drone on indefinitely<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When <strong>emotions are running very high<\/strong><br>People are getting visibly distressed, crying, personal attacks, raised voices, &#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Complicating matters<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>There are circumstances that can render \u201chands-off\u201d impossible. I can think of at least three:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1) Your job description (ie Scrum Master or Agile Coach) contains a teaching\/steering component<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I just said, \u201cEverybody is the expert on their own situation\u201d and I stand by it, but there might be situations when you have considerably more knowledge than the people you are holding space for.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I see a team struggling to come up with solutions and I know a ton about the subject matter, I will deliberately step out of the facilitator role: \u201cI have seen this solved in different ways. Would you like to hear the solutions I know about?\u201d (It is okay for the team to say no but that hasn\u2019t happened yet)&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another case is, when a team is honing in on a solution that violates agile principles in a company that\u2019s striving to work more agile-y. I would let the team discuss all kinds of solutions, and hope that a team member objects to a non-agile solution. That\u2019s more powerful than if I do it. But if they seem to settle on the non-agile solution I would point out the violation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2) You\u2019re part of the team you are facilitating for<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This applies to me right now. I facilitate but I\u2019m also a team member and it\u2019s my retro, too. The lines are blurry but at least I am not in a position of authority over anyone. If there is no other order implied, I go last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve lately realized that I\u2019m the only one who goes crazy with the reaction emojis in Google Meet. That\u2019s just the way I am as a participant. Yet, the lines for me as facilitator are blurry and I wouldn\u2019t want anyone to think that this is a judgment by the facilitator. Maybe that is a problem, maybe it isn\u2019t. I don\u2019t know yet. I\u2019ll ask before the next retrospective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are in a bigger company, maybe you can swap with someone in another team? I worked in a place with a Philipp-swap: Each team had a Philipp that at first facilitated his own team\u2019s retrospective. Then they agreed on swapping and facilitating for the other team so that they could take part in their own team\u2019s retro without the double role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that is not an option, in co-located retrospectives you can use standing versus sitting to mark different roles. Stand when facilitating, sit down to participate in the discussion as a team member. Brian Tajuddin reports that this has worked great for him as a clear visual clue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3) You\u2019re in a position of authority<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve met quite a lot of team leads who started running retrospectives in their team. This is certainly better than not having any means for reflection and improvement but it\u2019s not ideal. If it works in your case, congratulations on your <a href=\"https:\/\/wall-skills.com\/2020\/what-is-psychological-safety\/\">Psychological Safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be even more careful with your reactions, with showing approval and disapproval. Go last with your ideas and opinions so that the others will not prematurely conform to yours. Maybe you, too, can swap with someone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wow, that was a long ass post. But you made it \u2013 Congrats and thank you for reading!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take a minute: <strong><br><\/strong><strong>What is your personal facilitation style so far? What would you like it to be? What feedback does your team give you about what works well for them?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next week we start exploring follow-up. Wishing you a wonderful week,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Corinna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PS: Regarding the role of facilitation: I thought about what\u2019s important to me and did not check whether it aligns with the definition of e. g. the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iaf-world.org\/site\/\">International Association of Facilitators<\/a>. So take mine with a grain of salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><h3><strong>PS: If you'd rather read this <a href=\"https:\/\/leanpub.com\/guidetoretrospectives\" target=\"_blank\">Guide as an ebook, click here.<\/a> Or go all in and get it as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/leanpub.com\/b\/retromat-bundle-agile-retrospectives\" target=\"_blank\">Retromat eBook Bundle<\/a> at a discount. A purchase also supports Retromat as a whole \ud83d\ude42<\/strong><\/h3><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[This post is part of Corinna&#8217;s Guide to Facilitating Retrospectives] Welcome back, friend! We&#8217;re at the midpoint of the course but it was actually the very last post I wrote. In fact, I almost forgot the topic altogether. Not because it\u2019s not important but because it\u2019s mostly invisible to me while I do it. The &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/10-during-the-retrospective-the-actual-facilitation10\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;10. During the retrospective \u2013 The actual facilitation10.&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1191"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1341,"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191\/revisions\/1341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retromat.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}