But first, what do we mean when we say psychological safety?
Psychological safety occurs when individuals in a team feel capable of speaking openly, taking risks and trying new things without fear of judgement or persecution.
Psychological safety occurs when individuals in a team feel capable of speaking openly, taking risks and trying new things without fear of judgement or persecution.
1. Start with the ‘Prime Directive’ 🗣
“Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.”
“Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.”
2. Rotate facilitators 🔄
Switch up the format regularly by swapping facilitators.
It’ll help engagement and will prevent leaders from over-influencing.
Switch up the format regularly by swapping facilitators.
It’ll help engagement and will prevent leaders from over-influencing.
3. Let the team decide the focus 🎯
Invite the team to vote on the topics/themes they wish to discuss.
It’s their retro, let them own it. This will help with team empowerment.
Invite the team to vote on the topics/themes they wish to discuss.
It’s their retro, let them own it. This will help with team empowerment.
4. Evidence impact 📈
Start by walking through actions from the previous retro and discussing progress against them.
This builds accountability and evidences the value of the retro.
If the impact is tangible people will be more inclined to commit to the process.
Start by walking through actions from the previous retro and discussing progress against them.
This builds accountability and evidences the value of the retro.
If the impact is tangible people will be more inclined to commit to the process.
5. Take actions📝
Great discussion is meaningless if it doesn’t lead to action.
Ensure that actions are captured and assigned to owners. Aim for an even spread of actions to owners.
Don’t overload one individual and try to ensure as many as possible have ‘skin in the game’.
Great discussion is meaningless if it doesn’t lead to action.
Ensure that actions are captured and assigned to owners. Aim for an even spread of actions to owners.
Don’t overload one individual and try to ensure as many as possible have ‘skin in the game’.
6. Make time for actions to be worked on ✍️
Allot time in the subsequent sprint for actions to be worked on.
This shows the team that you take continuous improvement seriously.
It’s as much a part of the day job as delivering a new feature.
Allot time in the subsequent sprint for actions to be worked on.
This shows the team that you take continuous improvement seriously.
It’s as much a part of the day job as delivering a new feature.
7. Make time to say Thanks 🙏
Invite team members to give their thanks to a colleague for something they’ve helped them with in the sprint.
This builds team morale and togetherness.
Invite team members to give their thanks to a colleague for something they’ve helped them with in the sprint.
This builds team morale and togetherness.
8. Focus on what you can affect 🔎
Focus the conversation on things that are within the team’s gift to affect.
If it falls outside the team’s remit, discuss how you might be able to influence it and move on.
Focus the conversation on things that are within the team’s gift to affect.
If it falls outside the team’s remit, discuss how you might be able to influence it and move on.
9. If necessary, invite a neutral facilitator 🧘♀️
Hopefully it never gets to this stage but if the atmosphere is tense consider brining in a neutral 3rd party to facilitate.
This should help to neutralise the situation and make individuals feel able to raise difficult topics.
Hopefully it never gets to this stage but if the atmosphere is tense consider brining in a neutral 3rd party to facilitate.
This should help to neutralise the situation and make individuals feel able to raise difficult topics.
In the right hands, Retros can super charge your team to success.
Building psychological safety is the rocket fuel 🚀
What would you add? 👇
Building psychological safety is the rocket fuel 🚀
What would you add? 👇
Back to the start of the thread 🧵 👇
https://twitter.com/productchapter/status/1485346619516243968
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
