I was asked to run a retrospective this week for a team that needed something a little more light hearted. Been a tough kind of month!

Most of the teams in my current client have a distributed element, be it people in another location or flexibility to home work.  So I needed to come up with something that would work and be fun!

My scan of the online retro tools was very disappointing, most of them just looked like a trello board with headings of retros from 10 years ago. After 10 years in the business and a highly creative streak I needed something more than these!

So I thought what would be fun, simple, light hearted and something that can be run across sites.

I often use the tool : https://www.classtools.net/random-name-picker/index.php  to run competitions and thought I could incorporate it some how. So I thought I could create topics on the wheel and then associated questions with it. I want the team to bond and so many of my questions were about getting to know each other.

The tool is funny as it makes a round of applause every time the wheel stops.

Here are the questions I used:

Get To Know You

• What is your favourite colour?
• What was your nick name at school?
• How many siblings do you have?
• What is your secret super power?
• What is your favourite food?
• If you could have one wish, what would it be?
• Favourite movie?
• Favourite Band?
• Tell is something about you that no one else knows

Thought Provoker

• Would you rather sit in a bath of Beans or Peas?
• Would you rather put your hand in a bowl of spiders or cockroaches?
• What three items would you take to a dessert island?
• If you could be any animal, what would you be?
  

Wild Card

• Can you rub your head and tummy at the same time?
• ·Share with the group your favourite party trick
• Show some one the last photo you took
• What will your new years resolutions be this year?
• Can you sing your home countries national anthem?

Something Good

• What do you think the team does really well?
• What do you think was our biggest achievement this year?
• If you could say thank you to anyone in the team, who would it be and for what?
• What do you love about working in this team?

Something To Improve

• Name one thing the team could do to improve?
• What was our biggest mistake this year?
• What do you think the team is lacking?
• If you had one wish to change something, what would it be?

Personally I loved it when we had the Russian and the Romanian national anthem sung. 

I then finished up the group by getting everyone to say thank you to each other for something that they are grateful for. We often focus on the improvements, but it is important to share the good as well. Gives us that warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

So a very simple and fun retrospective that got everyone in the team buzzing. I certainly know more about them now, and that can only but help team cohesion and fun.

Merry Christmas

xx