Retrospective - How to ease a tight-lipped team

Alright! The sprint ends today and as a Scrum Master you’re in a Sprint Retrospective meeting with your scrum team. After going through the usual struggles of ensuring all can hear each other & can see your screen; you ask for inputs to reflect on how the sprint went.

?Then you wait.

?A few awkward silent moments later, you coax them again and yet you can barely even get a hesitant voice out of anyone.

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What’s happening here.

·????? Why is everyone in the meeting?

·????? What do you think they’re thinking about their role in the meeting?

·????? Have they seen any outcomes from these meetings in the past?

Don’t answer these questions just yet because there’re even bigger questions that needs to be asked!

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First up, lets reaffirm what is a retrospective meeting.

“A Retrospective is a crucial meeting held at the end of each sprint cycle. It acts as a space for the team to reflect on their performance, identify areas for improvement, and plan for the future.”

In simple words – “Thinking about how did the last few days go and what can we learn from it.”

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That’s basically it, the bare bones of the whole meeting.

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So, if its that simple why do we end up with a tight-lipped team?

There can be several reasons depending up on the organisation that you might be in however, going down the rabbit hole, it’s usually the following points that, if addressed through team or individual coaching, can help you break the awkward silence in the room.

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1.???? Are you connected to the team at an individual level, do you understand their aspirations, their role in the team, their individual personalities?

a.???? This may seem out of context but is it really? As a Scrum Master you’re in charge of a team made up of individual people. Each with their own reasons to be there doing what they do. Connect with them and share a bond. Develop some level of familiarity to break the power distance.

2.???? Does the team understand what the Agile methodology is all about?

a.???? It maybe easy to assume that everyone probably knows what Agile is since its so widespread however, even so, a good reality check is important because whether they have experience of working in Agile or not is not important. Do they ALL have the SAME understanding is important. Keep in mind, Agile is not set in stone and often times the organisation dynamics, culture etc can add nuances to it. And since the team can be made up of people from all sorts of backgrounds, its important that they are all on one page to avoid confusions, stepping on others’ toes and worse, assumptions that someone else will do a task!

3.???? Set clear expectations of what a retrospective is all about, use the WIIFM approach:

a.???? Clearly communicate the purpose of the retrospective and emphasize its importance for continuous improvement. Explain that it's a safe space for open discussion and feedback, where all voices are valued. Its not a fault finding or finger pointing session

b.???? Help them by making this about them by using the WIIFM or “What’s In It For ME” approach so that even at an individual level they see value in it, are aware that they’re empowered not just as a team but also as an individual to ensure that things can be made better

4.???? Individual brainstorming and anonymous survey:

a.???? Provide anonymous pre-meeting surveys or individual reflection exercises to allow team members to share their thoughts privately before the meeting

b.???? This helps members who may not be comfortable with speaking in front of people, but are comfortable articulating in writing

5.???? Choose the right environment, does it always have to be in a meeting room?

a.???? You could opt for a comfortable and informal setting to reduce pressure and encourage participation

b.???? Instead of having one meeting to get all inputs at the end of the sprint, why not gather a few feedback points at the end of the daily scrum, compile it and then discuss that in the retrospective?

6.???? Icebreaker activities:

a.???? Start with light, non-work-related activities to loosen the mood and build rapport amongst team members. A less than five minute warm up activity like, two truths and a lie could help break the usual anxiety before any meeting. Try different ways to make the atmosphere light and help people breathe easy

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Now going back to the questions I posed earlier; before you think you have the answers to them; let me ask you a couple more:

1.???? Do you trust the team?

2.???? Do they trust you?

If you answer ‘Yes’ to both, Good Job! But then why would you still end up with a team that barely opens up?

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You see, trust is the bedrock on which anything is done. Trust is also multifaceted. Let me explain.

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There maybe trust between you and the team however, do they trust the process and have reasons that there is a tangible outcome of such meetings? If they do not then this is just another meeting that, in their mind, is eating into their productive time of work!

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They need to trust the process!

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Open communication and a safe environment will be of key concern as well however, you could ask them all the open ended questions you want, sitting under a shady tree in a park away from the office building and yet not get much out of the team. Because they don’t trust the process, have no reason to believe that anything of significance will come out of the meeting as they have not seen any results in the past.

In short:

1.???? Work on building trust in the team

2.???? Use the WIIFM approach to help them see the value they can give and get from the retrospective

3.???? Have a structure that is inclusive to the different types of individuals in the team

4.???? Make it easy to gather the information

5.???? Ensure that everyone is on one page with regards to their understanding of Agile

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Additional tips

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o?? Identify and address underlying reasons: There might be specific reasons why team members are reluctant to share, such as fear of judgment, lack of trust, or a hierarchical culture. Try to identify and address these concerns to create a more open and inclusive environment.

o?? Celebrate small wins: Recognize and acknowledge any progress made in terms of participation and open communication.

o?? Seek feedback: Continuously solicit feedback from team members on how to improve the retrospective process and encourage their participation.

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During the meeting:

a.???? Focus on "I" statements: Encourage team members to share their personal observations and experiences using "I" statements instead of accusing others.

b.???? Use structured techniques: Implement different retrospective formats like "Start, Stop, Continue," "Mad, Sad, Glad," or the ‘Five Whys and How questions’ to guide the discussion and provide prompts.

c.???? Ask open-ended questions: Instead of yes/no questions, ask questions that require more thought and elaboration, like "What did you find most challenging this sprint?" or "What could we do differently next time?"

d.???? Actively listen and acknowledge: Encourage all contributions, even if they seem brief or hesitant. Thank team members for sharing their thoughts and perspectives.

e.???? Focus on solutions: Guide the discussion towards actionable steps for improvement instead of dwelling on problems.

f.????? Visualize ideas: Use whiteboards, sticky notes, or online tools to visually capture and organize ideas and suggestions.