Start a feedback culture in your team in 1h
Simplest, fastest way to get your team to practice feedback: speedbacks
Building a feedback culture in a tech team it’s not easy.
Developers are not a fan of feedback because it can be uncomfortable, requires time and preparation, and might put them in a difficult situation with another team member.
At the same time, a team that constantly practise feedback:
will bond faster - because feedback requires being open and vulnerable with each other
will grow faster - constructive feedback will speed up the development process of individuals by providing them with specific improvement points
will be a happier team - positive feedback gives people validation and reassurance that helps build their self-confidence and positive energy
It’s just a missed opportunity for a team not to make use of it.
And there’s a simple exercise you can run to get people more acquainted with the feedback process: SPEEDBACK.
What is Speedback?
Speedback is a lightweight, fast tool for practicing feedback as a team.
I discovered the tool in my first team in Thoughtworks and I continued using it in every team I was after that.
📑 How it works
All team members will be split in groups of 2
Each group will have 4 minutes to exchange feedback: 2 min each
After 4 min, the groups change -> this repeats until everyone got the chance to talk to everyone
Works great both face-to-face and remote (for example using Zoom breakout rooms)
Having a structure is not required but it helps keep people focused. I recommend a simple one:
2 things to continue doing / doing well
2 things to improve
👀 Facilitator role
I recommend using an external facilitator (someone outside the team) to run the speedhack session. This allows everyone in the team to participate and fully focus on the feedback instead of worrying about logistics.
Facilitator responsibilities:
Block people’s calendar for preparation
Useful feedback requires time to prepare. Even more when it’s for the whole team.
As a Tech Lead, I used to block 1h in everyone’s calendar before the speedback so they prepare proper feedback for each team member.
Share with them tips for useful feedback. Here are some:
Prepare groups and a simple process to rotate people
Here are some ideas
Explain process to participants - emphasising on the fact that this it’s just the trigger of the process and they should follow up for more value
Prepare tools - like Zoom breakout rooms for remote
Track the time - give a heads up to participants every 2 minute - when it’s time to switch roles or pairs
When done, thank the participants for their involvement and once again encourage them to follow up with people for more detailed feedback
🕛️ When to run it?
Frequency: 1/month based on the team needs
It can be more useful after a couple of weeks in a new team, after a big milestone or if the team atmosphere has been a little rocky lately and everyone needs to chat.
Don’t overcomplicate the process!
My advice: Start with one and decide based on the outcome
🎯 Goal of the speedback!
The time is very short, so the goal of the speedback it’s to trigger follow up conversion between participants where they will deep dive into the topics mentioned in the speedback, getting specific examples and action points.
Note!
⚠️ Speedback it’s not a replacement for feedback and running 1 speedback / month does not mean you have a feedback culture in your team.
But it’s a great place to start. 😊
What are your thoughts on Speedback? Would you try it? 🤔
✉️ Let me know by replying to this email.
If you found this article useful, please share it with a friend and consider subscribing if you haven’t already. For more similar content, follow me on LinkedIn. If you have any questions, email me at anemarifiser@gmail.com. Thank you! 😊
Until next time,
Anemari
I'm not sure, in the groups there can be 4 people or more, is it a good environment for feedback, shouldn't it be something more intimate, or am I misunderstanding?
It looks like a good tool, I'll try to put it in place