Nearly there. A well deserved end of year break to spend time with friends and family is almost upon us. Personally I can’t wait.
However before heading home for the holidays it’s always uplifting to bring your team together to wrap things up. Spirits are generally high as team members are getting ready to unwind, so why not use that energy to reflect on what’s been happening and start to set a positive intention for the future.
If you’re not sure how to go about this in a structured way, here’s 4 refreshing ideas for a festive retrospective.
1. If you or members of your team are fans of A Christmas Carol – the Charles Dickens classic, or someone is acting like Scrooge then this format using the traditional story is the one for you. Francesco Attanasio’s easy to use structure allows the team to reflect on the Christmas past, Christmas Present and look ahead to Christmas futures.
2. If the mood in your office is bonkers levels of festive, then with the Christmas music, Christmas food, Santa’s naughty and nice lists with secret Santa to finish – this is probably the most festive retrospective of all!
3. If you would prefer to have a way that your team can express their feelings in an indirect and more gentle way, the many faces of Santa idea from Steve Sitton is an awesome option. By using pre-selected images showing a bunch of different facial expressions (of people dressed as Santa) you can ask a range of questions to prompt the discussion.
4. Finally the good old Xmas tree retro. If you are a creative type and enjoy making, drawing and sticking stuff then do this! This one has a bunch of possible variations, so whilst the link has quite specific instructions, be willing to switch it up. This is also great if the team is in need of some gratitude and you want to strengthen bonds across the individuals.
I first came to hear of this from my buddy Gawain, after he put this up on the wall in the office:
Although being his modest self was quick to add that he got the idea from Helen Meek who has this variation:
Hope these come in useful. If you use one – let me know, and have a great end of year.