Introduction: What You’ll Learn
Sometimes a teammate takes over — not out of malice, but out of enthusiasm, habit, or frustration. This simulation helps you practice respectfully creating space for others, guiding the flow, and keeping the retrospective balanced and inclusive.
You’ll practice:
- Spotting when one voice is dominating
- Gently redirecting or timeboxing without shutting someone down
- Encouraging quieter teammates to join in
- Reinforcing norms of shared airtime
Step-by-Step Simulation
(You notice Alex jumps in quickly and adds more than usual — others seem hesitant to contribute. You make a mental note to guide the flow early.)
Scene 1: Early Signs of Imbalance
(You sense the team is settling in, but one voice is taking up more than its share.)
Facilitator: "Alright everyone, welcome. Let’s take a few minutes to fill out our Start, Stop, Continue board."
(Team adds notes. One teammate — Alex — adds many, and begins speaking early before others get a chance.)
Alex: "So, I’ve got a few thoughts. We really need to stop mid-sprint changes — it threw off my flow again, and I had to rewrite my tests twice. Also, I think we should start estimating together again, like we did two quarters ago. And the handoff with QA..."
Facilitator: (Gently) "Thanks, Alex — that’s a lot of helpful input. Let’s pause there and hear from others first before we dive into solutions."
(Alex nods but looks slightly surprised.)
Scene 2: Creating Balance
Facilitator: "Anyone else have thoughts on mid-sprint changes or other items from the board?"
Sara: "Yeah — I noticed the same thing with shifting priorities, but I didn’t mind it as much since we had support."
Priya: "I was actually okay with the QA handoff — it felt smoother this time."
Facilitator: "Great — different perspectives help us refine how we work. Let’s circle back to the estimating topic in a moment."
(You notice Alex leaning in again, ready to speak. You gently hold the space for others.)
(Alex tries to interject again.)
Facilitator: "We’ll definitely come back to it — just want to make sure we’re hearing from everyone first."
Scene 3: Encouraging Broader Participation
Facilitator: "Leo, you had a note on ‘Start’ — want to share more on that one?"
Leo: "Yeah, just thought we could experiment with shorter retros, maybe 45 minutes instead of 60. This one’s felt a bit long lately."
Facilitator: "Appreciate that — let’s see how others feel about that idea before we decide."
(You open the floor briefly. A few nods and a couple of comments suggest the team is open to trying it.)
Facilitator: "Alright — sounds like there’s interest. Let’s try being a bit more time-aware today and consider a 45-minute format next time if it works well."
(Conversation continues, now more balanced. Alex contributes again later, but within the group rhythm.)
Scene 4: Wrapping Up
Facilitator: "Thanks for a solid discussion. I know there were a lot of ideas today. Let’s capture just a few key takeaways and see if anyone wants to own next steps."
- Review mid-sprint change process — open a thread with Product
- Try a 45-min retro next sprint — see how it feels
- Revisit team-based estimation in next planning session
Facilitator: "Anyone want to take the lead on one of these? Doesn’t have to be much — just a reminder or kickoff."
(Priya volunteers to timebox the next retro. Alex offers to summarize estimation ideas in Slack. Leo will post the mid-sprint change topic for discussion.)
Facilitator: "Alex — circling back to your earlier point on mid-sprint changes, do you feel like opening a thread with Product covers the concern you raised?"
Alex: "Yeah, I think so — as long as we can surface that early in the next sprint, I’m good with that."
Facilitator: "Perfect — thanks again for bringing it up."
Mini Roleplay Challenges
Challenge 1: Someone keeps jumping in before others respond.
- Best Response: “Let’s pause for a moment — I want to make space in case anyone else wants to weigh in first.”
Challenge 2: The dominating voice disagrees when others speak.
- Best Response: “Let’s collect all perspectives first, and then we can look for patterns or shared concerns.”
Challenge 3: A quieter team member looks disengaged.
- Best Response: “Hey [name], curious if you had a different take or something to add?”
Optional Curveball Mode
- The dominating teammate is a senior engineer or team lead
- The teammate dominates but also has valid points
- You’re remote and can’t see people’s reactions clearly
Reflection Checklist
Inclusiveness
- Did I create space for quieter voices?
- Did I handle strong voices respectfully?
Facilitation
- Did I redirect without shutting anyone down?
- Did I keep the conversation flowing?
Outcomes
- Did the team align on key ideas?
- Did we walk away with owned next steps?
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Letting one voice steer the retro
- Being too passive or conflict-avoidant
- Cutting someone off too abruptly
- Forgetting to return to ideas you paused earlier