I have found it to be very useful to have regular 5-minute 1-to-1 meetings with my team members. I call it the “personal retro.” It’s made good relationships even better. Here’s my framework.
- Ask if they have time to meet. (You can always talk later if they can’t take a 5-minute break right now.) If free, find a spot away from other teammates to talk.
- Start by asking how they are doing. Be genuinely interested.
- Ask a series of open-ended questions (How and What questions). Take notes.
- How do you feel the team is doing right now?
- How well has the team been communicating lately?
- What problems has the team dealt with?
- How do you feel the last Retrospective meeting went?
- What did you like about it?
- What could have been better?
- Anything else about the team or your work we should talk about today?
- End by thanking them for their time and their contributions to the team.
Tips
- This works just as well for remote team members as it does for those co-located.
- Keep it time-boxed to 5 minutes unless the person really seems to need to talk.
- Be an active listener.
- Choose appropriate times to repeat back in your own words what is being said to make sure you fully understand.
- Use parroting* wisely.
- Maintain appropriate eye-contact. (Don’t stare at the notes you are taking, yet, don’t stare the person down either!)
- Note the other person’s body language. If they seem nervous, do what you can to reduce the intensity: lean back, relax, write notes after you talk rather than during, etc.
- Of course, as the Scrum Master, it’s your job to remove impediments (to “fix” things or cause things to get “fixed”). But, keep in mind, there are times that simply being an empathetic listener is what’s called for. Actively think about which “mode” you are in as the conversation happens.
In Conclusion
Building trust** is the number-one factor in building high-performing teams. Having a bit of time each sprint (or every-other sprint) to connect with and understand the perspectives of each team member will go a very long way in building trust and discovering issues before they get out of hand.