Best Retrospective for Beginners
A simple, proven retrospective format that helps any team start improving immediately.
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About this template
What is this workshop?
If you've never run a retrospective — or your team has tried them and given up — this is the format to start with. It uses the classic Start / Stop / Continue structure, which is easy to understand and produces immediately actionable output. No facilitation experience needed. Most teams can run this in under 60 minutes.
What's included
- Start / Stop / Continue slide deck
- Facilitator guide with timing
- Action item tracker slide
- Check-in and check-out activities
This is for you if…
- First-time facilitators who've never run a retrospective
- Teams that have tried retros and given up because nothing changed
- Managers who want a proven format they can run without prep
Download
How to access this template
- 1
Enter your email above — we'll send you the template link right away.
- 2
Open the link and go to File → Make a copy → Entire presentation.
- 3
Choose a destination folder in your Google Drive and click 'OK'.
- 4
Your copy is ready — rename it and start editing.
Any free Google account works. You can also export to PowerPoint via File → Download → Microsoft PowerPoint (.pptx).
File → Make a copy
Open the template link and use the Google Slides menu to save a copy to your own Google Drive.
Getting started
How to run this workshop
Click the link — it automatically creates a copy in your Google Drive.
Share the slides with your team and block 60 minutes.
Give everyone 10 minutes to silently add sticky notes to each column: Start, Stop, Continue.
Read out the notes together, group similar themes, and discuss.
Pick the top two action items, assign an owner and a deadline, and write them down before the session ends.
Tips for first-time facilitators
- 1
Read the speaker notes before the session — the timing guidance is built in.
- 2
Give people time to write silently before sharing. Silent writing produces more honest input than open discussion.
- 3
End by reading action items aloud and confirming owners. Don't skip this — it's the only thing that makes change happen.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
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