The 4 feelings framework is an effective tool to use when you notice your team is struggling with negative sentiments, low motivation, lack of purpose etc and it seems that just addressing the concerns is not enough.
How long does it take?
30-60 minutes
What roles are there?
1 person is the facilitator (this is probably you, the reader), others are participants.
What are the pitfalls of this framework?
Without active facilitation it’s possible that the discussion focuses too much on the negatives, or goes back and forth without getting to actual actions and decisions by the end of the meeting.
Preparations
In-person meeting: Book a room with a white board or use a large paper sheet and draw the 4-grid, get some post-it notes and markers.
Remote meeting: Create a collaboration document similar to the white board picture. Here are templates you can copy for your use right away: Jamboard, Google Sheet
How it works?
Set the context, e.g. “We've had a lot going on recently, and it seems we could benefit from communicating our feelings so we can share and address them together. Everyone gets to share their experiences through these four feelings. Name what has happened that made you Grateful or Disappointed, or things that make you Hopeful or Worried”.
Have everyone write down their thoughts in 5-8 minutes, one idea per post-it note.
Have participants post their notes in a position of their choosing and briefly (1-3 sentences) explain if needed. Make space for opinions: no comments or judgements allowed when people share.
Group similar notes and talk through any disagreements as a team.
Plan how to avoid the risks that people are worried about, and how to ensure success on the things that people are hopeful about.
Delegate tasks and responsibilities as a team and agree how to follow up.
Agree on the schedule for the next retro if people want it.