These cards support a Retrospective game where we play different roles in a dysfunctional meeting. There are up to 6 participant roles available, along with two observer roles and a facilitator role. The game works best with a group of 9. More observers could be added easily too though...

1. The Meetings Retro
Paddy Corry, Serious Scrum
You are Participant Number 1
Your Belief: “All Meetings Waste Time"
You hate all meetings and believe they are a waste of
time.
You are uncomfortable being in this meeting and point
out that it is a waste of time whenever the facilitator
looks like they are struggling.
You particularly hate it when people arrive late to
meetings and ask for a recap. If that happens in this
meeting, let the latecomer know that they are wasting
everyone's time.
You are aware that the Facilitator wants to organise a
whole day of meetings, and you hate the idea.
You are also aware that another member of the team
wants to lead the session, and you hate that idea. You
are a better designer.
Suggested Objections (but use your imagination!):
• Why can't I just prepare the design and share it?
• I don't want to be there.
• This is a meeting about a meeting!
You are Participant Number 2
Your Belief: “My important point needs to be heard"
On three occasions, speak over the conversation with an
interruption.
Make sure to talk over someone who is already speaking,
preferably the facilitator :)
Suggested interruptions could be:
1. How can we design if we don't have the
requirements?
2. What tools will we use?
3. We tried a design workshop before and it didn't
work.
4. This is just going to be another argument.
5. What's the point of all this?
But use your imagination

2. The Meetings Retro
Paddy Corry, Serious Scrum
You are Participant Number 3
Your Belief: "What did I miss?"
Arrive five minutes late, without any explanation or
apology.
Immediately interrupt the conversation to ask for a
recap.
If a recap is offered, ask at least one clarifying question
to ensure that the group repeats part of the
conversation that has already happened :)
If noone is willing to offer a recap within two minutes
of walking in, then tell the room the meeting is a waste
of your time and walk out.
You are Participant Number 4
Your Belief: "I think this is the right way to go"
Support the facilitator when you get the chance.
Don't be too enthusiastic, but be positive, and say to
the group that the facilitator is trying to do the right
thing.
Explain why design is important to the team.
There are talented guys on the team, and they will
knock this out of the park if they work together, but
they are disagreeing a little bit lately.
You want to suggest that the guys work together to
collaborate and share the work.

3. The Meetings Retro
Paddy Corry, Serious Scrum
You are Participant Number 5
Your Belief: "I want to lead this session"
At first, support the idea of the design session.
Agree with the facilitator.
Support the idea of scheduling a day's design, and stress
the importance.
As long as you lead the session of course.
If anyone suggests that they are going to lead the session,
disagree with them.
You are the best designer on the team.
If there is going to be a design workshop, you should lead it.
Don't accept anyone else telling you they should lead it.
You are Participant Number 6
Your Belief: " I disagree with the facilitator."
You are having a long-standing unresolved dispute
with the facilitator.
It's a long story, but essentially you wanted a move
to a different team, and you're sure that he blocked
it somehow. You don't have proof, but you heard
from one or two people..
Be grumpy in the meeting with the facilitator.
Disagree with him/her at least once, and make sure
that you act grumpy when you do. You want your
behaviour to be bad enough that it is obvious to the
others in the group when you disagree...

4. The Meetings Retro
Paddy Corry, Serious Scrum
Observer 1
You are an observer.
The Facilitator's task is to organise a planning day for the
Scrum Team.
There is ten minutes available to achieve this outcome.
A big new project about to start, and it is important to spend
some time understanding a high-level design before we get
into scoping and estiation.
The Scrum Team are meeting to arrange the planning day.
The game is designed as an impossible facilitation task.
The facilitator is very unlikely to succeed in arranging the
planning day.
Take note of two things as an observer:
1. Behaviours that you think helped the meeting make
progress towards the outcome,
2. Behaviours that you think hindered the meeting make
progress towards the outcome,
Observer 2
You are an observer.
The Facilitator's task is to organise a planning day for the
Scrum Team.
There is ten minutes available to achieve this outcome.
A big new project about to start, and it is important to spend
some time understanding a high-level design before we get
into scoping and estiation.
The Scrum Team are meeting to arrange the planning day.
The game is designed as an impossible facilitation task.
The facilitator is very unlikely to succeed in arranging the
planning day.
Take note of two things as an observer:
1. Behaviours that you think helped the meeting make
progress towards the outcome
2. Behaviours that you think hindered the meeting make
progress towards the outcome,

5. The Meetings Retro
Paddy Corry, Serious Scrum
Facilitator
You are the facilitator.
The Scrum Team are meeting to arrange a meeting to plan
and design a solution for a technical project.
An interesting new project is about to start, and it is
important to spend some time understanding a high-level
design before we get into scoping and estimation.
There is ten minutes available to discuss scheduling this
planning day.
The team will have a lot of questions, so please attempt to
answer their questions, but always with one eye on the
outcome of this discussion.