Rose, Bud, Thorn
Something good, something coming, something painful.
Three prompts in a fixed order: what went well, what you are looking forward to, and what is hurting. The order matters — starting on the rose is what makes the thorn sayable. The most reliable check-in format there is.
Run this when…
The situations it was built for. If none of these is the room you have, it is probably the wrong activity.
- A weekly or fortnightly team check-in
- The opening of a retrospective
- A team under sustained pressure
How it runs
Everyone types a short answer and it lands on the big screen as it arrives.
- 1You start a session and put the code on the big screen.
- 2Everyone joins on their phone — no app, no sign-up, just the code.
- 3You drive the pace from the host screen; the room answers as they go.
- 4Ending the session builds the report, with every answer in it.
Running it well
Only the host sees these. Participants never do.
- Answer all three yourself first, and make your thorn a real one. The room will not go deeper than the facilitator does.
- Named is better than anonymous here — but only in a team that already trusts each other.
This one needs a warm room
It asks for real candour. In a group that has already loosened up it is the best thing in the Library; in a cold room it lands somewhere between awkward and harmful. Run an icebreaker or an energiser first.
Run it yourself
Free for thirty days, no card. Add it, share the code, and your room is playing in about fifteen seconds.
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- Players
- 3–120
- Runs for
- 8–15 min
- Where
- Remote or in person
- Big screen
- Required
- Teams
- Individual only
- Best for
- Candour & trust