The Advice Game
Safer, Smarter, Speedier Feedback Sessions
Are you tired of vague, unhelpful feedback that holds your team back? Do you struggle to get constructive input from your colleagues, stakeholders, or customers? The Advice Game offers a simpler, safer, speedier approach to feedback sessions grounded in psychological research.
The Problem with Traditional Feedback
Traditional feedback often suffers from several drawbacks:
It can be vague and unhelpful.
Dominated by stronger personalities, it might not reflect the whole team’s perspectives.
It can become a huge time sink.
It's frequently stressful for everyone involved.
Why It’s Called the Advice Game, Not the Feedback Game
Explaining the psychological underpinning, Dr. Robert Cialdini highlights the impact of language on our perceptions and interactions: "When you ask for someone's opinion, you get a critic. But if you change one word, and instead of asking for that person's opinion,' you ask for their 'advice,' they take a step towards you," he notes. The term "advice" prompts the individual to view themselves as partners in the process, fostering a more engaged and positive interaction. This insight led to the renaming of the process to "The Advice Game," emphasizing a more cooperative and productive approach to gathering feedback. Source: CNBC
How the Advice Game Works
Be Clear on What You Want Feedback On: Define the area you want the most advice on, whether it’s a product, project, or process. Utilize digital tools like Miro to allow participants to contribute their thoughts in a structured and visually organized manner.
Silent Writing: Whether using traditional sticky notes or a shared digital board like Miro, allocate time for everyone to silently write their feedback. This method not only ensures that all voices are heard equally, regardless of personality or position, but it also speeds up the process significantly. An added benefit—and a personal favorite—is that no one is required to take notes or act as a scribe, streamlining the session even further.
Ask the Questions:
"What did you like?" (Positive feedback starts things on the right foot)
"What’s your advice to make it better?" (Instead of merely asking for feedback, this question solicits advice, aligning with Dr. Robert Cialdini’s research that shows asking for advice promotes a more engaged and collaborative response. This wording encourages participants to partner in the solution, moving beyond passive criticism.)
"What do you wonder about?" (Encourages curiosity and deeper thinking)
Silent Feedback: Participants write their feedback silently for 5-7 minutes. This silence is crucial as it gives everyone, regardless of introversion or extroversion, the space to formulate their thoughts without influence from louder group members.
Debrief the Advice: Facilitate a discussion to debrief the feedback, looking for common themes and actionable patterns. This can be done in a group setting or within a digital platform, summarizing and prioritizing the input received for actionable next steps.
Why the Advice Game Works
It encourages critical thinking and problem-solving.
It fosters a positive and supportive team environment.
It helps quieter team members participate and share their thoughts.
It saves time and reduces stress by streamlining the feedback process.
It provides focused and actionable feedback, enhancing the overall decision-making process.
Using the Advice Game: Real-World Examples
Example 1: In the Classroom
In a bustling 5th grade classroom, Ms. Patel uses the Advice Game to gather feedback on a group project about recycling. She sets up large chart papers with the three Advice Game questions. Students are given sticky notes to silently write their feedback and stick it onto the corresponding charts.
Here's what some of their sticky notes said:
"What did you like?"
"Loved the bright colors and cool pictures of animals."
"The slogan was fun and easy to remember. It made me think about recycling more."
"What’s your advice to make it better?"
"Show numbers about how much trash we can save by recycling so people know it’s important."
"Explain where different things like glass and paper need to go for recycling."
"What do you wonder about?"
"Are there machines that can sort recycling for us? That would be super cool."
"What happens to our recycling after the truck takes it? "
Traditional vocal feedback often left some students unheard; the new silent, structured approach ensures that every student's voice is valued equally. The result is a richer, more inclusive set of feedback that propels their recycling project forward with creativity and collective insight.
Example 2: In Agile Product Development
At Tech Innovations, Sprint Reviews had been cumbersome and tension-filled, primarily due to some business stakeholders who dominated the sessions, often to the detriment of others' participation. This not only made the reviews overly lengthy—typically extending to two hours—but also left many feeling unheard and stressed.
To improve this dynamic, Sarah, the Scrum Master, introduced the Advice Game during the team's latest mobile app development Sprint Review, utilizing Miro for digital feedback collection:
"What did you like?"
"The user interface is intuitive, and the swipe gestures work smoothly."
"The application’s load time has improved significantly, a big complaint from users."
"What’s your advice to make it better?"
"Reduce image sizes to improve load times."
"Adding tooltips for first-time users could facilitate easier navigation of the app’s features."
"What do you wonder about?"
"Could we integrate machine learning to predict user behaviors for better personalization?"
"What is the experience like for visually impaired users?"
Implementing the Advice Game changed the dynamics dramatically. Feedback was collected silently and independently, which curtailed disruptive behaviors and allowed for a structured, focused analysis after stakeholders were dismissed. This not only made the Sprint Reviews safer and more inclusive but also cut down the duration from two hours to just 45 minutes. Stakeholders were pleased as they felt their inputs were genuinely considered, team members appreciated the quality and clarity of the feedback, and everyone was relieved and happy with the shorter, more efficient sessions. The team could quickly and effectively update their product backlog to iterate and improve the product features and experience, efficiently planning targeted improvements for the next development sprints.
Where to Use the Advice Game
Effective feedback doesn’t have to be a marathon. The Advice Game simplifies it: quick, safe, essential. It's perfect anywhere clarity from feedback is crucial—whether refining sprints in Scrum, unveiling new products, or sparking creativity in classrooms. Here’s where it makes a difference:
Scrum Teams: During Sprint Reviews for crisp, actionable insights.
Product Teams: At demos, where every piece of feedback sharpens the next iteration.
Design Critiques: For designs that benefit from fresh, focused eyes.
Education: In classrooms, where it fosters a culture of peer learning and improvement.
Creative Work: Anywhere art meets critique, every feedback loop propels you towards work that you are proud of.
Adopt the Advice Game. Make your feedback loops shorter, your insights deeper, and your team safer.
Get The Advice Game
Embrace a simpler, speedier, safer, and science-backed approach to obtaining better feedback. Move beyond the chaos and time suck of conventional feedback with the Advice Game. Ready to make the switch?
Download the Advice Game Template from Agile Classrooms and improve your feedback process. Get started today and watch your feedback transform into actionable insights that propel your projects forward!