Mad Sad Glad
A simple retrospective format that invites participants to surface emotions from a recent period or project. By categorising experiences as Mad (frustrating), Sad (disappointing), or Glad (positive), teams open honest conversations about how work feels — not just what happened.
Come eseguirlo
- 1
Create three columns on a board labelled Mad, Sad, and Glad.
- 2
Give participants 5 minutes to silently write sticky notes for each category.
- 3
Each person briefly shares their notes while placing them on the board.
- 4
Cluster related notes and identify themes.
- 5
Focus discussion on the Mad and Sad columns first — what can we change?
- 6
Close by celebrating the Glad items and agree on 1–2 action items.
Suggerimenti
Normalise the emotional framing upfront.
Some teams find 'Mad' too charged — you can soften to 'Frustrated' if needed.
Create psychological safety before starting.
Variazioni
Add a fourth column 'Confused' for teams dealing with uncertainty. Combine with a dot-vote to prioritise the most significant frustrations.
Casi d'uso
Domande frequenti
Quando usare Mad Sad Glad?â–¾
Usa Mad Sad Glad quando vuoi: Sprint retrospectives; After difficult periods or incidents; Onboarding new team members to team culture.
Quanto dura Mad Sad Glad?â–¾
Mad Sad Glad dura tipicamente da 30 a 45 minuti.
Per quanti partecipanti è adatto Mad Sad Glad?▾
Mad Sad Glad funziona meglio per gruppi di 3–20 partecipanti.
Di quali materiali ho bisogno per Mad Sad Glad?â–¾
Per condurre Mad Sad Glad avrai bisogno di: sticky notes, markers, flip chart or whiteboard.
Quanto è difficile facilitare Mad Sad Glad?▾
Mad Sad Glad è classificato come principiante — facile da facilitare anche senza esperienza precedente.
Pianifica il tuo prossimo workshop con l'IA
Workshop Weaver ti aiuta a combinare metodi come Mad Sad Glad in un'agenda completa e temporizzata in pochi minuti.
Prova gratisMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices.