Keep, Stop, Start Behaviours

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Document and agree on specific, observable team behaviours to maintain, eliminate, or adopt.

Use it when: Use during team retrospectives, project kickoffs, or after organizational changes when work norms need explicit realignment.

Skip it when: Skip during acute interpersonal crises or when individual performance issues require private management intervention rather than group norm-setting.

Group arrangement: Solo reflection, followed by trios or quads, then full-group consensus.

Timing: Source outlines a 120-minute comprehensive agenda; this 60-minute plan adapts the core sequence for practical team meetings.

Materials and tools

• Sticky notes in three colors (green for Keep, pink/orange for Stop, blue for Start), at least 15 notes per person
• Fine-tip markers (one per participant)
• Three flipchart sheets or wall spaces labeled KEEP, STOP, and START
• Dot stickers for voting (3 per participant)

Before participants arrive

1. Label three separate wall posters: KEEP (What is working?), STOP (What is hindering work?), and START (What is missing?).
2. Place pads of colored sticky notes and markers at every seat.

Say this to open

Welcome. Today we will look closely at everyday team behaviours. Rather than debating attitudes, we will focus on observable actions: what people actually say and do. We will categorize these into Keep, Stop, and Start, and then agree on shared team practices.

How to run it

1. Define observable behaviours 10 minutes

   Explain the difference between vague traits and observable actions. For example, instead of 'be respectful', write 'mute your microphone when typing in meetings' or 'send agenda items 24 hours in advance'. Give participants 5 minutes of silent writing. Each person writes at least one note for Keep, one for Stop, and one for Start. Notes must use verb phrases and describe visible actions.

2. Sort in small groups 15 minutes

   Divide participants into groups of 3 or 4. Each group reviews members' notes, removes duplicate ideas, and clarifies wording to ensure every note describes a concrete behavior without naming individuals. Groups cluster their notes under Keep, Stop, and Start.

3. Post and review as a room 15 minutes

   One representative from each small group posts their sorted notes onto the main room boards. The facilitator clusters similar notes across the categories out loud. Give everyone 3 minutes to walk the boards silently. Then hand each participant 3 dot stickers to vote on the behaviours most critical for team effectiveness.

4. Select team commitments 12 minutes

   Review the top-voted items. Guide the full group to select no more than one Keep, one Stop, and one Start behaviour as official team commitments. Check for consensus by asking: 'Can everyone live with and support these three practices starting tomorrow?' Refine wording until the group agrees.

5. Agree on accountability and close 8 minutes

   Ask the room to agree on a phrase or check-in method to call out deviations gently during regular work (for example: 'gentle reminder on our Stop rule'). Set a date at an upcoming team meeting to review how these three behaviours are tracking.

Debrief questions

• Which agreed behaviour will be easiest for our team to sustain, and why?
• What friction might occur when calling out a Stop behaviour in real time?
• How will we know in four weeks that these habits have taken hold?

Finished output: A documented charter of up to three agreed team behaviours (one Keep, one Stop, one Start) with an explicit review date.

Remote

Use a shared digital canvas with three columns labeled Keep, Stop, and Start. Run breakout rooms for the sorting step. Participants paste digital cards and use digital stamp tools for voting.

Hybrid

In-person groups use physical sticky notes while a designated remote scribe mirrors them onto a digital whiteboard visible to all. Remote participants submit digital cards directly. Both groups vote simultaneously on the digital board or via a unified poll.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may submit anonymous cards via a collection box or anonymous digital form.
• Any participant may pass on vocal sharing during small-group discussions and contribute solely through written notes.

If the session gets stuck

Notes target specific individuals or air personal grievances.

Intervene immediately and reframe the item into a general team practice. Ask: 'What general rule or workflow would prevent this friction for anyone on the team?'

Suggestions are vague principles like 'communicate better' rather than actionable behaviours.

Ask the author or group: 'What would a camera record someone doing if they communicated better?' Rewrite the note as an observable act.

Terms used here

• Observable behaviour: A specific action that an external person or camera can see or hear, rather than an internal feeling, trait, or general attitude.