The Agile Skills Library

Geoff and Paul discuss the “Wheel of Life,” a pizza-shaped self-assessment tool borrowed from life coaching that can be used with individuals or teams to visualise how different aspects of work or life are going. They explain setting context and psychological safety so it’s clearly for self-development, not performance management, then co-creating 6–10 segments, defining what 0 and 10 mean, and sc...

Geoff and Paul discuss the long-running agile training exercise “The Ball Point Game,” often used in in-person Certified ScrumMaster courses to teach iterative improvement, inspect-and-adapt, and self-organisation. They explain the setup (typically 10–12 people and many tennis-ball-sized balls) and core rules: each ball must touch everyone, have airtime between people, not be passed to a closest n...

Geoff and Paul discuss “powerful questioning” in agile coaching and introduce a practice technique called Hot Seat Questions. They note the term “powerful questions” is often overused and shouldn’t be forced, but good questions can help shift thinking and open up new solutions. In the exercise, a group designates a “hot seat” where one person shares a coaching scenario for 30–60 seconds; each list...

In this episode of the Agile Skills Library, hosts Paul Goddard and Geoff Watts introduce their audience to the 3D Team Dynamics model. They delve into the origin and application of this technique, which helps in assessing and improving team behaviours. The model categorises behaviours into developing, detailing, and disruptive actions, with subcategories for each. The hosts also discuss the conce...

In this episode of the Agile Skills Podcast, hosts Geoff Watts and Paul Goddard introduce a valuable tool they call the 'coaching equation for coaching change.' This equation helps coaches and individuals effectively implement desired changes by balancing benefits, costs, and the probability of success. They discuss the importance of internalising the benefits, acknowledging costs, and str...

In this episode of Agile Skills Library, hosts Geoff and Paul introduce a collaborative prioritisation technique known as 'Pass the Cards,' also referred to as '35.' Originally mentioned by Jean Tabaka, the method is designed to engage multiple voices in prioritising product backlog items. The hosts provide detailed instructions on facilitating the game with stakeholders, including using different...

In this episode of the Agile Skills Library, hosts Geoff Watts and Paul Goddard introduce the 5-5-5 technique, a simple yet powerful method to boost confidence and alleviate imposter syndrome among agile practitioners. The technique involves asking five trusted individuals five specific questions that highlight personal strengths, which they then verbalise back to the requester. This personalised...

In this episode of the Agile Skills Library, coaches Geoff and Paul discuss the concept of video reviews, a method they’ve used in advanced Scrum Master training for over a decade. Inspired by NBA coach Phil Jackson's unconventional methods, they explain how videos and various other media can provide valuable insights for scrum masters and product owners. They describe the structure they use (What...

In this episode of the Agile Skills Library, the hosts introduce the 'core values exercise,' a simple yet impactful technique used in both individual and team coaching sessions to uncover and understand core values. The hosts demonstrate the process using a deck of cards, guiding listeners on how to identify their most important values and explaining the significance of being aware of these values...

Geoff and Paul discuss Geoff’s new book, "Surviving the Stakeholder Safari," a stakeholder-management approach using “expedition mapping” as an alternative to their earlier “battle mapping” metaphor. The method uses 50 animal archetypes (each an acronym) to describe common workplace behaviors such as the seagull and the lion, stressing empathy and avoiding labeling people as villains. Geoff outlin...

In this episode of the Agile Skills Library, hosts Paul and Geoff delve into the critical topic of emotional intelligence. They explore key theories from psychologists, discuss the importance of emotional intelligence in agile environments, and provide practical coaching tips. The episode includes insights from the world of improvisation, Daniel Goleman's five elements of emotional intelligence, a...

In this episode, Geoff and Paul discuss the concept of 'User Manuals' as a technique to enhance team communication and understanding. Inspired by a listener's question from the UK, the hosts detail how team members can create their own user manuals to share their work preferences, stress indicators, and personal traits. They provide various methods for implementing the technique and explain the im...

In this episode of the Agile Skills Library, hosts Paul Goddard and Geoff Watts delve into the art of receiving feedback, following their previous discussion on giving feedback. They explore the importance of being open to feedback for personal and professional growth, discuss common traps and defensive behaviors, and introduce the SARA model for processing feedback. The hosts also provide practic...

In this episode of the Agile Skills Library podcast, experienced agile coaches Paul Goddard and Geoff Watts explore the art of giving feedback within teams. They discuss why feedback is vital for empowerment and self-management, highlight common pitfalls, and introduce practical models like Non Violent Communication and AID. Sharing personal stories and actionable tips, they emphasise the importan...

In this first episode of The Agile Skills Library, Geoff Watts and Paul Goddard unpack SPEED coaching — a simple way to choose how to help, not just what to do. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering “Should I give advice here… ask better questions… step back… or change the system instead?” — this episode is for you. SPEED is a simple but surprisingly powerful way to consciously choose how you he...

Geoff Watts and Paul Goddard announce the launch of their new podcast, The Agile Skills Library. Each episode, no longer than 30 minutes, will cover a specific Agile technique they've learned through years of coaching and teaching. Episodes will include free downloadable templates to help listeners implement the techniques. Stay tuned for more information and be sure to subscribe to get the latest...