ROTI: Feelings Check-Out

Capture team sentiment at the end of your meetings with this simple yet powerful emotional feedback tool. The ROTI (Return on Time Invested) Feelings template provides a quick visual snapshot of how participants feel after a session, helping teams improve meeting effectiveness and boost engagement over time.

What Is the ROTI: Feelings Check-Out?

The ROTI: Feelings Check-Out is a lightweight retrospective exercise designed to collect emotional feedback from participants at the conclusion of a meeting or workshop. Unlike traditional ROTI exercises that focus on perceived value, this variation specifically measures emotional states through a simple emoji-based scale ranging from very negative (:C) to extremely positive (<:)).

The template uses a visual spectrum of six emotional states:

  • :C - Very unhappy/frustrated
  • :( - Unhappy/disappointed
  • :/ - Neutral/somewhat dissatisfied
  • :) - Satisfied/content
  • :D - Happy/very pleased
  • <:) - Extremely happy/delighted

Benefits & When to Use

This template is most valuable when:

  • Concluding important team meetings, sprint reviews, or retrospectives
  • Testing new meeting formats to gauge participant reception
  • Tracking team morale over time across recurring meetings
  • Following particularly challenging or contentious discussions
  • Wanting quick, honest feedback without lengthy discussions

Benefits include:

  • Takes less than 2 minutes to complete, respecting everyone's time
  • Provides anonymous feedback when needed using "Hide Identities" mode
  • Creates a safe space for honest emotional expression
  • Establishes a baseline for measuring meeting improvement
  • Serves as a quick temperature check of team sentiment

How to Run a ROTI: Feelings Session

  1. Prepare the board (1 minute)

    • Make the template visible to all participants
    • Consider whether you want feedback to be anonymous (enable "Hide Identities" if so)

  2. Introduce the exercise (1 minute)

    • Explain that you want to capture how everyone feels after the meeting
    • Emphasize that honest feedback helps improve future sessions
    • Clarify the meaning of each emoji if needed

  3. Collect feedback (2 minutes)

    • Ask participants to place a sticky note in the column that best represents their current feeling
    • Encourage them to add a brief comment explaining their choice if they feel comfortable

  4. Review the results (2-3 minutes)

    • Acknowledge the overall pattern of responses
    • If appropriate, invite voluntary comments about reasons for particularly positive or negative feelings
    • Avoid singling out individuals for their responses

  5. Close with commitment (1 minute)

    • Thank everyone for their honesty
    • Share any immediate insights about how to improve future meetings
    • Document the results for tracking sentiment over time

Tips for a Successful Session

  • Run this check-out consistently at the end of recurring meetings to track sentiment trends
  • Use the results to inform your facilitation approach for future meetings
  • Consider pairing with a quick "why do you feel this way?" follow-up for more context
  • Compare results over time to measure the impact of meeting improvements
  • Don't take negative feedback personally – view it as an opportunity to improve
  • For remote teams, encourage participants to react simultaneously rather than sequentially to avoid influencing each other
  • When meetings consistently score low, consider more substantial retrospective formats to identify specific issues

Remember that emotional feedback is subjective and influenced by factors beyond the meeting itself, but consistent patterns provide valuable insights for any development team looking to improve their collaborative sessions.

Use this template