Hot Air Balloon Template

What is Hot Air Balloon?

The Hot Air Balloon retrospective is a fun and visual way to explore what’s helping your team rise and what’s holding them back. Inspired by the image of a balloon in flight, this template encourages teams to reflect on uplifting factors and address the weights that are dragging progress down.

How to use Hot Air Balloon in TeamRetro

Access the Template:
- Navigate to your Team HOME page.
- Click on START A RETROSPECTIVE or + or navigate to the RETROSPECTIVES tab.
- Select HOT AIR BALLOON from the list of COMMUNITY templates.
Set the Meeting Context:
- Define the purpose or theme of the session to guide topic suggestions.

ICEBREAKER

Set a warm and welcoming tone with a light activity or fun question.
Use this moment to help participants feel comfortable and ready to engage.
Examples: “What’s one small win you had this week?” or “If our last sprint was a weather pattern, what would it be?”

WELCOME

Introduce the purpose of the session and highlight the value of open, constructive, feedback.
Share the retrospective structure and any key topics or themes you’d like the team to focus on.
Remind everyone of the format, time expectations, and participation roles.

OPEN ACTIONS

Quickly review any action items from the previous retrospective.
Discuss what’s been completed, what’s still in progress, and anything that needs to be carried forward.
This helps create accountability and sets the stage for a productive session.

BRAINSTORM

Hot Air (What’s helping us rise?) – Positive actions, habits, and efforts that are moving the team forward.
Anchors (What’s slowing us down?) – Challenges, blockers, or anything creating drag.
Shout Outs (Recognitions for team efforts) – Appreciation for colleagues who went above and beyond.
Kudos (Celebrations and wins) – Successes and positive moments worth celebrating.

GROUP

Group similar items together to identify common themes and streamline the conversation.
Use TeamRetro’s AI grouping tool or group ideas manually by dragging and dropping.

VOTE

Have participants vote on the most relevant or impactful items across categories.
Set a vote limit to help prioritize discussion.
The most-voted items automatically appear at the top.

DISCUSS

Review the top-voted items from each category.
Ask follow-up questions to dig into why these points matter to the team.
Facilitate conversation around opportunities, improvements, and next steps.
Use the PARK feature for ideas you want to revisit later.
Document Action Items and use AI-suggested actions when needed.

REVIEW

Convert key insights into actionable steps.
Assign responsibilities and due dates.
Document any team agreements or decisions made.

CLOSE

Summarize Key Takeaways: Recap the main points discussed wit AI summaries and the agreed-upon actions.
Express Gratitude: Thank the team for their openness and participation.
Plan Next Steps: Schedule the next retrospective and encourage continuous reflection.
Download and Share Reports: with any absent users or interested stakeholders for a quick summary.