Purpose

The Feedback Door is a quick closing activity where participants drop a sticky note with brief feedback into one of several categories (e.g., smiley faces from happy to sad, or numbered boxes) as they leave the room. It provides anonymous, low-effort feedback and captures honest sentiments from people who might not speak up in a group setting.

At a glance

• Group size: 3–30 people
• Duration: 5 minutes
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Facilitation style: Structured
• Setting: Indoor / Adaptable for remote

How to run

1. Post 3–5 labelled sections on or near the door (e.g., happy face, neutral face, sad face, or 1–5 scale).
2. Hand out sticky notes and markers as the session ends.
3. Each participant writes one comment and sticks it in the appropriate section on their way out (3 minutes).
4. After everyone leaves, the facilitator collects and reviews the feedback (2 minutes).

Materials needed

• Sticky notes
• Markers
• Labelled sections posted near the exit (or digital equivalent)
• Timer

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Not reading or acting on the feedback — defeats the purpose.
• Making sections too small so notes pile up unreadably.
• Peer pressure from seeing others post — ensure some privacy in the posting moment.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Fully anonymous by design, which encourages honesty.
• For remote teams, use a digital form or anonymous poll.
• Allow drawing or emojis instead of text.

Variations

• Digital Feedback Door: use Google Forms or Slido as participants log off.
• One-Question Door: ask a single targeted question instead of open feedback.
• Feedback Window: use it at any point during the retro, not just at the end.

When NOT to use this

• When detailed, attributable feedback is needed.
• When the team is very small (under 3) and anonymity cannot be maintained.

Source & further reading

• Common facilitation closing technique.
• Retromat (retromat.org).