In this episode of the Agile Skills Library, Geoff Watts and Paul Goddard explore Video Reviews — a facilitation technique designed to help teams think more deeply by engaging with abstract, non-agile content.
Rather than teaching frameworks or best practice, Video Reviews use short videos, talks, or other media as prompts. Teams watch the content together and then reflect on what it means for their context, using a simple What / So What / Now What structure.
Originally inspired by coaching techniques used by NBA coach Phil Jackson, this approach encourages independent thinking, richer discussion, and shared insight — making it especially useful for retrospectives, leadership development, and advanced Scrum Mastery.
The episode includes practical guidance and downloadable templates so facilitators can start running Video Reviews with teams immediately.
Paul Goddard [00:00:00]:
Hello there, Geoff. How are you?
Geoff Watts:
I’m alright. I’m alright, buddy.
Paul:
Good — and welcome back to our listeners for another episode of the Agile Skills Library.
Today we’re talking about something we call Video Reviews. This has been part of Geoff’s and my advanced Scrum Master training for a very long time, and we thought it was time to share it more widely.
Stay with us until the end of this short episode, because we’ll also be giving you some practical content so you can try video reviews for yourself.
Geoff — welcome back. Video reviews… can you even remember when we first started doing this?
Geoff:
Do you know what? I actually came across some old handouts from the advanced classes we ran years ago. I couldn’t believe how long we’ve been doing this — it’s well over ten years now.
Paul:
Yeah — and I think we should be proud of that. We were running advanced Scrum Master training before it officially existed as a thing in the Scrum Alliance.
We recognised early on that Scrum Masters needed something beyond the basics.
Geoff:
We were pushing for that for years.
Paul:
Exactly. And one of the elements in that course was what we called Video Reviews.
We took inspiration from people outside the Agile and Scrum world. In particular, we owe a lot to Phil Jackson, the legendary NBA coach.
For those who don’t know him: Phil Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, then the LA Lakers, working with players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dennis Rodman, and Shaquille O’Neal.
He was often criticised by other coaches for being “too spiritual”, but he was hugely successful — and he cared deeply about developing people, not just tactics.
One thing he did that really stuck with us was this: he would give his players something to read or watch that had nothing to do with basketball. A chapter from a book. A film clip. Something abstract.
They’d come back the next day, sit on the floor together, and talk about what that content said about their team and their recent performance.
When Geoff and I read about that, we thought:
“There’s something in this.”
Paul:
So we created something we called Video Reviews.
Over the years we’ve curated a library of TED Talks, YouTube videos, and other content that we think is useful for Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and leaders — even though the content itself has nothing directly to do with Agile or Scrum.
The task is simple:
Watch the content — and then make connections back to your own context.
As part of this episode, we’ll give you templates and example videos so you can try this yourself, either individually or with a team.
But Geoff — why did we put this into the course in the first place? What did people actually get out of it?
Geoff:
It’s interesting — I’m not sure my answer now would be the same as when we first introduced it.
But if I were advocating for it today, I’d say this:
First, we didn’t want people blindly accepting whatever someone at the front of the room said. We never presented the videos as “truth” or “best practice”.
Instead, the content was deliberately abstract.
That forces people to think.
There’s a well-known study where students who were given material in a hard-to-read font actually learned it better than those who had it in an easy font — because they had to work harder to process it.
This was similar. We weren’t spoon-feeding meaning. People had to ask:
“How does this apply to me?”
And the fascinating thing was this: almost everyone took something different from the same video — because they were all in different situations.
Paul:
And the content we used evolved over time as better material became available.
We usually offered people a choice of around six videos, based only on the title and speaker. We encouraged them to pick something they hadn’t seen before.
We asked them not to watch alone — always at least one other person.
They’d watch together for around 15–20 minutes, using a simple handout to capture their thinking. Then they’d discuss it in their small group.
The final step was to come back and share what they’d learned with the rest of the room — often using a flip chart.
And every time, what emerged was different.
Sometimes they noticed things we’d completely missed — but what they found was more relevant to what that organisation was dealing with at that moment.
Honestly, it’s also a great open retrospective format. If you’re a Scrum Master and you don’t know what to run — put a video on and see what the team brings back.
Geoff:
Some people used to say:
“Isn’t this just you being lazy? Like when a teacher wheels in a TV because they’re hungover?”
I get why it looks like that — but it’s actually powerful.
Paul:
Exactly. It’s a different teaching method.
You don’t always have to believe what Geoff and Paul say from the front of the room. Here’s someone else, saying something different — and you decide what’s meaningful.
And yes, we were deliberate in our choices. These weren’t random cartoons. They were high-quality talks, usually around 15–20 minutes — just enough to stay engaged without overload.
Paul:
We also gave people a simple reflection structure. Geoff — do you want to talk through it?
Geoff:
Sure. We used the Three Whats:
They’d then present this back, which added a presentation-skills element — and deepened the learning. Teaching it to others makes it stick.
Paul:
And almost every group spent too long on the What — retelling the video — and ran out of time for the So what and Now what. That in itself was a useful learning moment.
Paul:
We also experimented with variations.
What if everyone watches the same video — do they extract the same meaning?
What if the team suggests the content instead of us?
One organisation I worked with took huge inspiration from David Marquet’s submarine talk — leadership, decision-making, intent. That video became a shared reference point for them.
Geoff:
And don’t get hung up on TED Talks.
We’ve seen people use:
Anything slightly abstract that carries a message or moral.
Paul:
So to wrap up: video reviews are a powerful way to introduce a different voice into the room, encourage abstract thinking, and let teams find meaning for themselves.
We’ll share:
Use them as a starting point — and tell us what you think we should watch and learn from next.
Geoff:
We’re always up for learning.
Paul:
Thanks, Geoff. And thanks to everyone listening. Make sure you’re subscribed — the next episode isn’t far away.
Geoff:
Take care. Bye-bye.
Paul:
Cheers, Geoff.
