A quiet moment before the sprint begins

Everyone was filtering into the virtual room, a few minutes early. You could see the usual pre-meeting silence—people checking emails, sipping coffee, waiting for the clock to tick over. It felt like we were all just hovering, not quite ready to dive into the backlog.

The space between arriving and starting

I’ve always noticed that transition is the hardest part. We’re all there, but we’re not really *there* yet. The energy is scattered, and if you jump straight into planning, you’re asking for distracted contributions.It’s not about being unprofessional. It’s just human. We need a moment to land, to shift from whatever we were just doing into the collective focus of the team. A small, shared activity can be that bridge.

Choosing something that connects, not divides

The goal isn’t to be clever or to force a deep discussion. It’s the opposite, really. You want something so simple that it requires no mental load, something that invites participation without pressure.A wrong choice here can create friction before you’ve even begun. An inside joke that excludes the new person, a question that feels too personal—these things can subtly tilt the room. The best warm-ups are almost neutral, but they still feel human.

Keeping it light and inclusive

It’s about finding common ground, not highlighting differences. The activity should be a gentle nudge toward the ‘we’ of the team, a reminder that we’re in this together for the next hour.

A tool for the transition, not the task

This wheel isn’t for solving problems. It’s purely for the shift in atmosphere. When it works, you can feel the room settle. The scattered attention gathers, and you have a group ready to work, not just a list of names on a screen.