Host controls
The Host controls are available when Meeting mode is active, and they help you run a productive collaboration session.
Meeting controls
You must start a meeting (see below 👇) to become the board Host. As a Host, you can:
Turn on private writing to hide sticky notes
Decide which tools your participants get
Prevent participants from unlocking the board
Set a timer
Enable "Hide Identities" to make everyone anonymous
Run Polls
Use the "Ready Check" to see if everyone is ready to move on
Use "Everyone to Me" to bring everyone to your current view
Add additional Hosts
How to start a Meeting
To become the Host, switch into Meeting mode from the button above the left toolbar or from the top of the board:
Everyone on the board sees the broadcasted message:
The Host has access to meeting controls from the header:
Hide Identities
Hide Identities allows you to make all participants anonymous, and to stop Metro Retro tracking what they wrote or where they voted. When Hide Identities is on:
you can’t tell who is who
you can’t tell who wrote a sticky note, ever!
voting is anonymous
Hide Identities is a mode that you can turn on and off, to use whenever you need - whether for the whole session or just one activity.
How to enable Hide Identities
Enable Hide Identities from the Host controls when you have a meeting active.
From then on, anything written or voted on when Hide Identities is active stays that way, forever. Nothing can ever be tied back to an individual.
When you’re done, turn Hide Identities off to go back to regular mode, where all new contributions and votes are tracked again.
| Regular mode | Hide Identities on |
|---|---|
Everyone has an avatar | All avatar pictures replaced with a single question mark |
All sticky notes show the author | No authors |
Individual handwriting for each person | Everyone’s handwriting is the same font |
Can spotlight a person’s stickies and votes | Spotlight disabled in anon mode |
Can spotlight a person's votes | All votes are anonymous |
Can Follow other people | Following is disabled during anonymous mode |
Export contains who wrote and voted | Export does not contain who wrote and voted while in anon mode |
Why isn’t everything always anonymous in Metro Retro?
In short - we don’t believe anonymity should be default for team sessions, but we recognize that anonymity can be a useful tool in certain scenarios:
helping newer teams raise awkward issues
reducing bias like zombie groupthink, or the HIPPO effect
is another useful tool in a facilitators toolbox
Last updated
