Feedback is the engine that drives professional growth, team cohesion, and business improvement—especially in Allied Health, where the stakes include patient outcomes, compliance, and staff wellbeing. Yet, feedback often feels uncomfortable, vague, or unproductive. The Stop-Start-Continue framework changes that. It’s a simple, structured way to give and receive feedback focused on behaviours—not personalities—so your team can reflect, reset, and move forward together.
In this blog, you’ll learn:
- How to introduce and facilitate Stop-Start-Continue Framework in your Allied Health Business
- Practical examples for each feedback category
- A ready-to-use template
The Power of Behavioural Feedback in Allied Health
Feedback that focuses on behaviour, rather than character or intent, is proven to be more effective. Behavioural feedback is:
Specific: It addresses clear actions, not vague impressions.
Actionable: It highlights what someone can do differently.
Non-judgmental: It avoids blame and focuses on improvement.
Stop-Start-Continue is a feedback tool rooted in these principles. It empowers teams to discuss what’s working, what’s not, and what could be tried—without finger-pointing or defensiveness.
What is the Stop-Start-Continue Framework?
At its core, Stop-Start-Continue invites participants to reflect, participate in discussion and prioritise on three questions:
Stop: What behaviours or practices are no longer helpful or may be holding us back?
Start: What new behaviours or strategies should we try to improve outcomes?
Continue: What positive actions are working well and should be maintained?
This structure is ideal for Allied Health settings, where teams operate in fast-paced, high-pressure environments and need feedback that’s quick, clear, and focused on improvement. Its hard to beat a time honoured and trusted structure to take the ick out of feedback and re focus the team.
How to Introduce Stop-Start-Continue to Your Team?
Set the scene by explaining exactly what the tool is, the three questions and the purpose of the tool “We’re using Stop-Start-Continue to reflect on the behaviours (not personalities or individuals) and activities that are impacting on the way we work together and get out best work done. Create psychological safety by reassuring your team that feedback is about openness, respect and conversation, not criticism. Position the exercise as being an invaluable opportunity to make your team wellbeing, client services and business results even better”.
Choose the team of project meeting to run the exercise. This is an ideal tool to use during regular team meetings, project debriefs, or performance reviews. It works well as a group exercise or one-on-one. Provide an overview of the Stop Start Continue concept and process, develop a one pager that explains all and provides a table that invites the attendees to prepare ahead of time and ready for discussion.
The framework can be used in several ways. You can take a specific topic and run it through the framework, eg onboarding clients, what will we stop, start, continue…… Or you could audit all your work in progress and ask the key questions to help re set work priorities. It could be used in 1:1 meeting to reflect on an employee or managers behaviour and set next steps. The framework could also work nicely as part of an event, program or project debrief.
Facilitate the discussion ensuring adequate time is allocated for discussion on each of the three categories, set the expectation that all attendees will contribute, be future focused and constructive. As the facilitator be prepared to actively listen, powerfully question and assertively move the discussion forward to ensure all three categories are covered equally. As the business owner state what actions are effective immediately and that you will review and report back on everything else by a specific date. Here are those brainstorming and discussion questions once more.
Stop: What behaviours or practices are no longer helpful or may be holding us back?
Start: What new behaviours or strategies should we try to improve outcomes?
Continue: What positive actions are working well and should be maintained?
Practical Examples: Bringing the Framework to Life
Stop. “Let’s stop underbilling when we write client reports so the funding schemes understand what it really takes”
Start. “Lets use the online timer app consistently for the next 4 weeks to help us track our writing time”
Continue. “Explaining to our clients that our reports take time, are invaluable and help them get important equipment and service that enhance their quality of life”
Stop. “Let’s stop interrupting each other in team huddles so everyone has a chance to share their thoughts.”
Start. “Let’s start scheduling a five-minute check-in at the end of each day to address any urgent admin issues.”
Continue. “Let’s continue providing new staff with a buddy for their first month; it’s helped with onboarding.”
Getting the most from the Stop-Start-Continue Framework.
Brief everybody well for the activity and invite them to prepare ahead if appropriate. The facilitator needs to be assertive, diplomatic and carefully manage time to ensure all three questions are covered equally. Strive to write succinct descriptors in the columns, be clear about the behaviour or activity and its impact. Wrap up the section with a summary of the discussion and outcomes, allocated responsibilities, deliverables and deadlines, not everything needs to be actioned immediately or at the same time, set priorities. Remember, like many frameworks the discussion is terrific however the implementation and positive change it creates is what we are all after. Schedule a progress report at the next meeting to celebrate the wins and adjust as needed.
Practical Tools for Creating Change.
The Stop-Start-Continue Framework is more than a meeting tool—it’s a catalyst for behavioural change, continuous improvement, and a positive workplace culture. By focusing on specific actions and building a safe space for reflection, Allied Health teams can address challenges, create solutions collaboratively, celebrate strengths, and move forward with clarity. To help you get started we have provided a template for you to provide to your employees ahead of running a Stop Start Continue meeting, please adjust as required to meet your needs.
Ready to Take Action?
If you want to embed a feedback culture in your Allied Health Business or need help facilitating productive team sessions, Nacre Consulting is here to help. Book a free Power Call with our expert team to explore how you can use Stop-Start-Continue—and other proven strategies—to lead your business towards the results you deserve.
Template for your team: Stop-Start-Continue Framework for Allied Health Teams
What is the Stop-Start-Continue Framework?
At its core, Stop-Start-Continue invites attendees to reflect, participate in discussion and prioritise on three questions:
Stop: What behaviours or practices are no longer helpful or may be holding us back?
Start: What new behaviours or strategies should we try to improve outcomes?
Continue: What positive actions are working well and should be maintained?
This structure is ideal for Allied Health settings, where teams operate in fast-paced, high-pressure environments and need feedback that’s quick, clear, and focused on improvement. Its hard to beat a time honoured and trusted structure to take the ick out of feedback and re focus the team. During our meeting we will work together to complete this framework.
| STOP | START | CONTINUE |
| What’s not working? | What new things could we try? | What’s working well? |
| e.g. Double booking clients | e.g. Weekly calendar meetings | e.g. End of day calendar checks. |
| e.g. Double handling paperwork | e.g. Online document signing | e.g. Sticking to onboarding checklist |
We’re using Stop-Start-Continue to reflect on the behaviours (not personalities or individuals) and activities that are impacting on the way we work together, to identify what we need to start doing differently and honing in on what we need to continue to do more of.
You are invited to think about this ahead of time and join the meeting prepared and ready for honest discussion. The meeting will be carefully facilitated to ensure that all parties are able to contribute in a way that is meaningful for them. At the end of the meeting an action plan will be made and responsibilities, deliverable sand deadlines allocated as required.
