Offsites and corporate retreats offer the chance for team building, planning, reflection, and strategizing. You might get the reply, “Oh no!” It’s not a waste of time! To “Wow!” It’s something I look forward to. Six design principles are provided in this article to help you make your next corporate retreat a success.
1. Focus on what you want to achieve:
Corporate retreats can be prone to having too many or too few objectives. You must be strategic about what you want to achieve.
Ask yourself this question: What are you looking forward to during the retreat? What will you get out of the retreat? What are the most important things you want your staff to remember? What are your top priorities? What are your top priorities?
Make sure your goals are as specific as possible. It is a common saying that “What doesn’t get measured, doesn’t get done.”
2. Engage employees in retreat design:
Retreats often fail because employees don’t get involved in designing them. What are the needs of employees? You need to find a balance between corporate goals and the requirements of employees. Do you want it to be 80/20? Is it a 50/50 mix?
To get feedback from employees about what they want, the retreat facilitator can conduct a survey. If the groups are small enough, this can be done in staff meetings or by email, or using a web-based survey tool.
3. It’s better to be less than you are – make sure you have enough time.
Retreat design can be prone to being overly complicated. Make sure that everyone involved in the design process is clear about what needs to be covered and what they want to cover. You might be able to divide the topics into What is essential, What you would like, and What can wait until another time or forum.
In terms of impact, less is more. Participants should be allowed to reflect and discuss relevant topics during the retreat. Participants should also be allowed to make an action plan and link the retreat discussions to their workplace. You can add an extra day to your retreat or schedule another offsite retreat later in the year if you are unable to fit all of your topics into the timeframe.
4. Choose a Facilitator Wisely
Who will facilitate your retreat? External facilitators offer the advantages of impartiality, complete focus, and dedication throughout the retreat process. If you are considering an external facilitator, make sure they are committed to working with your organization over the long term, at least for several retreats. This will build trust and allow for retreats to be held at a higher level. External facilitators will be able to better understand your company’s priorities, culture, and vision. Make sure you spend enough time briefing your new facilitator. This includes discussions about expectations, outcomes, and past experiences with retreats.
Because corporate priorities change over time, make sure you allow enough planning time so that the facilitator can adjust the program to suit changing needs. You can ensure smooth transitions by creating an internal retreat planning team that can act as the liaison between the facilitator and the participants.
The retreat process is also aided by internal retreat leaders who bring in “insider knowledge” about the organization’s culture, priorities, and overall mission. If you have an inner retreat leader, make sure they have the authority and freedom to perform their duties. It may be worth considering pairing an internal facilitator and an external facilitator.
5. It’s essential to do it regularly!
Retreats should be held regularly and not only once a year to gain the same “traction.” Half-day to full days of work can be scheduled for each department and, if possible, the entire organization. You can also use virtual retreats to offer mini-retreats throughout the year without having to travel to an offsite.
6. Follow up:
The Learning Link Back to Work – Too often, learning is not transferred back to the office after it has been completed at the retreat. Ask yourself, “What can we do to bring the learning back to work?” Are there any systems that can be used to share the retreat learning? What methods should be created?
Schedule time at the retreat for action planning, whether it be at the team, individual, department, or corporate level, to strengthen the learning connection back to the office. Action plans should outline time frames, resources required, and who is responsible. Action plans should be as precise as possible. You should follow up on action plans in regular team meetings, one-on-one with managers, and through other internal systems.
You can keep the learning going by holding coaching sessions with small groups or individuals after the retreat to help you keep it fresh. The knowledge can be transferred back to the workplace through monthly or bi-monthly sessions.
These six design principles will help you create a retreat that is meaningful, engaging, and sustainable. Your employees will be asking when they can do it again. “.
Jennifer J. Britton, the founder of Potentials Realized, is also a co-founder at Integra Leadership Inc. Jennifer helps corporate clients and business owners achieve the results and impact they want in teamwork, business balance, performance, and other areas through coaching, consulting, and training services. She facilitates retreats and team-building sessions (virtual, offsite, and on-site) for corporate, nonprofit, and government clients. She is a performance improvement specialist and works with top-notch organizations in North America and the Caribbean. She is a Certified Professional CoActive Coach, Certified Performance Technologist, and Certified Human Resource Professional. Jennifer offers executive, group, and team coaching programs. Jennifer is well-known for her unique, engaging, and results-oriented collaborations.