Off-site strategy days are among the most common and popular professional developmental tools that individuals, teams, and corporations alike enjoy. Of course, they can get a bit samey after a while, and you need to keep them fresh and exciting. But how can you do this? From keeping energy in mind with the agenda to optional social interaction, here are some ideas.
Focus on Specific Goals and Outputs
It’s easy to cram too much into the time that’s available for an off-site day of team building and other exercises. However, there are some remedies for this. For example, focus on 2 to 4 specific goals that you want the team to achieve in the limited time they have. To reach these core objectives, consider booking quality retreats and spaces, such as with Evins Mill meetings or local hotels known for providing the facilities that corporate gatherings usually need.
Shape the Agenda with Energy In Mind
An agenda is a great way to encourage people and get them excited about what they can expect. However, you might have limited time, and it’s natural to try to cram too much into the available hours. But this can be a major mistake, and here’s why. People aren’t designed to sit in air-conditioned rooms for hours on end. After around 2 hours, most people will lose focus and begin to feel tired. So set each item for no more than this with scheduled breaks in between.
Foster Natural Interaction with Off-Site Strategy Days
There’s nothing wrong with passive lectures akin to TED talks, especially if they are well presented and entertaining. However, successful team building relies on more than one method, and most would agree (82% in fact) that they walk away with a better understanding of a subject when engaging with others naturally. This often means activities such as hackathons, strategic planning exercises, and even working as a team to solve a common niche-specific problem.
Make Social Interaction Optional
Team building relies on being social, but not everyone enjoys this. Sure, most people will engage with teams because it is their job. However, they might not benefit from being forced into social interactions, and this can, in fact, be dangerous. Some people prefer quiet contemplation and solace to recharge, and this opportunity should be extended to anyone who wants it. So while it is great to have social spaces, it is just as vital to provide secluded ones too.
Follow Up After Returning to the Office
So what’s the point of your strategy day? If you want to run a successful strategy day for a leadership team, then there must be some follow-up, or it’s all for nothing! There should be a goal in mind for after everyone returns to the office, whether it’s more competent leadership, time management, or even tech training. Within six weeks of returning to the office, there needs to be some feedback to measure success and see if the strategy day had any effect.
Summary
Focusing on specific goals will help enhance team performance through off-site strategy days that look to improve some aspect of your employees. To keep them engaged, it helps to encourage natural interaction, and success must be measured with follow-up assessments.
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