August 5th, 2011
Welcome back to part two of our employee retreat planning series. In the prior segment, we looked at the many benefits of planning a staff retreat, as well as how to determine the focus and choose a desired outcome. In this installment, we’ll look at specifics to include in planning your retreat.
Relax, Everyone
It’s essential to create a relaxed environment where employees can loosen up a bit, as this will stimulate the flow of creativity (and it’s kind of the whole point of getting away from the office for the retreat). You can create a comfortable environment with:
- a venue away from the office. This can include a hotel, a retreat center, a resort, a beach house, etc.
- allowing staff to dress down for the event – shorts, tennis shoes, jeans, etc.
- relaxed food and snacking options – continental breakfast, chips and fruit and cookies, sandwiches, etc. Coffee and tea are always appreciated.
- planned free time and social time – be sure to allow some room in the schedule for unstructured socializing and relaxing together
Let’s Get Connected
There’s no point holding a staff retreat if you’re only planning to provide one-way communication the whole time. Employee retreats should be fun, engaging and interactive. Here are some tips for doing just that.
- use activities that relate to the topics at hand, but are also fun and interesting. Problem-solving exercises and teambuilding activities are far more impactful than merely talking about teambuilding.
- let group members work on the issue at hand, but in a different way or with a new dynamic
- ask for feedback – and listen when you get it! You won’t necessarily incorporate all the comments and suggestions you receive, but take these messages to heart and do whatever you can to make improvements that serve the entire team. Search for the win-win scenarios.
- give prizes – these don’t need to be expensive or elaborate. You can use anything from colorful note pads to candy bars or granola bars, to “drink tickets” or coffee mugs, etc. Get creative and reward participation.
Stick to Your Focus
You may find it makes sense to alter the agenda or schedule during the retreat, but stick to your focus no matter what. If your focus is to build team cohesiveness, then continue to work on that. If your focus is to solve a particular problem, you can certainly change an approach that isn’t working, but stay committed to the focus no matter what. Otherwise, people will leave the retreat feeling like nothing was accomplished, and all your planning and hard work may be for naught.
Plan some icebreakers, and be prepared to step in and get things going. At the end, clarify the takeaway so that everyone departs feeling like the time was well spent. People are busy and like to know that they have made good use of their time.
Most importantly, be sure to include a rental projector for your staff retreat. You may use it to demonstrate key points, showcase a photo slide show at the end of the retreat, and show DVD movies during down time. Audiovisuals go a long way towards holding people’s attention and helping them stay focused. Visit Projector123.com today to reserve your rental projector.
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