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Team retreats can be inspiring, engaging ways to reconnect, recharge and innovate….or they can be really, long, dry boring all day offsite meetings with snacks. As someone who has designed and facilitate scores of team retreats, I’ve learned first hand that there are small, smart ways to curate an in person session that is both engaging and memorable. Here are my top seven.
1. Randomly Mix Seating Multiple Teams
They may whine and complain a bit when they return from break and realize that you’re asking a few people from each table to rotate, but at the end of the day, they will invariably appreciate getting to know several different groups throughout the day. You can also mix groups using different common characteristics (e.g. alphabetical, born in one of these states, birth month, etc.)
2. Incorporate Activities That Require Movement
I don’t care how engaging the presentation might be. Everyone gets antsy after sitting more than 45 minutes or so. To avoid the fatigue and malaise that invariably sets in when participants have been sitting too long, incorporate activities that require them to get up and out of their seat. Use wall space to have smaller groups conduct activities around different parts of the room. Place flip charts in different places and have participants place post it comments on them as needed. Instead of relying exclusively on group discussion, use facilitation techniques to get the group walking around. Certainly, incorporate high-impact team building activities too.
3. Actively Balance Task and Relationship Focus
While it can be tempting to start your retreat with a fun ice breaker or similar activity, then dive into hours and hours of dry presentations, strategy discussions or other similarly business focused agenda items, avoid that approach. Make the effort to consciously balance the team/relationship building and business components. Look for ways to incorporate a fun relationship boosting element into traditional agenda items. For example, for introductions consider asking everyone to also share their communication pet peeve/preferred mode and first paid job along with their name and role. These small tweaks will create a more interesting experience that feels less heavy and predictable.
4. Mix Presenters
One mistake many leaders make is having one or two people lead the full day. Instead, try to get multiple people involved. It doesn’t just create more diversity. It tends to engender a higher level of buy in on the overall event. This is also a great way to enlist others into the planning process so that you’re getting broader input for consideration during agenda planning. Asking someone to take on a presentation role can also be a great way to recognize them and their work or provide a developmental opportunity for a team member who may want to work on their presentation skills.
5. Play Music
Music really can elevate the energy in the room. Consider unique genres or time periods. A little nostalgic music can get people breaking the ice and forming connections without even realizing it. Consider asking attendees for a few of their favorite songs and then creating a team playlist. For an additional spin, make a game out of it and ask attendees to guess which song is the favorite of each team member.
6. Include A Competitive Activity
Nothing boosts the energy in a room like a good competition. Include a prize and all bets are off. If you’re thoughtful and strategic, this can be a great opportunity to address a business issue or need in a creative way (e.g. Which team can identify the most cost saving ideas in 3 minutes? Which team can identify the most innovative ideas for improving customer satisfaction?) Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have “budget” for a real prize. Starbucks gift cards work great. I’ve even wrapped up a can of Spam as a gag prize, and the group loved it.
7. Incorporate Participant Input
One of the worst mistakes leaders or facilitators can make is planning in a vacuum. Remember that the team retreat is about the team, not any specific individual or leader so take the time to survey them in advance to get a sense of their preferences. How do they want to spend the time? What types of presenters and activities would they most enjoy? What do they not want to do? What are some ground rules they can buy into? What topics are most important to cover? What does success look like to them?
Done well, in-person team retreats can provide a great opportunity to get away from the daily grind and reconnect with the team in a meaningful way. For those teams who might be just returning to the office, they can provide a valuable opportunity to meet people for the first time, learn each other’s quirks and preferences and really dig into important projects and business issues. Use these seven tips to curate a session that’s engaging, memorable and productive. They’ll be glad you did.
