Be More Productive at Your Next Corporate Offsite
If your company needs to schedule an important meeting, think about choosing an offsite location. This will promote creativity, enthusiasm and bonding among staff members. People often develop innovative ideas when they leave the office, because it is free from all the distractions in the office, plus everyone is together. On the other hand, a strategic offsite meeting could become a waste of time and money if you don’t plan it well. These tips can help you arrange a great event:
The Venue
Select a comfortable venue that will inspire your team while considering its location and surroundings. Having some outdoor space, great food and even a little space for a stretch or exercise can help people think creatively and remember facts. A conference center with walking trails, outside terraces, or even workout facilities could enhance the meeting. Always visit and inspect a facility before you reserve it, and test all the equipment they will be providing (including the chairs!). Make sure it has the right audio and video equipment to meet your needs. Carefully plan the menus, snack foods and have a wide variety of beverages. Keep in mind your food selections will impact everyone’s level of engagement.
The Plan
Take the time to develop a detailed plan for the offsite. Establish a clear timeline, as this will help keep things on track and productive. If you need to adjust it during the offsite, you will know exactly what impact any changes will have on the time available. Pre-plan and bring any equipment and supplies each participant will need. Assume they will not bring anything, so they are depending on you. This will ensure that everything is ready before the strategic offsite meeting takes place. If you plan to provide staff members with transportation, be sure to coordinate it well in advance.
Build Anticipation
Prepare people about the meeting’s goals and supply information that helps them to begin thinking about what they can contribute to the offsite. Send enthusiastic messages to participants promote the event and highlight its importance. Let staff members know what they should bring to the offsite. Consider asking them to write down new ideas and potential solutions before it happens. If employees are ready for the event and feel inspired, your company will benefit from a more productive and effective meeting.
It’s an Event!
Carefully design the offsite. Start the day on time, so consider drive times when planning. Think about kicking off the meeting with a fun activity that helps everyone shift gears from ‘routine business’ mode to ‘thinking on the business’ mode. This will also help reduce any anxiety and encourage more open discussions. Engaging group activities and passionate, inspirational talks can make conferences more memorable. At the same time, every activity, talk, discussion, etc. should help your event move towards its main goals. Schedule timely breaks to so everyone has a chance to stretch and ponder each discussion or presentation.
A Facilitator
Consider hiring an independent facilitator who specializes in strategic offsite meetings. It is practically impossible to participate in a team discussion while facilitating it. A seasoned professional can uphold your goals and vision for the offsite while efficiently managing the event and guiding the conversation. Intigro’s experienced facilitation creates a balance to productivity and enjoyment.
Our strategies boost participation, set an optimal pace and encourage people to suggest great new ideas. We use sophisticated multimedia presentations to inform and inspire attendees. Intigro facilitation will consistently deliver the positive outcomes you desire. Read more about this valuable service.
Contact Intigro
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Obviously, there are no guarantees of success; however, if you do the above, your chances for success are improved.
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Why not tell us about your own strategic off-sites and how your plan affected your success? Please do so, either in the comments below, or by submitting a guest post to us. We review these posts carefully, and as long as your contribution adds something to the entrepreneurial community we’d be happy to feature it on our site with a link back to yours!
