How to Avoid the Painful Offsite
Have you ever attended an offsite or all-day meeting where you’re stuck in a conference room and faced with a packed agenda only to walk away thinking to yourself, that was a waste of a day. I hear this complaint from so many clients about offsite meetings, and it never ceases to amaze me, especially given how costly these long meetings can be. I’ve observed dozens of offsites meetings and no matter who designs or facilitates them, there is a distinct pattern of what I consider to be “mistakes,” or aspects that make for a painful offsite. Here are the three most common mistakes:
1. WAY too much content: Jamming the agenda with too much content doesn’t allow for real-time conversation to emerge and creates tired and disengaged participants.
2. Lack of connection: Outside of a dinner or cocktail party, I rarely see an offsite meeting agenda offering a space for people to truly connect and/or learn more about one another.
3. Sensory deprivation: Windowless rooms, a lack of fresh air, and no contrast in activities are a set-up for a painful offsite.
So how do we remedy the painful offsite? It’s easy, but it takes some willingness on your part to go against the offsite planning grain.
1. Build white space into your agenda: The best agendas I’ve designed include only 3-4 topics over a 2-day period and 1-2 hours of white space (no pre-planned agenda for that time) per day. Having fewer topics where people really get to dive in keeps people engaged. White space allows for the inevitable important emergent topic to be discussed. Knowing the team dug into a few important topics and created well thought out solutions creates a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
2. Build real connection: Although I’m a fan of adding in a fun “team-building” event like a cooking class or Geocaching, don’t forget to build in time for people to get to know each other at a deeper level. A fast way to do this is by asking compelling questions as an icebreaker and way to transition between topics. Some of my favorites are: “What’s your leadership super-power?” Or, “What area of your development are you focusing on right now and why?” These questions have a way of sparking an authentic conversation where people feel more connected to each other.
3. Activate all the senses: Try to meet in a space that’s as open with as much natural light as possible. Add music as people enter in the morning and between breaks. Offer food that sustains people as opposed to snacks loaded with carbs and sugar. Also, provide something for people to do with their hands. It’s hard for leaders to sit all day and giving them something, like a lavender stress ball (my favorite), will help them stay focused.
ExperimentYou don’t have to have a big offsite coming up to try these tools out. Try adding music before your next meeting, or build some white space into your next agenda and see what happens. Adding just one aspect of any of these tools to your next meeting—no matter where it takes place—will shift the energy and help people stay engaged. And the best part is that you’ll reduce the number of complaints. I guarantee it! Need helping planning your next offsite? Feel free to contact me.