Planning a Successful Team Retreat: Three Important Steps

Team retreats: some people love them and some think they are a waste of time.

Retreats also require a substantial investment, not only in dollars, but in time and effort.

Therefore, putting on an event that meets your goals and objectives, that goes beyond just providing participants with a fun time, is crucial.

The key to creating a fun and impactful team retreat is in the planning. There are many things to take into account when planning a retreat, but the following three decisions are critical to ensure success.

1. Identify the desired outcomes and deliverables you would like to achieve.

A team retreat can be designed to accomplish a wide variety of goals and outcomes.

Here are a few examples of what can be provided and achieved at a team retreat:

• Provide opportunities to work on and solve real business issues.
• Help leaders and team members discover their natural strengths and weaknesses.
• Offer a chance for leaders and team members to further develop their skills.
• Build, strengthen, and align relationships across a team.
• Create opportunities for team members to confront difficult topics that may be having an adverse effect on the team.
• Develop action plans to ensure learning, agreements, and changes transfer back to the workplace.

2. Determine what type of retreat will help you achieve your desired goals and outcomes. There are several types of retreats to choose from based on your needs, budget, and timeframe.

• Organizational Development
• Team Interventions
• Team Development
• Strategy – planning process
• Strategy – issues approach
• High Adventure

High adventure retreats come with a wide variety of activities to choose from such as river runs, mountain treks, cave and desert simulations, sailing challenges, orienteering, repelling, and biking to name a few.

3. Choose the right partner to design and deliver materials, activities, and simulations that are aligned with your overall objectives.

A reputable company will work with you to plan the event, select appropriate interactive simulations and tasks, and provide highly skilled facilitators and technical expertise.

This service will ensure that participants have a good time and leave the retreat with tools and skills they can apply in the real world.

Be wary of investing in an “off-the-shelf” retreat that doesn’t take into consideration the specific needs and outcomes of your team. Also, make sure the organization is properly insured for your type of event.

CMOE has over 35 years of working with teams and designing impactful retreats that translate into real results back in the workplace.

CMOE is committed to making the retreat meaningful, effective…and FUN.

Give us a call today to learn how we can make your next retreat a thing to remember.