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10 KEYS TO A
SUCCESSFUL MANAGEMENT RETREAT
Management retreats are tremendous opportunities to
review, assess, align and move forward. Get the most out
of your next retreat through effective planning and
preparation.
1. Select Your Site With Care:
* Your management retreat can be held on-site (at your
place of work), or off-site (at a home, hotel or
conference venue). Each has its advantages.
* On-site events keep costs low and familiar business
facilities close at hand.
* Off-site events reduce distraction and can promote a
"big picture" perspective.
* Be careful not to mismatch your event theme and
conference facility. If your theme is "nose to the
grindstone", don't hold your retreat at Disneyland. If
your theme is "stepping back to view the horizon", don't
hold your retreat in a busy downtown conference center.
2. Design Your Sequence With Care:
* The timing of activities is a key to your success.
Decide up front whether you want a high-intensity
working event, a laid-back and relaxing retreat, or a
balanced program combining both worlds.
* If you intend to combine work and play, consider
carefully which should go first.
* "Work first, play later" gives participants something
to look forward to, and a reason to get through business
issues quickly.
* "Play first, work later" sets a tone of enjoyment for
the program and puts work issues closer to your return
to the office.
* "Work, Play, Work" lets you get started on business
issues, take a break, and then come back to complete
your work after gaining some recreational perspective.
3. Circulate a Pre-Retreat Agenda:
* Let people know what your objectives are for the
retreat. Give them an opportunity to prepare for full
and constructive participation.
4. Use Meal Breaks to Your Advantage:
* Use meal breaks to continue your program. Arrange
seating to foster appropriate communication. Turn some
coffee breaks into "working breaks" with refreshments
served inside your conference room.
* Select food carefully. Avoid fried foods and heavy
gravies - both put participants to sleep!
* Start lunches with a salad, never soup. Salad can be
served in an instant, or be ready on the table when your
participants arrive. Soup takes time to come hot from
the kitchen, and can set your entire agenda back by
10-20
minutes.
* If you plan to have drinking during dinner, let the
evening events be fun!
5. Present New Perspectives:
* Create perspective not usually seen at the office. Use
examples outside your industry to highlight key points.
Engage external speakers to share cross-industry
knowledge and experience.
6. Involve Customers as Your Guests:
* Bring in customers for specific portions of your
retreat. Golf games are traditional, but customer panels
and discussion groups can also bring good results.
7. Involve Suppliers as Your Guests:
* Strengthening your partnership with suppliers makes
good business sense. Suppliers can bring unique value to
your management retreat through industry perspective and
competitive awareness.
8. Circulate Post-Retreat Actions and Agreements:
* Put decisions and new action plans in writing. Send
copies to retreat participants with an encouraging or
congratulatory note from the top.
9. Gather Inputs and Recommendations:
* After the event, gather ideas for further improvement.
Ask what participants want more of, and less of, at your
next management retreat.
10. Use an Outside Process Facilitator:
* It may be useful to engage a professional facilitator
to help with your retreat. Outside talent can bring
years of experience to help design your event. A
competent outsider can also serve as the "impartial
party", keeping your group on focus and making sure that
everyone speaks, and is heard.
* If you use an outside facilitator, don't let him be
caught uninformed! Provide detailed briefings about your
business and about the management personalities
involved.
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- Ron's successful background includes high-impact special events at the
Rose Bowl, the Great Wall of China, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow and on the Capitol
Mall in Washington DC. His unique approaches to leadership and learning have been featured
in LIFE Magazine, the New York Times and frequently on TV. A graduate of Brown University,
USA, Ron is certified in Applied Neuro-linguistics and is a professional member of the
National Speakers Association. For more information please visit his web site: http://www.ronkaufman.com/
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