Planning a team offsite meeting can be a bit overwhelming. First there are the logistics—venues, transportation, schedules, and potential team excursions, to name just a few. Getting several busy people to an offsite location while maintaining a budget is a big task!
Even more important than event details are the big picture considerations. Why are you meeting? What should the agenda look like? Is there any pre-work to be done? How will you measure success and follow up after the event?
Don’t let these considerations scare you away from organizing a team offsite. Offsite meetings can be highly beneficial to your team and organization.
To help you organize and plan your best offsite yet, here are eleven tips that can help produce good outcomes for your team and your organization.
Keys to a Successful Team Offsite
Table of Contents
1. Get everyone’s input.
In John Parker Stewart’s book 52 Leadership Gems: Practical and Quick Insights for Leading Others, Gem #8 says, “People tend to support what they help create or decide.” Once you’ve established who will participate in the team offsite, engage that supportive energy by getting input on how to make the offsite a success. Input could involve anything from potential venues to suggestions for keynote speakers.
2. Choose a venue conducive to the desired outcomes.
Your venue should be directly tied to the purpose of your offsite. There is little more derailing to a team offsite than an inappropriate venue choice. Taking the team to a resort area filled with distractions may work if your goals for the offsite include building friendly relationships, but if you intend to use the offsite as an opportunity for your team to focus exclusively on a few issues, the resort amenities will be a distraction or a cause of angst.
If you want to provide an opportunity for your team to recover from an intense period of change, a more relaxing, casual venue could be appropriate. If your team is gathering for a leadership development workshop, external amenities may not be as important.
3. Identify strengths to celebrate and challenges to address.
Are there issues the team should discuss together? What wins can you celebrate? Is there a specific development challenge the team needs to address? Find out what the most pressing needs are and look for ways to address those.
4. Be involved.
Whether the design team for your offsite is internal or external, make sure someone from the group of participants is involved in the planning. Your approach should be to co-create the offsite with the design team.
5. Plan for two days, if possible.
One-day or even half-day offsites can be very successful, but often, it takes some time for people to warm up and get comfortable. A two-day offsite with dinner together the night of the first day is ideal for delivering the best outcomes. It is usually on the second day that people have the biggest insights.
Of course, budgets and other considerations don’t always allow for a full two days, so if you plan a shorter event, at least try to have a dinner together the night before the meeting. Sharing a meal with others can help build connection and encourage communication.
6. Communicate event details and timing well in advance.
Your team is full of busy people with both internal and external demands on their time. Make sure you start planning your offsite several weeks to a few months ahead of time, and communicate details as early as possible so people can plan to attend.
7. Ensure there are actionable outcomes.
As you design the offsite, get clear early on about actionable outcomes, and then communicate those clearly. Your team should understand from the beginning exactly what they will be doing at the offsite and what they need to do when the offsite is over.
8. Prevent ambushes!
There should be no surprises during the offsite! Give people time to think about the topics being discussed in advance so they can come prepared and ready to participate.
9. Reduce distractions.
Distractions can take many forms. Will your conference room have windows with a scenic view conducive to daydreaming? Or will participants be distracted by simmering personal dynamics that need to be aired before progress can be made?
While you can’t control for every distraction, there are ways to help team members give the meeting their maximum attention. Keep intense sessions short and focused, provide opportunities for relaxation, and give your people regular bio breaks.
10. Include social time.
Meals are an important part of any offsite, and at least one or two should include the entire team. Depending on the length and purpose of your offsite, you could include other activities as well. Escape rooms, tours, or sports events are all great options that go beyond the golf course.
11. Have a communication and accountability plan.
No one should leave the offsite without being able to tell people what they have been doing for the past two days and what they will be focused on going forward. In addition, have a plan for future accountability where participants can share the long-term impact of the offsite with their bosses and others in the organization.
The most successful team offsites require careful planning, focused execution, and robust participation. When well-executed, they can produce business results and people results that last for months or even years.
The experts at Stewart Leadership have many decades of experience leading successful offsite experiences. Whether you’re looking for team-building, strategic planning, leadership development, or other offsite formats, our team can help you plan an experience your team will never forget. To learn more, contact us.
Self-Check:
- What is one issue, business challenge, or obstacle that would benefit from the focused attention of an offsite meeting?
- Is there a leadership development workshop that would help our team be more effective? Could we kick it off at an offsite meeting?
- How long has it been since our team gathered in person, away from the office? Could we plan at least a half-day or one-day offsite to reconnect?
