Bring your Team Together with an Offsite Outing

Off-site team gatherings are often the subjects of intense ridicule, with employees and business leaders dismissing them as useless time sucks. In reality, these activities carry tangible benefits and have the potential to facilitate real growth among participants. So don’t give into pressure from doubters and scrap your off-site conversation strategy. Instead, put together an event that will produce real results. To get started, review these tips:

Really Plan Ahead
For most organizations, the planning process for offsite events entails booking a caterer, guest speakers and meeting space. Unfortunately, this methodology normally produces less-than-ideal results. You can avoid hosting some disorganized, uninspiring mess by carefully planning your off-site. Wade into the minutiae – type up a minute-by-minute agenda with activities that reinforce overarching organizational goals, Harvard Business Review advised.

“When planning your offsite, be sure to build in moments for reflection and discussion.”

Additionally, be sure to build in moments for reflection and discussion. You should give your team members time to process the information that comes their way.

Provide Useful Content
When it comes to organizing speakers or team-building activities, you want to focus on providing useful, quality content that will benefit your employees. To ensure that you’re doling out valuable information, ask your team members if there are any subject areas or knowledge gaps they would like addressed. Also, schedule sessions that are on the shorter side and encourage speakers to use stimulating presentation aids, Fortune recommended. In short, don’t bombard your team members with PowerPoint presentations.

Think Outside the Box
If you’re worried that a traditional off-site gathering might not work for your team, consider more unique alternatives. For instance, many businesses organize group volunteer outings for employees, according to U.S. News and World Report. These activities get workers out of the office, keep them engaged and facilitate instructional moments. Plus, it’s always nice to put in work for a good cause.

Once your team members have returned from the outing and had some time to apply the things they learned there, consider performing an assessment to check for improvements. Not sure how? Contact the Corporate Learning Institute! We offer the Team Assess Survey, a robust evaluation that addresses several key subjects, including team type, team output, team effectiveness, team leadership, team infrastructure, individual contributions and organizational support.

Ready to learn more about the Team Assess Survey? Contact us via email or call 1-800-203-6734.