Creating Successful Staff Retreats

A staff retreat can evoke some pretty strong emotions. Dread of a week hanging around with people you would never invite home for dinner. Queasy thinking about throwing yourself backwards hoping your ‘new friends’ will catch you. However, staff retreats still continue even in hard times. Why? Many of the things we really need to get done take longer than the two hours you have in meeting time. As well, the retreat itself can bring about a change in approach not possible sitting in your boardroom for a meeting. This two-days course will give you tools to be able to create staff retreats that are successful and help to bolster productivity, sales and positive workplace culture.

• discuss experiences with staff retreats
• know the reasons why staff retreats are conducted
• understand the main staff retreat undertakings categories
• develop and present retreat activities
• identify the critical elements for success of a staff retreat
• develop a planning checklist
• appreciate the keys to running a staff retreat
• develop an evaluation questionnaire
• recognize post-retreat activities that will ensure the continuing success of your staff retreats

realize your top three take home ideas for creating successful staff retreats[/fusion_li_item]

We will spend the first part of the day getting to know other participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

Some staff retreats are great and some are horrible, but we’ve all experienced them in one way or the other. This session discusses experiences with staff retreats and learn reasons why they are conducted.

There are many different types of staff retreats to consider. This session gives students a look at the main staff retreat undertakings categories (Strategic and Operational Planning, Team building, Brainstorming). They will also have a chance to develop and present a 15-minute activity for one of the undertakings.

There are many critical factors that must be kept in mind when designing a successful staff retreat. Those factors, which are introduced to students in this session are: Budget, Location and Facility, Facilitation and Planning. Students will also develop a planning checklist and mini-activity sessions.

Now that they’ve got the tools to develop a successful retreat, students will learn the keys to running a staff retreat and develop an evaluation questionnaire.

Any retreat is only as good as its follow-up. Here, students will look at post-retreat activities to ensure the continued success of the retreat. Students will brainstorm to find the top-three take-home ideas for creating staff retreats.

At the end of the course, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.