What do you do when you hear that your organization is having a Retreat? Do you stifle a yawn? Make sure you have a scheduling conflict? Participate but secretly abhor the use of everyone’s time and cost for little to show for it?
Retreats can be great for training and education, building collegiality, exploring new ideas, or tackling problems. High quality retreats that yield results have an important ingredient: they generate engagement and buy-in by the participants both in the Retreat experience itself and also the output.
You might be unfamiliar with the idea that a Retreat can yield tangible and useful output, but it can! I plan Retreats with organizations that include:
- discerning priorities
- developing agendas
- facilitating large and small group discussions
to generate new ideas, analyze existing problems and plan for future growth. Don’t let great ideas lie fallow until the next Retreat. As a Retreat Facilitator, I help organizations with Implementation to capture and integrate the value of Retreat work sessions back at the office.
Last August, I had the pleasure of facilitating a Retreat for Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP, a business law firm in Portland, Oregon with20 retreat participants. SYK identified three operations issues that needed attention. The lawyers decided to address all three issues and worked toward short, medium and long term goals on equitably balanced committees. As of this writing, their work continues and I look forward to connecting with them at their May Attorney Meeting to assess progress and make plans for the final push. Go SYK!
To learn more about my Retreat Facilitation Services and SYK’s experience, check out my website: https://www.tcbcoaching.com/services/retreat-facilitation/
When it is time to plan your organization’s next Retreat, ditch the late nights and frustration. Call me instead!
Heather Decker, JD // 503-734-7232 // heather@tcbcoaching.com
