Nov 11, 2022
9 stories
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How to Plan a Company Offsite
Company offsites can be meetings of the entire company, divisions, or just individual teams. They are chances to build connections, solve problems, and plan strategies. With so many companies moving to remote work, offsites are now one of the only times to meet face to face.
[1.1] INTRO
Start with the story of Chris and an offsite at Automattic. This covers the basic ground of logistics and especially the key point: "Engineer for connection."
[1.2] INTRO
This guide goes through types of offsites, goal settings, and roles for planning. Gustavo is the author of "Remote, Not Distant."
[2.1] FACILITATION
Try this Five-Phase structure: Setup, Connection, Divergent Thinking, Convergent Thinking, Commitments, Celebration. Dave is an exec coach.
[2.2] FACILITATION
A framework for the entire team to define core values. Eric is an exec coach.
[2.3] FACILITATION
Some or all of the agenda creation can be put in the hands of the team. Elizabeth is a professional facilitator.
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[3.1] IDEAS
Read Holly's experience running a team scavenger hunt. (It's mid-way down the article)
[3.2] IDEAS
Downtime and unstructured time are also key.
"Ultimately, we needed to design the “white space” of the event and find a balance between structure and open-endedness that would create the right conditions for connection."
[3.3] IDEAS
See the "Close with Clarity" section for how to facilitate the end of day wrapup.
[3.4] IDEAS
How to run a remote offsite.
