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Top tips for planning your organisation’s ‘away’ day
In ‘normal’ times, the autumn is often the time for having your Board or Management Team Away Day. It’s typically a time to take stock of progress in the current financial year and to consider your strategy for the year ahead. It’s a time to bring your team or Board together to strengthen and bolster team dynamics away from the day to day demands of the office. Of course, this year is very different. There can be no ‘away’ day in the traditional sense; for many, there is little chance of being physically together and having any kind of certainty to ‘plan’ for a new financial year seems ludicrous. But, having an ‘away day’ is still worthwhile even if it’s delivered differently than usual. Done well, it can help build team morale and give everyone the time and space to consider how to cope with the months ahead. Here are my top tips for planning this year’s away day: Use an online environment you all feel comfortable with. Most Boards and Management teams have now become fairly proficient in Microsoft Teams or Zoom so stick with one of those so you get a good level of engagement.Make sure your away day doesn’t last longer than three hours. We all now know about ‘Zoom fatigue’ so keep your away day to a half day at most.Consider using an external facilitator to make sure you get the most of everyone’s precious time. A facilitator can free you up as CEO or Board chair to fully engage as a participant and can make sure that everyone participates. Your facilitator can also be briefed if you have particular strategic priorities you’re keen to explore as part of the away day. They may also able to note key actions from the discussions.Many organisations are rightly considering the wellbeing of their teams. Make sure you give some time at your away day to reflect on wellbeing and identify what more you could be doing to support one another in the winter months that lie ahead.Plan your away day carefully to get maximum engagement from everyone involved. There are many tools out there to help you: MURAL, for example, is great for capturing collaborative discussions. Use the breakout rooms feature in platforms like Zoom to get small group discussion and good quality collaborative thinking.Consider getting an external speaker for your away day. They can stimulate your Board or Management team with new perspectives or provocative ideas. The beauty of a remote away day is that you can reach out to a speaker on the other side of the world, bringing new ideas and innovation that you probably wouldn’t have been able to secure if you were having a ‘normal’ away day.Have real clarity about what you want and need to get out of the away day. Ask the rest of your Board or Management team what outcomes they would like to see from the session and be clear from the outset what you’re hoping to achieve. It’s likely you will want time to consider the big strategic issues facing your organisation as well as a chance to reflect on the past six months and what you’ve learned.On the day itself, make sure you agree clear ground rules. Do you want everyone with their cameras on and microphones off (unless they’re speaking)? Is everyone comfortable with using the technology? If not, perhaps organise a short run through beforehand so everyone feels supported and able to fully participate. Be alert to any additional needs your colleagues or trustees may have in terms of an inclusive experience.Build in some time for social engagement at some point during your away day. We are all beginning to feel like we’re missing the informal chats we had at the beginning of meetings or over coffee. Perhaps add an informal catch up either before or after your away day.Similarly build in time to celebrate what you have achieved as a team over the past 6 months. It’s been an incredibly tough time for everyone but almost all businesses and organisations have risen to the considerable challenges. Make sure to recognise that incredible contribution as part of your away day.Think about how you share what’s emerged from your away day with your wider teams. All employees will want to know latest strategic thinking and it pays – particularly in these uncertain times – to be as open and transparent with your wider staff teams as you can. Please contact me if you would like to discuss my away day facilitation package for Boards and Management teams or if you would like me to be the guest speaker at your forthcoming away day.