Better Offsites
Five practical tips for your next team event away from office.
Hi, my name is Jan and I am a UI Designer at digital product studio Goodpatch in Berlin. Once in a while, usually once or twice per year, companies decide to get their staff out of the office for the sake of team spirit and motivation. So do we. But way too often these events feel forced, are laced with dull exercises or just don’t have a very lasting effect on the team and their work. For our own springtime offsite we came up with some fresh organizational ideas and methods, which resulted in a highly productive, sustainably motivating and very fun day. (First hint: make the last one really count.) Stay with me for five easy to adapt measures that might help to make your next team event a real success.
1. Have the team organize it
Maybe you have come across a common phrase regarding leadership that goes like this: The fish rots from the head down. Admittedly, this sounds rather harsh and I think it goes without saying that this statement might not be true for all companies. Still, from time to time it could be helpful to shift responsibilities, because putting methods of mentoring and team-building solely in the hands of executives might leave you with a lack of flexibility and a rather narrow field of view. So rather than having the management decide what to do, you could have your own team members creating your company’s offsite bottom up. This is what we did, and it proved to be the right choice – because who understands your organization’s challenges, work and team members better than the people actually working in your company? Rest assured, definitely not some goofy motivational coach from outside. Plus, I personally never attended a workshop or team event where I felt as comfortable and unrestricted as I did with my fellow colleagues leading us through the day.
And here is another thing. This is somewhat of a money saver. Why should you pay someone else when you have dedicated, talented people all around you, right?!
2. Get out of the office. Really.
An article I once read, opposing the ideas of offsites, said: When you have to go to another office/place to feel you can actually work creatively, you have a problem. Well, without any doubt I can say that we ❤️ our office. But even in that case a breath of fresh air once in a while doesn’t hurt. Unknown surroundings might help your team to break free from everyday patterns, be inspired by things you don’t see and hear on a daily basis or look at things from a different point of view. A quiet and convenient place, not too big and fancy, is what you should go for. It comes with few distractions and helps the team get closer. We also booked additional services for food and drinks which gave our internal workshop hosts the chance to fully concentrate on the team.
3. Run it low-key
Here at Goodpatch we have the tendency to maintain a friendly working atmosphere. As a matter of course we wanted to bring this feeling to our offsite as well and I suggest you do the same. For us, a simply executed agenda proved to be the best way to keep things intimate and running smoothly. Here are some ideas:
- Don’t book an expensive hotel, restaurant etc.
An informal surrounding makes everyone feel at ease and will most likely be in favor of your budget. - Use mainly analog working materials
Pen, paper, scissors and some tape are the most basic tools to work with. They are far more tangible & participatory than staring into the void of an overly designed or content polluted Keynote presentation. - Don’t sweat over details
An offsite is not a project briefing or a presentation in front of a business partner. If at one point or another, things don’t turn out exactly as planned, well, than they just don’t. - Serve casual food and drinks
Nutrition is not something you want to ask for. Make beverages and healthy snacks available at all times. And don’t forget some beer and wine for dinner.
4. Keep it work related and productive, don’t play paintball
We’ve all heard of – and perhaps participated in – some of the rather common practices companies tend to organize for their team events: collecting bruises at paintball, looking like a total jackass on a segway tour or wigglying around at a high rope park. While these activities might have a swift positive effect on the team spirit and help in gaining a sense of trust for each other, it is hard to see how the experience of reaching the next geocaching coordinates can be adapted to your daily work in a sustainable way. By focusing on topics that have a real connection to what you do as a company, chances are high that your team will use this as a reference in future situations at the office. Especially if that day is recalled as something positive and fun.
- Define an overall theme
Choosing a specific topic for your offsite not only provides focus but also offers the opportunity to make room for stuff you rarely can fit in your everyday tasks. In our case, we dedicated our day to each and everyone’s roles, responsibilities and goals inside our company and we still make use of these discoveries in 1-on-1 meetings or rely on them when setting up project teams. - Determine short units
Each point on the agenda should be cut into brief time sections. That way you are able to tackle a variety of topics but can always make sure that you don’t cling to a specific subject for way too long. If time is over, head on to the next topic. - Listen, don’t discuss
This is a pretty common method to keep things rolling. Make sure that everybody participates and gets the chance to present their thoughts (one person at a time) during exercises, but keep feedback to a minimum or cut it out completely. This way people don’t feel intimidated by potential negative judgment. And without tiring debates you can proceed much faster.
5. Make it human
That sounds bold! But it is actually pretty simple. If you organize a team event, make it for the people. Make it fun and make it enjoyable. Consider the things everybody likes: food, drinks, jokes, gifts, the list goes on – and the things people don’t. If you keep that in mind, leaving the first one in and cutting the latter one out, you are pretty much on the safe side. A lighthearted atmosphere invites everyone to participate and an evening that ends with some drinks instead of a quick ”See you on Monday“ is very likely to be remembered as something pleasant.
We believe that companies need room for experimentation in order to try new approaches. An internal event is the perfect situation for that and I would like to encourage you to use your offsite for exactly that purpose. Looking back at our own team event, the planning and methods we used – especially realizing how we still benefit from all the learnings – I hope that you can take away two or three things from this yourself.
Thanks a lot for reading and don’t hesitate if you have any feedback.
Oh, and If you are looking for a venue to organize your team event in Berlin, we highly recommend the nice people at BETT Coworking. Thanks for having us!
