Unlocking Success in Team Retreats: Confronting 3 Key Challenges When Hiring External Facilitators
In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business and organizational environment, team retreats and off-sites have become essential tools for fostering collaboration, achieving common goals, and providing colleagues with a space to connect outside of the screen and have fun together. However, we hear from our clients that they often encounter several common challenges when seeking external facilitators for these events.
In this article, I will explore three pivotal challenges that you might be facing in your quest for effective team retreats and share actionable insights on how Greaterthan team can help you overcome them.
Collaborative design process instead of one phone call to solve it all
When it comes to retreats and offsites, it’s not uncommon for clients to provide a single, static brief to external facilitators and expect it to work wonders for their team. The first challenge I’ll address is the need for a collaborative design process before the offsite event; one that involves the forming a temporary organizing team from your end.
This collaborative design process offers an invaluable opportunity for external facilitators to delve into your team’s aspirations, goals, and unique needs for the upcoming offsite. It’s a moment for us to actively listen, to understand the nuances of your team dynamics, and to immerse ourselves in your organizational culture.
As we move along this phase, it’s inevitable that you’ll be reflecting on your ideas and needs and already get engaged in a learning process at this point.
Additionally, it’s a chance to start building a rapport with some of the colleagues we’ll be interacting with during the event. This initial engagement provides your organizing team with insights into our approach and the possibility for us to uncover any challenges you might have faced in the past with external facilitators and what has proven successful.
Once we have a solid grasp of these elements, we embark on the journey of crafting the blueprint for your retreat / offsite. Sharing the designs with you multiple times helps to ensure that the created program seamlessly aligns with your goals.
No one-size-fits-all methodology
When it comes to designing and delivering offsites, it’s all too common to fall into the trap of expecting a one-size-fits-all approach to be the answer for every event. This misconception often stems from the fear that external facilitators may impose their frameworks, methods, and beliefs on the group without regard for the team’s unique goals, aspirations, and cultural context.
At Greaterthan, we firmly believe that there’s no universal blueprint for success in team retreats and offsites.
We acknowledge that every team, organization, and project is unique, each with its distinct set of needs. This is why we work with a customized approach. Our expertise and toolset are vast, allowing us to carefully select the right methods that seamlessly integrate with the specific challenges you face. Each method is purposefully fitted into your retreat program with a clear objective, guiding your team toward achieving your desired goals.
However, the reality is that life often unfolds unpredictably, and even the most well-designed plans can require adjustments. That’s why at Greaterthan, we’re committed to honing our skills of being present in the process and adapting to changing reality. This empowers us to remain attuned to the room and make on-the-fly adjustments in collaboration with your dedicated organizing team, ensuring that the offsite stays relevant and effective, even as circumstances evolve.
3. We are all humans
Lastly, let’s address the challenge of trust. It’s not uncommon for our clients to express concerns about a potential trust gap when hiring external facilitators to support their groups. They worry that the facilitators might struggle to earn the respect of their peers or not be able to create a participatory space in which not only a few voices are controlling the flow of the conversation.
Building trust is a cornerstone of a successful offsite, and we prioritize this from the very outset of our collaboration.
We begin by establishing a connection with the dedicated organizing team. Once we engage with the entire team, we create a dedicated space for team members to become acquainted with us as both professionals and as fellow human beings. While we maintain clear boundaries within our role as facilitators, we believe in sharing aspects of ourselves with the group, encouraging the open expression of needs and challenges.
Additionally, transparency and consistency are values we hold dear in our work with teams. These principles not only foster trust but also reduce the sense of uncertainty when we collaborate for a brief period.
Remember
As team retreats and offsites evolve into a central practice of new ways of working, challenges should be embraced as opportunities to unlock deeper and more meaningful gatherings. Whether you choose Greaterthan or another set of facilitators, remember these three challenges and ways to move through them in order to create memorable, transformative experiences for your teams. Collaboration, adaptability, and trust are the pillars upon which lasting success is built. We’re excited to be a part of your team’s journey and to witness the positive changes that lie ahead.
Ready to start this journey with us? Learn more about our offers and book your free consultation session with us to start crafting your next successful team retreat.
