Remember company retreats? At Kite Hill PR, our annual retreat remained a priority, even as a remote happening. We value our retreat as not only an opportunity for fun, team building and education, it’s an essential part of professional development and team member retention. Agendas are usually ambitious, and getting alignment on priorities and objectives with senior leadership is key and ideally happens early in the planning process for a robust program and overall worthwhile experience.
This year, we pivoted from in-person to virtual with our retreat. But the planning process and logistics were not that much different. If anything, it's more important than ever to provide team members with the chance to collaborate outside of their day-to-day client work in order to stretch creative muscles and build relationships with each other. It’s also critical to have fun! The thing I miss most about being in an office environment is the occasional outburst and fun stories that take place around the water cooler. A serious fun factor should be a strong element in the retreat agenda.
Variety is the spice of life. That’s why, when planning a retreat, I make sure to spread things out and pace the program to ensure each topic has its moment to shine. Rather than providing three hours of updates on the state of the business, spread those office updates and workshops throughout the day, sprinkled with things that team members won’t be expecting. (A huge bonus of this virtual environment is that external guest speakers are wonderful resources to be considered. The logistics are easier, too!)
The skeleton of the agenda below is how I planned and organized our Kite Hill virtual retreat, which overwhelmingly garnered rave reviews for its useful content.
Opening (Internal)
Guest Speaker (External)
Team-Wide Activity (Internal)
Lunch Breakouts/Brainstorm (Internal)
Interactive Guest Speaker (External)
Business Update (Internal)
Interactive Creative Activity (External)
Closing (Internal)
The highest marks went to the guided watercolor painting class. (We also had an ergonomics professional provide guidance on setting up a productive and comfortable workspace!)
It’s easy not to prioritize professional development and team-building opportunities like this, but I urge you not to fall into that trap. This day proved that even though our team members aren’t physically together, we can still learn, grow, exercise our creative muscles and make memories.
- Rachel Hadley, COO