Leading teams to success involves many different elements. One of those elements is meeting for a strategic planning session, team building workshop, or training session. When you were hired for your leadership position, you may have received the booklet on how to plot out the marketing strategy for the next quarter involving delegation, budgeting, etc. What you didn’t get was the manual for how to make those planning sessions contain great outcome. Your company or organization may have what you need including a conference or training room, but what else would you need? Discover your potential to execute highly successful sessions with these tips:

1. Team + Space = Outcome
Pick a space that’s not laced with negativity. Employees may feel that negative energy form their workplace exists within the entire company campus. When you pick out a neutral offsite away from their office and living or even sleeping space (hotel rooms), your team will experience a fresh energy, free of their daily distractions. Select an offsite meeting space with a focus on the outcome of your session through tools, a positive staff, and an overall seamless, all-inclusive experience. It could make your team appreciative of taking a “holiday” from their daily routine.

2. Stage The Day
Whether your on campus or at an offsite, stage the day prior to the session, especially if you’re meeting for more than two hours. Never setup the space immediately before the session. Unannounced distractions such as last minute phone calls or other duties may get in the way. Then what does that leave you doing? Scrambling to setup chairs, tables, sticky notes, technology, flip charts, a breakfast buffet, and oh no! You forgot to call catering for lunch! Hello, McDonalds? There’s a lot that goes into any session with the aim to achieve a great outcome. Avoid aspirin and stage the day.

3. Write on the Walls
According to The US Department of Workplace, all walls will be painted with whiteboard materials. Wouldn’t that be nice? If your meeting space doesn’t have much to offer regarding whiteboards, get some poster board, sticky notes, colored markers, and some tape! Encourage craziness on the walls with those tools to inspire visual ideas. Organize by color, wall, marker color, etc. Never limit creativity within a planning session space. Always make sure that you have plenty of tools at everyone’s fingertips to inspire your team.

4. Capture
Throughout your session, encourage the usage of photo taking for personal reference. Designate a volunteer to be the official content photographer. Be sure to instruct them to compile the useful photos and share with the rest of the team for reference. Did you know that content on sticky notes, whiteboards, and flip charts can be quickly turned into digital content? Yes, indeed! Check it out, here.

5. Celebrate
Finally, be sure to plan something after to celebrate. Whether it’s with a happy hour onsite or offsite, individual thank you cards, or gin gin candies, celebrate success or failure simply because you tried.

Workspring is an offsite space that fosters team outcome in strategic planning sessions, team building sessions, training workshops, and beyond. We know work and strive to provide team leaders and our guests an experience to help anyone be accomplished. Call us today and discover Workspring at 800 605 9092 or email ashley@workspring.com to request a tour!