Offsite, on purpose
You can get more from your offsite.
Your team engaged around an intention and transformed by it.
Any team experience you want to be more intentional with:
Offsite, Sales Kick-off, Board Meeting, Leadership Meeting, Strategic Planning
For remote, hybrid or office based teams
For remote, hybrid or office based teams
Because of the physical logistics, team retreats are a massive investment: financial and environmental.
Though, until VR steps up, physical gatherings are the only way to deeply connect. Whether you need to create a new relationship, improve it or ask for support to get things done, humans prefer face-to-face.
Should I Ask Over Zoom, Phone, Email, or In-Person?
Communication Channel and Predicted Versus Actual Compliance. By M. Mahdi Roghanizad, Vanessa K. Bohns. December 27, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506211063259
Face-to-Face (FtF) wins vs:
Video Call (VC) and
Audio Call (AC) refer to synchronous communication utilizing video or audio features (e.g., Skype call, Phone call), respectively, while
Video Message (VM) and
Audio Message (AM) refer to asynchronous communication utilizing these features (e.g., WhatsApp, voice message).
Face-to-Face (FtF) wins vs:
Video Call (VC) and
Audio Call (AC) refer to synchronous communication utilizing video or audio features (e.g., Skype call, Phone call), respectively, while
Video Message (VM) and
Audio Message (AM) refer to asynchronous communication utilizing these features (e.g., WhatsApp, voice message).
By the time you pay for the venue, accommodations, and transportation, costs stack up and you get the attention of your CFO, already. Though, the only thing this buys you is to gather everyone in the same physical space, that's it.
Given the high financial and environmental cost of the offsite, we have the responsibility to maximize its transformative power. Experience design & delivery enables that, it is the investment with the most leverage.
What is so special
i - we - iti - we - it, in that order. Take care of your people, the teams & organization they form, and the business.
Co-createdBy engaging your whole team in the co-creation of the offsite, its transformative power is fully unlocked. There are as many hero's journeys as you have participants.
Science basedOur programs are built on top of the latest research: physiology, psychology, and social sciences.
EmbodiedWe don't forget the body, we leverage it.
PlayWhy so serious? Have fun, (role) play, learn. Make full use of the offsite as a liminal space, a sandbox.
FlowWe offer activities to support each of the 4 stages of the cycle of Flow: Struggle -> Release -> Flow -> Recover
Liminal what?
The anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep shared how humans transition from one stage of their life to another through rites of passage. Rites of passage have three moments:
1) We separate from the world and from what we used to be (old identity)
2) We transition from what we used to be to what we are becoming (identity is suspended)
3) We return to the world as what we have become (new identity)
The transition happens in liminal space. The offsite has this liminal quality.
What do you mean by "sandbox"?
In a computer system, a sandbox is a testing environment in which new or untested software or coding can be run securely. The offsite is a place where you can switch from performance mode (where you want to avoid mistakes) to development mode (where your mistakes are expected, and welcome as deep learning opportunities)
Benefits of working with us
High impact
We work towards your key success factors and key performance indicators, through a more enjoyable, more transformative, and more memorable offsite.
The offsite is not just a few days of liminality, it is also a catalyst to engage your teams for months before and after on key projects, relationships and mindsets.
The offsite is not just a few days of liminality, it is also a catalyst to engage your teams for months before and after on key projects, relationships and mindsets.
Right impact
The offsite is an opportunity to pause and take a step back: Reflect on the bigger picture, see further into the future, and open perspectives. Explore, practice, and play. Do we validate what we have been doing? Do we pivot?
For instance, are we creating long-term value, building capacity for the future (goose) or are we milking too much (golden eggs)?
For instance, are we creating long-term value, building capacity for the future (goose) or are we milking too much (golden eggs)?
Efficient
Save time and resources by leveraging our process (bottom of the page) and our dedicated team.
The worse that can happen: External people designing and delivering an offsite. Instead, use the offsite to engage your team on what matters most to your organization.
The worse that can happen: External people designing and delivering an offsite. Instead, use the offsite to engage your team on what matters most to your organization.
Engage your Team
Memory is a residue of thought. The more we feel/think about something, the more we'll remember it. People learn most when they do it, when they present. Use internal teams to manage aspects of the offsite and facilitate sessions as a way to use existing resources and offer great personal development opportunities.
What key initiatives will the offsite support?
An offsite should not feel like an additional project. It is a space to gather the group and move strategic initiatives forward. The offsite is integrated with strategic planning and performance management cycles.
Co-creating magic
Magic happens when we are more intentional with each element of the retreat, grounded in a clear and deep understanding of the organization's mission, vision, values and where you stand today in regards to these.
Enlightened by intention and execution excellence, ordinary and seemingly trivial aspects become extraordinary and transformative.
Enlightened by intention and execution excellence, ordinary and seemingly trivial aspects become extraordinary and transformative.
Also cheap
Your CFO will thank you.
Why you can trust us
It means that we get it, we ramp up fast. More importantly, it means that we understand how the offsite can impact what matters most to you or be a waste of resources. We have seen both cases play out as participants and as organizers as well.
Our broad and deep understanding of your world comes from having:
Not only as offsite organizers (our focus here) but at individual contributor, people manager, director and C- levels. We know what it means to research, develop, sell, market, manage, lead from experience and we build the offsite and our support offering to you around our experiential understanding of what you are going through.
Our broad and deep understanding of your world comes from having:
- created, developed, and reformed products, brands, cultures, and organizations.
- in start-ups, large companies (Google for instance), universities, and public organizations
- in multiple industries, and on 5 continents
Not only as offsite organizers (our focus here) but at individual contributor, people manager, director and C- levels. We know what it means to research, develop, sell, market, manage, lead from experience and we build the offsite and our support offering to you around our experiential understanding of what you are going through.
We dedicate ourselves to Human Development where Performance meets Well-Being. This is what we continuously research, support through experiences, and develop physical spaces for and this is what makes offsites successful.
Leaders know and live their values to inspire them, they develop and believe in a vision before they rally others around it. The self-inquiry leaders perform is at the heart of their authenticity and their inspiring nature. Organizations need all their members to practice self-inquiry, not just leaders, because it is the only way for people to truly connect with their team and commit to the organization and its purpose.
This is where our experience supporting individuals in their personal quests of self-inquiry, self-care and creativity (artists, entrepreneurs, and fellow humans navigating life) strengthen our offsite support. We support each participant on their own Hero's journey.
Leaders know and live their values to inspire them, they develop and believe in a vision before they rally others around it. The self-inquiry leaders perform is at the heart of their authenticity and their inspiring nature. Organizations need all their members to practice self-inquiry, not just leaders, because it is the only way for people to truly connect with their team and commit to the organization and its purpose.
This is where our experience supporting individuals in their personal quests of self-inquiry, self-care and creativity (artists, entrepreneurs, and fellow humans navigating life) strengthen our offsite support. We support each participant on their own Hero's journey.
As a way to:
We help you plan, execute, and follow up after the offsite through our methodology and the assets we use with our clients. It includes:
Get in touch and ask for it.
- Prove our value: you will see the breadth and depth of our expertise.
- And more importantly, scale our support: we can't help everyone directly (yet)
We help you plan, execute, and follow up after the offsite through our methodology and the assets we use with our clients. It includes:
- Offsite Project Planning Master (the Ariadne thread)
- Discovery Tools
- The 5 roles and 5 steps for a great offsite.
- Offsite Agenda Template
- Offsite checklists
- Pre-offsite Workshops
- Surveys and communication templates to prepare attendees and engage them throughout the experience and after (incl. feedback).
Get in touch and ask for it.
Not only do we share our methodology with you before engaging, but at every step, we make sure your team is independent.
Our engagements are contracted so that you can exit at any point. We empower your teams for them to be able to continue without us: they know what we know and they have total control over the project.
The reason why you renew with us is that we offer high ROI through excellent execution, deliverables, and outcomes in every area we are involved in. You are never locked in.
Our engagements are contracted so that you can exit at any point. We empower your teams for them to be able to continue without us: they know what we know and they have total control over the project.
The reason why you renew with us is that we offer high ROI through excellent execution, deliverables, and outcomes in every area we are involved in. You are never locked in.
A key contributor to the offsite planning/prep falls sick, a new deal requires one of your top speakers to leave the offsite: whatever support you need, we can provide it.
Whether you need help facilitating a session, writing the CEO opening speech, or serving tea, we will plan with us as little involved as possible but we are available to do what needs to be done.
Whether you need help facilitating a session, writing the CEO opening speech, or serving tea, we will plan with us as little involved as possible but we are available to do what needs to be done.
Next 5 steps (usually 90 days before the offsite)
Get in touch
What are your goals? How do you envision the offsite? What's your context? You can use this template (or not) and send us what you have so far so we study up before our call.
Discovery
Discovery sessions with each key stakeholder to go through their needs & early vision of the offsite.
High Level Direction
We map the insights from the team, and prepare a high level direction to rally the team around.
Offsite Team Building
The offsite team gathers for briefing and feedback, after the offsite stakeholders have been mapped.
Offsite proposal
Establish purpose, straw-model objectives & identify potential issue set. Review the early proposal.
Get in touch
