How to run a kickass corporate away day for team building - Let's Talk Talent HR Explainers

How do you run a kick ass away day? How do you make it purposeful, fun, but productive?

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So we've all been on away days, we've come away and gone: I haven't really got to know my colleagues, I don't really know why we did it, but
it was okay. And you've gone back to the office, and nothing
has really changed.

Well, at Let's Talk Talent we like to think about away days in a simple five point plan. These five points give you the reason of why, what, how and who you need to involve in an away day, that's going to enable people to
understand themselves, understand the team, and ultimately deliver the culture change, if that's your exam question that you need to do.

So what are these five points?

Well, the first is around purpose. Think about the North Star, why are you doing it? Is it because you are in the storming phase of your team and you need to bring them together? Is it that you've got new members of your team, and you want to create that environment of trust and that collaboration?

So think about that "why" at the start.

The second is around environment. Create an environment where people can challenge. Don't spend loads of money on a really fun place, don't go bowling – or you can go bowling – but at the end of the day, create an environment where people can be themselves and that it feels completely different from the office. So my top tip, do not do an away day in the office, because everyone will be distracted, they'll be on their emails, they'll be on their phones, and you won't get the outcomes that you need.

The third is balance. So balance is all about the balance between it being formal – so what are the things that you need to do – and fun. I'm not talking about forced fun, but fun where people can get to know each other.

So are you using things like 16 personalities, for example? Are you doing coaching walks, but also are you doing a fireside chat with your MD, for example, or other members of the exec team so that people understand
why they're there and their place in that away day.

Number four is schedule. Think about the scheduling of the day. When are you starting it? When are you ending it? Are you going to go out for dinner afterwards.

But also think about how you're scheduling it during the year of activities. Do you want to think about it at the beginning of the year where you're setting priorities, or at the end of the year, as a part of reward and
recognition.

And the number five – you've guessed it – is follow up. Now, most times I've been on an away day, I've come away with 20 different actions. And I'm not just talking about the tangible actions because you will want to create those, but it's the follow up events. So it's the cadence of team meetings, it may be one-to-ones, what's going to be different as a result of it? Are you going to do another one in six months time or in a year's time? How are you going to hold each other accountable. So follow up is the really important end step.

So those are the five tips that you need to follow. I promise you if you follow them, it's going to be kick ass. So you know now how to create a kick ass away day. What are your thoughts? Have you got anything else that you want to share? What are your ideas? I'd love to hear them. Leave us some comments and feedback below. If you found this video helpful,
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