What comes next? Steps to take before and after a successful retreat.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Author: Meyers, Julie
• Date: 01 October 2012

OK. So you've had a great retreat. The last of the cars has pulled away from the conference center, and everyone is pumped up and energized from the weekend.

Question: How do we make sure all of those great ideas actually come to fruition?

Answer: Don't wait until after the retreat to plan the follow-up. Include follow-up in the initial planning sessions so that it becomes integrated into every aspect of the retreat from the moment it begins.

Pre-Retreat Planning

Most retreat goals are not realized because there is often a disconnect between strategy and execution. In order to avoid this, when the retreat committee is in its planning stages and the retreat goals are being discussed, part of the planning should include how the plenary and breakout sessions align with the goals of the retreat. Prior to the retreat, the retreat planning committee should meet with the practice group heads to discuss the retreat goals. During that meeting, the planning committee should identify a person for each breakout meeting who will be responsible for capturing key action steps and following up with the members of his or her meeting (the "note taker"). During the breakouts, the practice group heads must be prepared to guide and direct their discussions in a way that identifies follow-up activities and gets people to volunteer to implement those activities.

After the retreat, the note taker will share his or her notes with the members of that group and follow up to make sure the activities are taking place. For this to truly work, the practice group heads...