Imagine: 130 acres of varied terrain, crisscrossed by trails, more than 20 locations chosen randomly, and your team’s challenge--to visit all the locations before time runs out. You only have two hours to accomplish the task.
Mission briefs and maps are handed out. Resources are provided, including compasses, global positioning systems, two-way radios, a laptop computer and Internet link, cash, and mountain bikes. The information provided is cryptic and confusing. The roles and responsibilities are ambiguous. The objective? Unclear. Communications are difficult.
And the clock is ticking…
Through taking part in an experience, a group has something to talk about. If an experience is designed to mirror the business, a team not only has something to debrief afterward, but they also have an opportunity to utilize a “practice field” to hammer the kinks out and improve the process and understand their role on the a team. And that is better for the business!
Experiential meetings engage participants on multiple levels and make a distinct impact, one that is easily recalled and that everyone on the team can relate to. Confucius said, “Hear and I forget, see and I remember. Do and I understand.” It is the physical, mental and emotional engagement that truly brings experience to the surface, and brings it to life. And just what was the return on investment from your last meeting?
Think back. What was the best meeting you were a part of in the last year? What made it successful? Were the meeting results successful? Was the environment stimulating because of colorful displays, music playing in the background, humor injected? Maybe you were in an unfamiliar setting or out of your day-to-day comfort zone.
The 4 E’s of Experiential Meetings:
Engaged: Do people seem interested? Are conversations taking place? Is there passion in these conversations?
Energized: Can you feel the buzz? Is there a tangible rise in the mental energy and emotional synergy?
Enthusiastic: Do you feel conviction? Do you see excitement? Are people asking questions, making requests and taking initiative?
Enduring: Do positive outcomes have a long life? Are people acting on their commitments?
Designing a sophisticated and meaningful experiential meeting for your team takes time. Most groups can not afford to make every meeting experiential because of time limitations, but some situations deem a bigger impact, such as a strategic planning session, transition to new leadership, coaching, merging two entities, launching a new product, kicking off a new quarter, or initiating the move from good to great. Celebrate a success!
Case Studies
We recently worked with a division of Cargill, which was exploring the idea of legacy and how it wanted to be remembered. What legacy would the division like to leave? What leadership qualities rippled from its wake?
Through a bike-building exercise at an inner-city elementary school the group debriefed real-time reactions, ideas, feelings, and outcomes. By building a bike in a small team they were able to engage in discussions surrounding quality, efficiency, innovation, community involvement, collaboration, maximizing resources, problem solving, leadership, and more.
Health Care Board of Directors
An experience can be as big as climbing Mount Everest or as simple as including a powerful video clip to jumpstart a conversation.
We’ll be working with a client soon that has a difficult decision to make regarding a part of their organization that they outsource. If they don’t make a decision soon, it could have a serious impact on them financially. It will be a difficult conversation for the team.
We’ll tee up the conversation with a video clip from the movie Apollo 13 in which Houston realizes that the mission is in danger. The movie clip sets the stage for an important conversation and decision-making by the leadership.
National Wholesaler and Distributor
The leadership team of this business faced some difficult challenges, including a lack of trust within the team, poor communication, lack of confidence in their leader, and the prospect of losing some of their experienced, key leaders.
Through a process of assessment and key-leader interviews we worked together to design a process to build trust, open lines of communication and create a model for conflict resolution among the senior leaders. A key component of the process was an off-site, during which the team engaged in a process of providing candid and productive feedback for each other and then made personal commitments to change and make improvements. The “Valdez” Orienteering Simulation provided a transformational opportunity that launched the team to new and more effective leadership and team behavior, which is still part of their conversations one year later.
Pharmaceutical Senior Leadership Team
With a new president recently named, this senior leadership team needed to become more cohesive and committed to a new direction for the business in preparation for its strategic planning work.
Through a process of surveys and interviews of the entire leadership team, we designed a process of strategic team development, which included a two-day off-site for the senior leaders and several organizational alignment off-sites with district managers and the entire sales and marketing teams.
The senior team reported a significant increase in the commitment to their vision, more open and honest debate in leadership meetings, and more effective conflict resolution as a result of creating an experience that engaged participants mentally, emotionally and physically.
When we step away from our regular post we have a different point of view--see it through a different lens. Step into the shoes of another person: the CEO, the regional sales rep, the client. It opens new doors of opportunity. In addition, it allows the individual and the business the opportunity for growth.
