The well-being of the members of your team or ministry can benefit greatly from a retreat. You are allowing the members of your group or ministry to reconnect and form closer bonds by taking them out of their usual environment and placing them in a new setting. You should therefore ensure that the retreat center's setting is ideal for your retreat's objectives.
The retreat center you pick will have a big impact on the success of your retreat, so be sure to do your research and ask the proper questions. If you are interested in finding out if Tekoa Retreats is the perfect place for your next retreat, contact us or visit our website.
Although you have selected the perfect location for your retreat, if you have not scheduled effective team-building activities at the perfect location, you will not realize the full potential the retreat can provide for your team. Therefore you must plan team-building activities for your retreat that are appropriate to the team and meet your objectives.
Some Benefits of Team-building Activities at Your Retreat
Properly organized activities that are appropriate to your specific group and objectives can yield positive results for your team.
Some of the benefits to your team by planning effective activities at your retreat include:
- Team development and relationships: Team-building activities allow your team members to get to know each other better.
- Development of values: Various retreat activities inspire the development of values that help establish your team’s culture. Some of the key values that retreat activities promote are collaboration and communication.
- Conflict resolution: Retreat activities can help resolve the tension between team members, especially those who work in a competitive workspace.
- Rejuvenation: Retreat activities are refreshing and can break the monotony of the work cycle.
Team-Building Activities for Your Retreat
Retreat activities are an opportunity for an organization's team members to recreate and learn. Depending on the activities, your team can benefit from enhanced teamwork and collaboration, communication skills, and conflict resolution skills. Choosing the right activities for your group can help you focus on the areas most important for your team’s success.
When you’re building your team retreat agenda, it’s critical to plan for the right mix of business, activities, and free time. While discussing such topics as team objectives, educational requirements, training, etc., is very important, the goal of your retreat should also provide for team relaxation and connection through the activities that are scheduled.
Team retreats are a rare time when spontaneous moments arise and hilarious memories form. The major reason to go on a team retreat should be to spend quality time together in a setting away from the day-to-day environment where team dynamics can be enhanced through a combination of specific activities and free time.
Two keys to a successful retreat are to plan activities that are appropriate to your team and align with your team's philosophy. Although it is important to be creative when planning activities, you should make sure that you abide by those two keys. For example, you may not wish to schedule an arduous mountain hike for a team of elderly counselors that are not capable of the climb you have scheduled.
However, it is also important to push the team’s limits through new and creative activities. To assist you in the selection, you can allow the team to also pick activities that they may be interested in doing at the retreat. You may be surprised that they wish to do activities that you thought they would never be interested in doing.
Ten Team-Building Activities to Consider for Your Retreat
- Host a welcome party: Plan for everyone to arrive by dinnertime on day one, so you can throw a welcome get-together.
- Create a scavenger hunt: A scavenger hunt is a classic team retreat activity that you can implement in a range of locations. Scavenger hunts inspire communication, collaboration, and leadership.
- Have an adventure: Research the options available in the area or at the retreat center ahead of time. Are there challenge courses nearby? Climbing wall?, Ziplining? Snorkeling excursions? Escape rooms?
- Go hiking: Hiking is a common retreat idea, especially if you spend a lot of time indoors. Prepare for the hike adequately by supplying the right gear, mapping out an appropriate course, and bringing plenty of water.
- Try water activities: If there is a body of water near you, you can consider activities like rowing, paddle boarding, canoeing, surfing, or kayaking.
- Create a mock pitching event: You can create a mock pitching event that involves different teams making pitches for fake products. This game promotes critical thinking, creativity, entrepreneurship, collaboration, and teamwork.
- Play "Truth and Lies": Truth and Lies is an activity that helps people get more comfortable around each other and get involved with the team. Each member says four statements about themselves; three of the statements are lies, and one is true. The other team members guess which statement is true.
- Play "Odd Couples": “Odd couples" is a team-building exercise that acknowledges different personalities in people. Create a list of odd pairs like peanut butter and jelly or peas and carrots. Write each of the names on a separate card. Tape each of the cards on the back of a participant. The participants have to determine what item is on their card by asking other employees questions. They then have to find their match and learn three things they have in common.
- Build bridges: This game involves two teams that must build two halves of a bridge separately. You will use materials like cardboard, building blocks, straws, tape, paper, rulers, and more. The game enhances creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and communication skills.
- Play "A Perfect Square": "A Perfect Square" is a game where team members with blindfolds collaborate to create a perfect square from a circular rope. It helps to build collaboration, communication, and leadership skills.
Even if you think you’ve figured out the most exciting activities for your retreat, it’s important to remember there will always be a few people who might want to sit things out. But the best retreats are ones with optionality.
If you provide variety while allowing people to make their own choices, you’ll have happy teammates who feel rested and listened to. With any activity you offer, make participation encouraged but never mandatory.
Without thoughtful planning, company retreats have the potential to overwhelm and exhaust, leaving your valued teammates feeling annoyed and resentful. A successful retreat requires a schedule balanced with meaningful work time, a variety of activities, and plenty of free time.
Tekoa Retreats: A Great Retreat Center for Team-Building
If you are interested in finding out if Tekoa Retreats is the perfect place for your next retreat, contact us or visit our website.