Single-Day Strategy Session Agenda

It is essential to be well prepared when planning a corporate retreat. Utilizing a strong agenda is key to ensuring that a single-day strategy session runs smoothly. A well-written agenda will keep the session on track, and help you reach your goals in a timely manner. As long as you are prepared, and have the right people in the room, an offsite corporate retreat can be accomplished in a single day (see below).

Another important consideration is that the participants will also need to come to the strategy session well-prepared.  Attendees will be required to complete some prep work assignments before the retreat. Most of this work can be accomplished during a normal business day, or during regularly scheduled meetings. The prep work should start several weeks before the single-day strategy session.  This will ensure that participants have enough time to complete their work without being overwhelmed.

• Purpose
• Process
• Expectations
• Ground rules
• Current status
  • This is based on whatever the summit is about.  The current status should cover where we are today, what we have tried before and how it’s going.

• Brainstorm on the needs of the organization:
  • What are we missing today that we need for tomorrow? This process is based on pre-summit preparation assignments.
• Brainstorm on potential solutions
• Synthesize the two brainstorming sessions and create categories or themes

• Break out groups
  • Split up the discussed the categories or themes. Give some to each breakout group to organize and prioritize
• Presentations by the breakout group leader to the entire team
• Reprioritize the solutions

• Assign responsibilities:
  • Decide Who, does What, by When
• Set follow-up meeting
• Close