Why Retreat?

Frank Miles, a consultant hired to work with XYZ Corporation, is preparing to recommend to his client that they undertake a corporate retreat. His instinct and experience tell him that the corporate leaders need an opportunity to regroup, rethink, and solidify their business strategies. But Frank is concerned because of the perception of some in the business world that retreats are nothing more than expensive boondoggles–company-paid vacations for executives and their staffs.

In order to prepare the best recommendation possible, and one that is accepted by the client, Frank decides to ask some of his peers in the consulting field for their reasons why corporate retreats work when properly structured and used. The responses were varied, and each response gave a real benefit of retreats that he could include in his recommendation.

1. Retreats can help define and refine strategy. Getting away from the office, from telephones and email, can bring fresh perspective to corporate strategy. In a less structured setting, group participation and problem solving are enhanced. Rethinking the organization's mission, vision, goals and objectives are best when there is some space from the day-to-day grind of work and accomplishment. Retreats are excellent tools for clarifying or reaffirming the strategic direction of an organization.

2. Retreats can help review and identify trends. In the midst of regular business activities, it can be very challenging to take a broader look at your industry and competitors. Getting away from the office and into a more relaxed setting stimulates deeper thinking and helps identify issues and events and their relationship to one another. Looking as a group of executives or coworkers at the bigger issues that have impact on business direction can be a healthy experience. Using economists, consultants or others to help identify trends in the broader environment can be very helpful in seeing meaningful trends and doing something about them in a strategic way.

3. Retreats can help when there has been or will be a crisis. When business trends or events project a looming crisis, a retreat can help bring focus to the problem and identify possible solutions. And when a crisis has already occurred, a retreat can help debrief the organization's response and prepare for the future in the new environment. And dealing with these issues without the pressure of daily work and management can be a real plus for finding creative solutions.

4. Retreats can enhance teamwork. In the daily grind of organizational activity, relationships among coworkers are sometimes strained. While in many organizations, teamwork on the job is encouraged and rewarded, in some companies the emphasis is on individual performance. In those organizations, teamwork must be encouraged and stimulated in other ways. A retreat is an excellent way to build trust among coworkers, to enhance communication and to clarify roles and responsibilities.

5. Better ideas are generated at retreats. Changing the environment usually results in a change in the way people think and solve problems. There is more "outside the box thinking" when participants are outside their daily and routine "boxes" at work.

After working with his peers, Frank felt he had all the ammunition he needed to develop his recommendation. In a future article, Frank will share his outline for the XYZ retreat and his checklist for making a retreat successful.

The Seven Laws of Teaching for Consultants and Trainers

For over one hundred years, students in the field of education have studied John Milton Gregory's Seven Laws of Teaching. Published in 1884, this tome is one of the most enduring descriptions on the art of teaching.

Consultant trainers certainly meet the standards set for teachers in our profession. Gregory's Laws seem to apply equally well to trainers and presenters in today's society as they did to teachers a century ago. Let's consider these laws and apply them to the world of training and consulting.

Law 1:The Law of the Teacher: Know thoroughly, clearly, and familiarly the lesson you wish to teach. It is certainly true that a presenter must know his material backwards and forwards. It is an old wives tale that those who can, do; those who can't do, train. Knowledge gives power to a trainer to be enthusiastic and prepared.

Law 2:The Law of the Learner: Gain and keep the attention and interest of the pupils on the lesson. Do not try to teach without attention. Good trainers know that a rapport with the audience is essential to success. Keeping the interest of the trainees requires interactivity, varied presentation techniques and making the information relevant to their needs.

Law 3:The Law of the Language: Use words understood in the same way by the pupils and yourself. Using common language is very important. Good presenters should avoid jargon and acronyms that may not be familiar to participants. Using visuals and images to illustrate points can enhance commonality. And always keep it simple!

Law 4:The Law of the Lesson: Begin with what is already well known to the pupil about the subject, and proceed to the new material by single, easy, and natural steps. Experienced trainers understand the importance of linking new information to what the audience already knows. Help audiences see ways in which the new material you provide them will apply to their real life experiences and challenges.

Law 5: The Law of the Teaching Process: Teaching is arousing and using the pupil's mind to grasp the desired thought or to master the desired art; therefore, stimulate the pupil's own mind to action. Keep his thought as much as possible ahead of your expression, placing him in the attitude of a discoverer and anticipator. One beneficial training technique is to focus on self-learning and discovery. Bringing the topics home to a learner's life will make the learning truly meaningful.

Law 6:The Law of the Learning Process: Require the pupil to reproduce in thought the lesson he is learning--thinking it out in its various phases and applications until he can express it in his own language. The real learning comes from doing, not just hearing. Use role-playing, interactivity and practical exercises to stimulate future action with the material presented. People who can do in the training setting will more likely be comfortable doing that same thing in their real lives.

Law 7:The Law of Review and Application: Review, review, review, reproducing the old, deepening its impression with new thought, linking it with added meanings, finding new applications, correcting any false views, and completing the true. Experienced trainers see the value in reviewing at the conclusion of their presentation. When there is a point to emphasize, remember the old adage--the third time is the charm. Repetition is the father of retention.

By applying these seven laws in our training and consulting, our learners will learn better and will come to apply what they have learned. And we will be successful as trainers and consultants in effecting change in organizations and in lives.

A Blueprint for Effective Presentations

Presentations skills are the lifeblood of a successful consultant. No matter how good a consultant is technically, if he cannot communicate his qualifications to be hired or his findings once retained, his success will be limited.

Effective presentations start with effective preparation. As Steven Covey often states, all accomplishments are first created mentally before they are created physically. Architects and contractors understand that a good set of blueprints (the mental creation) are a prerequisite to a good building project (the physical creation). A good presentation is no exception to this rule. The following keys to good presentations will help develop the "blueprint" for a successful experience as a presenter.

1. Develop an Outline. The outline is the initial framework for a presentation. It is the equivalent to the structural design portions of a blueprint. The outline should lead logically from point to point, constructing the logic as it goes. Take the time to develop a good outline and you will see the benefits in both preparation and delivery. Directing the preparation with an outline keeps the logic of the presentation flowing; recalling the outline during the presentation will keep you focused and on track.

2. Prioritize. Clearly identify your key points in the outline and emphasize them. Often, even with good preparation, time can run short. If your points are prioritized and the most critical ones are highlighted, a presentation can be shortened without significant damage to the goal.

3. Focus on Time. Every architect must develop his design plans to fit within the owner's available resources such as money and land dimensions. To fail to so plan will result in the architect going hungry! So must presenters work within their allotted time–the audience's most precious resource. No audience appreciates a long-winded speaker. It is a sign of poor preparation and disorganization–and what consultant wants to communicate that message?

4. Prepare a "Script" for Some Points. While preparing a "word for word" script for an entire presentation generally results in a presentation that is too "stiff," you should consider a more precise presentation for the most important or complicated parts of your message. But beware of overdoing it–you want to seem natural and prepared without being perceived as being arrogant or stilted.

5. Carefully Select Audiovisual Tools. Remember that audiovisual tools are just tools; they are not the presentation itself. Prepare the presentation, and then enhance it if appropriate with audiovisual tools such as Powerpoint, Corel Presentations , or overhead transparencies. If you choose these tools, use them wisely. If you are not a graphic designer, use predefined templates so that the colors and graphics you select don't distract from your message. And make sure that the presentation venue can support your AV tools. There is nothing worse than depending on a venue's digital projector only to find out it doesn't work with your laptop!

6. Utilize Handouts. Effective handouts can be a real asset to a presenter. Well constructed handouts can help keep an audience focused and with you; not too far ahead or behind. Consider using handouts that encourage note taking by your audience members. The "fill in the blanks" model works well and is often used by the best known presenters. Avoid simply printing the slides of your electronic presentation, however. Audience members tend to jump ahead and miss much of your message.

7. Refine Your Presentation. Never, never use your first draft of a presentation. Construction design concepts are always refined multiple times before they become workable blueprints. When your preparation is done, review it carefully for clarity, content and organization.

8. Practice! Always review and rehearse the presentation. Just like builders understand that it is better to measure twice and cut once instead of measuring once and cutting twice, presenters should rehearse prior to the actual presentation. Consider recording a practice run on video or audio tape and then critiquing your own performance. Ask a trusted advisor who will be honest with you to comment candidly on your rehearsal.

If you plan well by developing a blueprint for a presentation, you can craft that product into your own masterpiece!