At Work with The Ready

15. This Workshop Could Have Been A Meeting

Jul 22, 2024

Discover the pitfalls of corporate workshops, the importance of thoughtful retreat design, and strategies for enhancing team dynamics. Explore the concept of autonomy in group settings and effective workshop strategies on a limited budget. Reflect on the outcomes of a meaningful workshop where participants wrote notes to their future selves.

57:28

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Quick takeaways

Ensure workshops focus on meaningful objectives to prevent inefficiencies and wasted resources.

Prioritize human connections and shared experiences to enhance workplace engagement and camaraderie.

Utilize reflective practices and design thinking to innovate and improve traditional workshop structures for optimal outcomes.

Deep dives

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Intro

2min

Exploring Workshops and Joyful Items

4min

Fun discussions about skittles, social media, and YouTube

2min

Navigating the Pitfalls of Workshops and Off-Sites in Organizations

11min

Enhancing Team Dynamics Through Thoughtful Retreat Design

19min

Autonomy in Group Settings: Self-Management vs. Instructional Dependence

3min

Effective Workshop Strategies and Work Environment

15min

Reflections on a Meaningful Workshop and Future Self Notes

2min

Planning a corporate workshop or off-site often feels like making a burrito. So many options—and so many opinions on what should go in it. A presentation rodeo on the next quarter’s objectives? Absolutely. Time for a key initiative to get the spotlight in front of the C-suite? Yes, please. Extra scoops of mandatory team-building to strengthen your culture? Why not. Everyone likes fun, right?

But when it’s time to actually chow down, it quickly becomes clear you’re dealing with an overstuffed, leaky, $20,000 mess. And everything the workshop was supposed to accomplish? Yeah, that didn’t happen—so you’re back at square one come Monday.

In this episode, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin explore why our workshop eyes are often bigger than our workshop stomachs; standard off-site practices we need to offload; and how to design new experiences that are actually meaningful and productive.

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