Let Workers Help Themselves: Maximize ROI from Corporate Gatherings
November 10, 2008
Getting your team to plan the details of their own corporate future is a very effective way to keep your participants engaged, communicate ideas and elicit enthusiastic "buy-in" for future endeavors.
By Michael Berk
With corporate belts tightening and every program under scrutiny, company-wide meetings can be written off as a luxury that can be postponed or eliminated altogether. Few, however, can dismiss the importance of face-to-face meetings for building cohesive teams, communicating corporate vision and inspiring a workforce.
The trouble with many company meetings is that the huge expenses for travel, lodging and entertainment generally do not translate into real change. Employees relish the face-time with their cross-country peers. They enjoy the expensive motivational speakers and appreciate the how-to sessions. But upon returning to their respective offices, what lasting impact can you point to that justifies the tremendous expense?
Let's explore an alternate scenario that still brings cross-country corporate peers together for face-time. But instead of a program built on outside coaches and motivational speakers, a different approach puts the employees in the spotlight. Rather than being entertaining and "motivational," your corporate meeting becomes a roll-up-your-sleeves working session, during which your own expert employees problem-solve. The program is about solving your own company issues, and your employees are the stars.
Set a Measurable Goal
Well before your meeting, articulate what you want to achieve in a measurable manner, such as "I want to increase the sales of a specific product/category by 8% within the next 60 days," or "I want to significantly increase the morale of my team." Once you have determined your overall goal, build in a quantifiable measurement so you can gauge the success of any plan you put in place. A quantifiable measure can be as simple as sales data or the results of an HR-administered employee satisfaction survey.
The thorough integration of this goal, which will be your key message throughout your meeting, will be critical to your program's success. Build this message into your pre-event communications, setting the stage before your team of cross-country experts ever sets foot on their planes.
Less Really Is More
From your initial goal, develop a few key points that support and communicate your key message. Resist the urge to overload your people with information. You may be "on fire" about your goal, but keep it simple if you want your team to similarly ignite.
Take your message to the next level by challenging your team to think beyond their own experiences. Administration experts must learn to think like salespeople, and salespeople like customers. The view from the other side of the desk can be very compelling and motivating; the administrator-turned-salesman might come up with an insightful concept never before considered by the sales team. Along with brilliant new approaches, you'll be developing your team's respect for and appreciation of one another.
Build on Choir-Preaching
Sitting through a long presentation—even if it's by a gifted motivational speaker—may get the message across, but it may not have the "sticking power" you need. That's why it's so important to get your participants participating! Doing so will give you a much higher chance of success and real change.
Plan your meetings to be working sessions with break-out groups focusing on the company goal you established early on. Give each group an assignment related to that goal, and allow them a finite amount of time and materials to meet, work on the issue, and prepare a presentation addressing the subject.
Having the individual groups present to the larger group gives them a sense of ownership. If multiple groups are challenged with the same topic, each group can present a portion of it. If each group is assigned different topics, each group can make a mini-presentation.
Your participants will be eager to share their clever ideas with their peers, and they'll enjoy hearing the other groups' ideas, as well. There's something fun about group presentations—with the right props, almost any topic can become downright rollicking! Getting your team to plan the details of their own corporate future is a very effective way to keep your participants engaged, to communicate ideas and to elicit enthusiastic "buy-in" for future endeavors.
You'll be turning your team of experts into zealots who will "sell" the new concepts down the line. In addition, you should notice the added benefits of building employees' camaraderie, sharpening their analytical skills and growing their confidence in their own strategic planning abilities.
Each group's presentation can then be printed and distributed to the group as take-away materials.
Get it for Posterity
To further reinforce the positive strides your group made at its cross-country meeting, make a digital recording of all the presentations. This will enable you to distribute the information to those who were not invited or were otherwise unable to attend. It will also reinforce the efforts put forth by the groups and give them credibility with their peers. Finally, it will put pressure on these individuals to perform as described in their presentations, because they were the ones who said what needs to be done.
At the end of the week, when your employees depart for their various offices, they will carry with them the new programs and initiatives that they have been instrumental in designing. These architects of corporate change will be walking ambassadors for your company goals. Over time, attending these meetings will be considered an honor awarded to those who have shown outstanding effort, as opposed to an obligation that takes employees away from their families for a few days. The ensuing competition to participate in your annual meeting may have a doubly positive effect, spurring others to aspire to this management council in the future.
The return on your investments in travel and meeting expenses will pay off over the months to come, as your employees continue to develop and expand upon the new programs they've been integral in developing.
Michael Berk is president of M&M—The Special Events Company, a leading supplier of event products and services (www.mmspecialevents.com). He can be reached directly by calling 630-871-9999.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine
This article is brought to you by Sales & Marketing Management, the leading authority for executives in the sales and marketing field.
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