We challenge you to take your team out of the usual 5 stars hotel and conference room but to dare and take them out into nature.
We promise great results. Do you want to know why?
Because we have seen it again and again. When facilitated well, bringing your team together in nature will have one or all of the following impacts:
Create a feeling of adventure
What is new is exciting.
Announcing that you are bringing your team to a new venue "out of the beaten path" with lots of outdoors and corners to explore will for sure tickle their curiosity.
Pick a place that still provides comfort (lovely rooms, reliable internet, and delicious food are always a must for a successful offsite event) so the novelty does not create more anxiety than excitement. But dare to turn this retreat into a shared adventure.
Encourage more physical exercise
When picking a nature location you expand the list of exciting activities to add to your agenda, beyond the traditional escape game, bar night, or laser tag.
Starting the day with sunrise yoga, spending a break in the pool, and ending with a sunset run is business as usual for many of our retreats.
It is easy to add even more outdoor team time with archery, scavenger hunts, hikes, winery tours, climbing, and volleyball... many of these are easy to put together for little extra cost compared to organizing something for your whole team in the city.
Increase overall mood
Research actually shows that spending more time outside improves our behaviors at work.
We all know the major role the sun plays but we should not underestimate the power of being near a body of water or surrounded by greenery and being able to see far above the horizon. Waking up to the sound of the birds rather than the traffic, having your morning coffee by the pool, or grabbing an apple from the tree on your way to the next workshop, are just a few of the little things that truly boost everyone's mood daily and increase a sense of gratitude.
Facilitates new connections
Bringing your team to a new location helps break down silos that departments, titles, floors, and offices can create.
With new layouts, no assigned desks, and grouped meals and activities you allow for everyone to mingle and get to know one another outside of the traditional setup of the company.
This often brings beautiful unplanned collaboration and helps solve problems that are now seen in a different light.
Allow your team to be more themselves
We tend to relax more when we are surrounded by nature. This allows us to let down our guard and drop the mask more easily than within the four walls of the office.
On a nature retreat, people show a side of themselves they rarely showcase through a Zoom call.
Moments and outfits that are usually reserved for family and loved ones (breakfast, pajamas, nighttime routine...) are now exposed and discussed which allows to break down even more subconscious barriers between teammates and create even deeper connections.
So, what is stopping you from hosting your next team retreat in nature?
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