Convening a group for strategic planning sessions DOESN'T have to be a boring, monotonous experience. If you're creating the strategic planning experience right, it should be a fun, engaging experience for people who legitimately care about your organization.
And as much as we facilitate the strategic planning process across companies, you had better believe we want each one to be a fun, engaging experience.
Here are thirteen ideas for how strategic planning sessions CAN BE fun experiences:
- Invite people excited about participating to be a part of strategic planning process, even if you wouldn't typically include them.
- Apply engaging structure and facilitation techniques so it is productive for participants.
- Incorporate fun, stimulating strategic thinking activities into strategic planning.
- Hold at least some of your strategic planning sessions in fresh environments.
- Bring in toys for people to play with and distract themselves.
- Have people participate in raucous, not-overly physical activities.
- Tell jokes as ways emphasize key messages.
- Use funny pictures in presentations.
- Teach people new skills or tools that are relevant for their ongoing use.
- Serve great, light food.
- Have someone illustrate the strategic planning results.
- Consciously manage the time to end early.
- Promise them a happy hour at the end of the day.
Try one or more of these and see what impact it has on adding fun to strategic planning.
Or better yet, these are standard practices for The Brainzooming Group.
Call us to design and facilitate your strategic planning, and we'll just make it all happen for you with more fun than anyone would ever expect from strategic planning! – Mike Brown
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The Brainzooming Group helps make smart organizations more successful by rapidly expanding their strategic options and creating innovative plans they can efficiently implement. Email us at info@brainzooming.com or call us at 816-509-5320 to learn how we can help you enhance your strategy and implementation efforts.
