Q: Should I facilitate a retreat for my boss?
A: We recommend, if at all possible, that you avoid facilitating a retreat for someone above you in the hierarchy. It is almost impossible to be perceived as neutral under these circumstances, and it’s very hard for an internal facilitator to feel comfortable standing up forcefully to his or her boss if that person’s behavior is hampering the group's effectiveness.

It is far better to ask another internal facilitator who does not report to your boss to facilitate the retreat, to partner with an external facilitator who won't have the same issues vis-à-vis your supervisor or the group, or to leave the facilitation entirely to an external facilitator.

Q: Should I facilitate a retreat for the department I head?
A: We don't recommend that bosses lead their own retreats, regardless of their skill or experience in running meetings. It's critical that retreat facilitators be neutral -- and be perceived by participants as neutral -- with no personal stake in the outcome. You, by definition as the boss, have a big stake in the outcome.

In addition, the facilitator must focus on how participants are working together to achieve their goals. You, on the other hand, must be a fully engaged participant in achieving those goals. Playing both of these roles simultaneously is difficult at best, and quite likely counterproductive.

Q: What attributes should I look for in a facilitator?
A: You want someone who can:

• Listen accurately to what others are saying without injecting their own biases
• Be neutral (and be perceived as neutral) about the outcome of the discussions
• Suspend judgment of retreat participants
• Understand and help bring multiple perspectives to the surface
• Resist colluding with the group in avoiding thorny issues
• Urge participants whose viewpoints may not be popular to speak out and encourage others to listen
• Help retreat participants recognize and deal with any behavior that might be hampering their work
• Deal skillfully with group members who might not want to accept the facilitator's guidance
• Empathize with others
• Analyze and summarize key issues
• Remain comfortable with ambiguous situations and circumstances they do not control
• Recognize and manage differences that may stem from the diversity (cultural, racial, gender, age, sexual orientation, and so forth) of the participants
• Hear feedback from the participants without becoming defensive
• Adjust his or her approach, acknowledge missteps, and ask for help when it's needed

Also, the thornier the issues to be discussed, the more experience you should look for in a facilitator.

Q: How long should a retreat last?
A: The length of a retreat will be constrained by several factors. They include the nature and complexity of the issues to be addressed, when and for how long key participants are available, and the budget for the event. By the same token, there is a practical upper limit to how long a retreat can continue to yield good results, after which the law of diminishing returns kicks in. Participating actively in a retreat requires effort, and people can give their full attention and energy for only so long before mental fatigue sets in and focus begins to blur.

Ask your facilitator to guide you in what you can expect to accomplish in the time you have available. You may actually make things worse by raising expectations that cannot be met in the time allotted. Be prepared to scale down your expectations if they're too ambitious or to lengthen the retreat (or some of both). But the key factor in determining length is the purpose, the answer to "What do you want to be different?" If the issues are so complex and important that it will take three days to address them adequately, don't schedule a one-day retreat without adjusting your expectations.

Q: Where should I hold my retreat?
A: Retreats work best in flexible, casual environments. The setting doesn't have to be fancy. In fact, if you hold a retreat in a posh resort, some participants will be more interested in finding time for a set of tennis or a round of golf than in the business at hand. Instead, look for a place that encourages quiet reflection. Look for a facility with:

• Soundproof rooms, so you won't have to compete with a speaker on a microphone on the other side of a thin wall
• Hard-surfaced, easy-to-move tables that don't have to be covered by tablecloths
• Comfortable chairs--either padded, rolling executive style or comfy sofas and upholstered chairs
• Enough room in the main meeting space to allow participants to pull the chairs into a circle and work away from the tables if required
• Space to use for breakout groups, either a main room with moveable chairs, large enough for groups to move away from each other, or smaller rooms adjacent to the main space or very close by
• Ample supplies of flip charts on easels, flip chart paper, and markers
• Space where people can congregate informally to talk or grounds where they can take walks
• Snacks and drinks available all day, rather than just at scheduled breaks

Q: You three have written the book. Do you still consult or lead retreats yourselves?
A: Yes, we lead retreats and also train facilitators in our methodology. Click here for more information about our various facilitator training programs. If you are interested in discussing how we might help you and your organization bring about significant and sustainable change for the better, please contact us.

Q: Your bios indicate that you are based in the Washington DC area. Do you travel elsewhere to facilitate offsites or do you stick close to home?
A: We travel widely and are available to lead offsites just about anywhere we can get to. We have facilitated workshops and retreats as far afield as Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, and we're always up for new adventures.

Q: Do you present workshops on how to use Retreats That Work to help facilitators become more skillful in leading offsites?
A: Yes. We offer various facilitation training programs. Click here for more information about our these programs. We tailor each the workshop to fit the needs of the organization and the experience level of the participants.

Q: You refer to internal facilitators partnering with an external facilitator. Do you ever partner with internals?
A: As an additional component to our facilitation training programs, we often partner with participants to provide advanced coaching on offsite and meeting design and facilitation. We have also on occasion partnered with facilitators in a client organization. (Note: See pp. 47-49 and pp. 122-123 in Retreats That Work to learn more about how to foster successful facilitation partnerships.)

Q: If we would like to order multiple copies of Retreats That Work to distribute to members of our HR staff as well as supervisors. Are quantity discounts available?
A: Yes. Please contact us for details.

Q: The names in the book suggest great ethnic diversity. Do the techniques you describe work as well in a variety of cultures?
A: We have personally used many of the techniques described in Retreats That Work in successful offsites held in several countries as well as with international participants in retreats held in the United States. Other facilitators have told us of their international successes with these techniques as well. That being said, it’s important to be knowledgeable about the culture you are working with or to partner very closely with someone who can guide you. We bring our firm’s Foreign Service background to bear when designing and leading retreats internationally. This is part of our work that we particularly enjoy because of the different experiences and perspectives participants bring to the offsites, and we always learn a great deal from them.

Q: Are you interested in receiving feedback from people who use Retreats That Work?
A: Absolutely! We love to hear from readers and facilitators with accounts of successes and lessons learned, tales of what can go wrong despite the best planning, and just stories about their experiences. Click here to contact us.

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