Step 1: Break the ice
A quick way to build trust and rapport is to ask questions that invite others to find points of relatedness. Ask where a person feels at home or tee up a game of “This or That,” which allows folks to choose between two options in a rapid-fire format (e.g. summer or winter, dogs or cats, coffee or tea). For example, asking “What’s something most people wouldn’t know about you?” creates space for someone to share a part of their identity that wouldn’t typically surface in a business setting.
Step 2: Mix meals and workshops
Not all offsites are the same — at Dropbox, we leverage a few styles for team gatherings — traditional offsites, retreats, and coworking. At traditional offsites, employees often participate in activities like team-building exercises, deep dives into effectiveness and innovation, or creative workshops, all of which help build better connections and foster clearer communication. However, not all offsites include time for scheduled team-building sessions.
Regardless of your gathering format (traditional offsite, retreat, or coworking), you can create space for more authentic, open, and free-flowing conversations by creating opportunities around shared meals. Freestyle lunches and dinners have their place but consider a pre-planned set of questions and order of events that enable creative ideas to flow while people enjoy their meal. Introverts on your team will rejoice in having the topic preplanned, while extroverts will relish their time in the spotlight.
Step 3: Get active together
Dropbox research found that 86% of surveyed employees felt that offsites have a “meaningful impact on their team working together effectively." Offsites allow leaders to create unique experiences that are harder to foster virtually. Namely, learning and being active together in a non-work environment. Consider a volunteer opportunity, an art class, or a sports lesson. Collectively supporting a worthy cause, learning how to golf, or how to paint a masterpiece not only creates joyful memories but also fosters connections essential for effective collaboration.
