Pearl & Elmore

Offsite agendas are crucial but hard to create - here’s 8 tips?? Agendas are a key piece to any good offsite - they are a shared guide for where we are and where we are headed. Done right, folks enter the offsite prepared, make progress, and walk away with more clarity and actionable next steps. We call agenda-building “the offsite before the offsite” - it gets people thinking about important topics, prepares them to discuss, and accelerates progress once together. Here’s 8 tips for getting the agenda right: 1. Speak with participants before the offsite to get their input 2. Use what you learn to decide where the conversation needs to start for each topic and what’s most critical include 3. Only include what you can get through - if there are other important items, but not enough time, consider a longer offsite, follow-up meetings, or a way to resolve items asynchronously 4. Identify the topics that are foundational to all others - the offsite agenda should be packed with topics that address core challenges, ones not easily addressed in a less focused environment 5. You won’t solve everything - right-size the conversations to make as much progress as possible with the time you have 6. Given the progress you make, identify any productive actions that can be taken post-offsite and earmark each topic for continued conversation given where you end 7. Everyone has a different perspective - make space for folks to share - that’s how we end up on the same page or at least understand what page others are on 8. Identify the through line in the agenda and structure the conversations to build upon one another - creating a theme for the offsite helps Offsites are a place for teams to work through their toughest challenges - with the right approach to agenda creation, you can deliver great value. What’s your biggest challenge when creating the offsite agenda? #offsite #agenda #impact

Offsite woes for Emma (EA) and Kate (CoS) – how two simple questions could have made a difference?? ? Planning an effective offsite can be a daunting task – EAs and CoS must Align with leadership expectations Ensure high-value content Prioritize the agenda Manage power dynamics Capture valuable insights That’s why we’ve created 12 Questions for effectively planning offsites. Here’s how asking just two questions could have helped Emma and Kate. ? Emma, the Executive Assistant Emma, an executive assistant at a financial services firm, was tasked with planning the leadership team’s annual offsite. She faced two main challenges: ensuring the meetings were of high value and capturing valuable insights during the sessions. Despite her best efforts, she struggled to align the event with the leadership team’s expectations and ensure the discussions were productive and actionable. ? Kate, the Chief of Staff Kate, a Chief of Staff at a tech startup, was responsible for organizing a strategic offsite. Her primary challenges were managing the power dynamics among the attendees and prioritizing the agenda effectively. With a team undergoing transitions, Kate found it difficult to create a cohesive plan that addressed all critical issues and facilitated meaningful conversations. Two of our questions could have helped: ? 1. What are the goals of this event? What are the desired outcomes? 2. Who should lead the discussion to maximize openness, trust, respect, and creativity? The impact for Emma: By asking about the event's goals and desired outcomes, Emma would gain clarity on what the leadership team expected, allowing her to ensure the meetings were of high value. This would help her structure the sessions to focus on key objectives and desired results. Additionally, identifying who should lead the discussion to maximize openness and creativity would help Emma capture valuable insights, as the right facilitator could keep the conversations focused and productive. The impact for Kate For Kate, understanding the goals and desired outcomes would help her prioritize the agenda, ensuring that all critical issues were addressed effectively. This clarity would enable her to allocate time appropriately for each discussion topic. Additionally, knowing who should lead the discussions to foster trust and respect would help manage the power dynamics, ensuring that all voices were heard and the team remained aligned and focused on the strategic objectives. The right questions can transform your offsite. Want a free copy of our 12 questions worksheet? Comment "Free resource!" and I'll send it your way. Interested in workshopping your own offsite with other EAs, CoS, and experts from Pearl & Elmore? Click the link in my profile to attend our offsite planning workshop on May 30th. What else could Emma and Kate have done to solve their offsite challenges? #executiveassistant and #chiefofstaff as #strategicpartner

We know what it’s like to be asked to plan an important meeting but to be given little direction?? Maybe you’ve been given an impossible budget. Maybe you have to source vendors, but don’t know where to start. Maybe the outcomes of the meeting are unclear. We’ve heard it all, and often, from you! That’s why, we are bringing EAs and CoS together to learn and share. Not sure how to build the right agenda? Know this meeting is high stakes but not sure how to get it right? Wishing you had someone to ask? Come join the conversation! Sound valuable? Comment “this sounds amazing!”or reshare so your network can see. To register, click into my profile and find the link under my photo ?? Excited for all the insights to come! #executiveassistant and #chiefofstaff as #strategicpartner

I have a very exciting announcement… ?? Planning Great Offsites - A Community-Driven Workshop ?? We've been speaking with Executive Assistants and Chiefs of Staff for 2 months now. One thing is clear: Community. Matters. That's why we want to bring the community together to discuss something we know is both a challenge and an opportunity: Offsite Planning Based on what we've heard, offsites are not uniform - everyone seems to be doing it differently and there is no playbook. In this event we will: 1?? Share our findings from 40+ offsite planner interviews 2?? Hear tips and tricks, from offsite planners within the community 3?? Build ties with other EAs and CoS via a professionally facilitated group workshop We know, sitting in the EA/CoS role can be isolating - come join us to learn, share, and step up your event planning game - let's thrive together! Want to join? LinkedIn hates it when I add links to posts - so Click the link in my profile under my picture to register. Can't wait to see you there! #executiveassistant and #chiefofstaff as #strategicpartner and #offsite #pro

77% say meetings often conclude with a decision to hold yet another meeting! Here's how to fix this ?? Atlassian surveyed 5,000 knowledge workers and found lots of problems with how we meet. One of the most ineffective uses - making decisions with others. It's counterintuitive to think that meetings are ineffective at enabling decision-making - indeed - why else have the meeting?! Given these findings, I'd like to give you a few tips on how to best use meetings for making decisions. 1. Establish a clear agenda 2. Engage a facilitator ?? Establish a clear agenda: Before any meeting, distribute an agenda that clearly outlines the topics for discussion, the decisions needed, and the objectives. This ensures every participant comes prepared, understands the focus areas, and recognizes the outcomes expected. A well-defined agenda acts as a roadmap, reducing time spent on unnecessary topics and focusing on what truly matters. ?? Engage a facilitator: A facilitator plays a crucial role in steering the meeting towards its goals. They ensure that: ?? Every voice is heard, making the decision-making process inclusive. ?? Discussions stay on track, adhering closely to the agenda. ? Time is managed effectively, with each agenda item receiving the attention it needs without overrun. Here are just a few benefits of a solid agenda and a skilled facilitator: ?? Increased productivity: with clear objectives and a guide to keep discussions focused, meetings become more productive, often concluding with decisive actions rather than plans for more discussions. ?? Enhanced decision making: facilitators can help clarify points of confusion and ensure that decisions are made on a sound basis, reflecting the insights and inputs of all participants. ?? Better use of time: by preventing drift and keeping the group aligned with the agenda, meetings are shorter and more substantive, freeing up time for execution and other tasks. Implementing these strategies can drastically alter the nature of your meetings, turning them from cyclic obligations into powerful, decision-making sessions. Any other tips for making meetings for effective? #meetingefficiency #productivitytips #offsite