General Chat

Hi Rachel - I think we have some ATD Resources that can help you here :) 

• ATD Articles/Blogs:
• Leadership Development Programs Need a Refresh
• 3 Critical Skills Leaders Lack—and How Companies Can Bridge the Gap
• 3 Keys for Preventing Leader Burnout
• Upskill Your Employees With Scenario-Based Games
• Templates/Tools/Work Guides:
• Leadership Journey Toolkit: Getting Better at Getting Better
• Peer Coaching: The Wave of the Future
• A Toolkit for Leaders: A TD at Work Collection
• Developing High-Performance Leadership Teams
• ATD Research:
• Leadership Skills: Unlocking Your Abilities to Face Tomorrow’s Challenges

@Rachel Mangiapane, something we have done at a couple of conferences I've worked on is Pre-conference virtual meetings (optional) for people to meet others ahead of time and to get a sense of the flow of the event. ALC always holds (used to hold? idk) a "first timer" meeting to give tips and initiate some networking, too.

I haven't personally followed through on the post-event activities I'd pictured, but I attended a conference in December that has a March "reunion" planned where we've all committed to sharing ways we used things we learned/practiced at the conference. I'm excited about that because that three month window put the pressure on for me to get out and do the things so that I'd have experiences to share and questions to ask for improvement. I'd love to offer something similar with the conference I'm working on this year. :)

Hey Rachel, amazing question. I know I'm a little late to respond but maybe you're planning way in advance.

Sounds like you're site-based for your event and in terms of activities, these are a few that I've been invited to join when I'm traveling in as a keynote speaker. There's been city bus tours with a team of busses to seat us all, restaurant group stops, like a progressive dinner, where they took a large team of just under 200 and broke them into groups and had tour companies take them to a three-course restaurant stop, rotating different restaurants around the city. Each group started at a different location. I've been to several chef competitions/cooking competitions, and I've even created one that was a part-cooking show/part-throwback tunes dance party. It was great! We called it the Chef's Social.

I've been on a sunset sail and invited to a few others, dinner cruises, etc., when I was in a coastal city. Also, sporting events and minor league games are common. Personally, I always find if there's a botanical garden nearby that's just a completely refreshing and easy day trip. So I hope this is the right kind of activity overview that you're talking about for before or after the event. Something where people can get together and do a little bit more. I know this can sometimes be a great opportunity to do local escape rooms or high ropes courses as well, or physical fitness or a golf outing.

I mean, I'm sure that I'm not reinventing the wheel here and you've probably considered all of this, but it's good to validate that all of these things have been created and hosted at other events, in my experience... And as for us, our Leaders Uplifted team is often called in to design the pre- or post-event activity. We create game-based leader development experiences that build electric connection and set an energized tone for everyone.

Our use case is a little different, we're doing 2 month learning cycles for leadership development. Each cycle has its own topic. We include eLearning pre-work (required), live virtual training with Mastermind breakout rooms (after a live training session on the topic) followed by application suggestions which they modify as needed and follow up with their Mastermind Team.

The cycles that are the most impactful are when the pre-learning is not a duplication of the live content (seems like a no-brainer but sometimes our presenters don't build on the pre-work content).

Good luck!

Hi Rachel, most of our programs for top talent include pre and post activities. Drip learning is critical in pulling through the concepts and truly changing behavior, building relationships etc. A few ideas from easy to hard that don't rely on specific technology (if you have tech even easier): 

Assign them into small teams for the in-person event and have them work with those teams on some of the table activities to build relationships. Then encourage them to peer coach each other and remind them to do so each month. If you can have them set up their first post-event conversation on the last day of the in-person event you'll have the most luck. Set up a place to post pictures, ah-ha's, etc.  

Share a resource tied to the program objectives and nudge the cohort to discuss it/ share thoughts on MS Teams, Slack or whatever you use (2 min video, brief article, etc.). Red Thread research shared top learning methods by management level, I can't find it online but Sr Leader was internet, prof network and articles. 

Have an online session featuring an internal or external leader. Allow time for the topic and 20 min for breakouts to discuss in small groups. 

Capstone or incubator...let them pick their project or give them something that has already been identified as a need by top leadership.  

Just a sampling, there are so many ways and worth doing tailored to program goals. If they come in for the 3 day event, leave, and never do anything else than it may be more about retention than learning (also important, just different).  

Hi Rachel: Over the years, I've gathered tips on closers and debriefs. Two frameworks that often pop up as favorites are

• START-STOP-CONTINUE-CHANGE
• What? So What? Now What?

There are tons more free ideas here: 

Debriefing Techniques & Exercises | Trainers Warehouse

Thanks everyone for the great ideas! I appreciate it!