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	Don't Forget Your Brain While Planning Your Next Staff Retreat! An important tip for staff retreats Years ago, I attended training with a great trainer, Rob Bocchino. He taught us that when people first assemble (like in a training or class), their brains are stuck in a survival mode of “flight or flight”. It is called the reptilian part of the brain. The purpose of this brain mode is to protect. It’s devoted with securing one’s own safety and well-being so interpersonal guards are up when people are operating from this part of the brain. When guards are up or basic needs aren’t being met, participants cannot learn or take in information very well. For a trainer, that’s professional kryptonite. Recently, I was contracted to plan a retreat for a work team in Kansas City. It was an eight hour retreat on a warm, sunny Friday. About half way through the day, the team was beginning to lose steam. They had worked in small groups, large group and taken in quite a bit of information. Although they had breaks and snacks, they needed what I call emotional calisthenics. Across the street from our Kansas City training site was a beautiful walk-through garden for the community to enjoy. I took the team outside for an opportunity to re-charge. It was great! We sauntered across the busy intersection into an almost magical multi-colored garden. The sweet smell of floral was thick and inviting. It was amazing to watch this ordinarily fast-paced team unwind to enjoy nature together. People from different departments casually strolled through the garden giggling, chatting and re-discovering one another’s strengths and individuality. Positive mental and emotional imprints were made that day. Imprints that will impact workplace interactions for months – or even years – to come! Likely, the result will be more constructive work groups, higher productivity and even fewer turnovers if the tools learned are infused into workplace culture. The remainder of the afternoon was a facilitator’s dream. I enjoyed spending time with a content-hungry group was eager to try new things and learn innovative information. Evaluations from the team about the day’s processes were glowing. Under the right circumstances team cohesion can just happen – no harnesses or pointless games needed! View Teri's Blog here





Teri C Brooks 816-335-1414 www.tericbrooks.com