During our three-day team retreat in NYC in September, we focused on two key areas: strategy and creative brief development, as well as speaking and communication for client presentations.
In the creative brief development workshop, we gained valuable insights into effective client communication and design strategy. Our workshop facilitator stressed the importance of conversations with clients, emphasizing the need to convey visual concepts through words. He encouraged us to go beyond surface-level descriptions and explore depth when discussing visual concepts. He emphasized the value of openness in client interactions, urging us to actively listen and be receptive to the client’s ideas and feedback.
Creative Problem-Solving
We also learned how to break down clients’ expectations into clear design language. This allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the design elements needed to effectively convey concepts. We engaged in an exercise where we asked the questions – who, what, where, when, and how – before focusing on the why – helping us to explore our goals more comprehensively and understand the client’s perspective. Once we did ask why, we were able to go deeper into the reasoning and better understand the client’s perspective, thus providing us further clarity. We then practiced evaluating our visual design solutions against the verbal description.
Effective Communication
In the speaking and communication workshop, Bill Smartt, our coach, provided practical tips to enhance our presentation skills. We learned the significance of pausing to connect with the audience and convey our message effectively. We also received guidance on making eye contact feel natural and how it can create a more engaging and personal experience for audience members. Bill helped us work on our posture and hand positioning during mock presentations, ensuring we felt more connected to the audience while remaining open in our delivery.
Apart from the workshops, we enjoyed being together in person, and the retreat provided a chance to reconnect with our colleagues. The entire experience was not just professionally enriching but also allowed for personal growth. Fun activities after work provided an opportunity to unwind and strengthen our team dynamics. Several team members noted that professional bowling was clearly not a future career option!
The retreat was a success, providing a range of insights and experiences that will benefit us in our work and presentations to clients.
