Chapter Retreat Facilitators Guide
Introduction The purpose of this manual is to provide a vehicle for both undergraduate brothers and graduate volunteers to use in facilitating a successful full-day retreat. This guide is designed as a supplement to the materials already provided by Phi Gamma Delta in other capacities (i.e. Officer Transition Workbook, Leadership Programming, Chapter Officer Nuts and Bolts). In the push for excellence on a continued basis, any Chapter must be prepared to constantly re-evaluate its goals, aims, and future objectives. In order to creative a productive retreat, the brothers must focus on some of the following ideas: Retreats are created to promote brotherhood and friendship Retreats are meant to solve issues not create new ones Retreats remind us of the values of our Fraternity and of our Chapter/Colony Retreats allow brothers to speak their mind and offer innovative ideas Retreats set goals that move the Chapter towards the vision of the Fraternity Example Agenda 9:00 10:00 AM Breakfast 10:00 10:15 AM Intro, State Retreat Purpose, Establish Ground Rules for Discussion 10:15 11: 30 AM SWOT or SOAR Analysis, Long Term Vision 11:30-11:45 AM Create Mission Statement 11:45 12:00 PM Teambuilding Exercise 12:00 1:00 PM Lunch / Break Cabinet and Facilitators Decide on Groups/Focus Areas 1:00 1:10 PM Presentation of Three Focus Areas, Divide into Groups 1:10 1:30 PM Rotation 1 Discussion 1:30 1:50 PM Rotation 2 Discussion 1:50 2:10 PM Rotation 3 Discussion 2:10 2:30 PM Break 2:30 3:00 PM Large Group Sharing of Afternoon Discussion Results, Refine if Needed 3:15 4:00 PM R&C/Wrap-Up (Chapter Members Dismissed) 4:00 5:00 PM Cabinet & Facilitators Develop Action Plan & Follow-up Strategy
Preparation: In order to make the retreat an efficient use of time, brothers (both graduates and undergraduates) need to be prepared days in advance. Here are a few helpful hints: Prepare a previous cabinet analysis o The previous cabinet will identify the strengths and areas of improvement that were identified during their time in office o Resources to be used: Purple Legionnaire, Section Chief, Field Secretary, Past Field Secretary Reports, Faculty Advisors, and Greek Life Staff Members Schedule your Retreat o Pick a location that is easily accessible (for both graduates and undergraduates) and away from the Chapter House (if applicable). o Assign a few brothers to be in charge of supplies, food, and logistics. You will need to document goals, visions, and plans. A room with a large whiteboard or projector can work, or you can buy 3-5 flipcharts Have enough food for all meals (breakfast and lunch) Provide small snacks for in-between sessions Over Communicate o Let brothers know well in advance when the retreat will be held to ensure high attendance o Follow-Up on attendance so that group size is pre-determined Breakdown of Participants o Facilitator - Ideally, the facilitator is a Field Secretary or other IHQ staff member. Other strong candidates are involved graduates that the Chapter respects (PL, SC, BCA Pres, etc.), someone from the Greek Life Office, faculty advisor, or other trained administrator. o Each Cabinet Member Cabinet members serve as facilitators and note takers for each respective focus area Cabinet members remain with the same focus area for the entirety of the retreat If possible/applicable, place cabinet members with focus areas that are relevant to their respective positions. o If possible, five Graduate Brothers should be in attendance for the Retreat Graduate brothers can be selected from your Purple Legionnaire, Section Chief, House Corporation, Board of Chapter Advisors, or other local Graduates Each graduate brother can be paired with a Cabinet officer and help facilitate conversation and discussion in small group sessions Graduate brothers should lead/guide/assist Cabinet not dominate the conversation. o Chapter Members Chapter members are the Chapter. They provide all the content for the Retreat, and it is about them. They are most important attendees. The more brothers present, the more input can be provided from the Chapter. Chapter members will be broken down into smaller groups to discuss goals for each area of improvement. During each rotation, one undergraduate brother (in addition to the Cabinet member) will stay with his current topic as a note taker/c0-facilitator. Tips and Hints: 1) Graduates, if present, should facilitate and NOT dominate. The Chapter needs to have internal ownership of the goals, vision, mission statement, and action plan. 2) Goals should be measurable within one year 3) NO MORE than five topics should be addressed (fewer may actually be better!) 4) Be flexible in order to achieve the most impact. This is simply guide for facilitators. 5) Insist on SMART goals and a clear, complete action plan. Over communicate on about your plan for follow-up. Make sure all relevant parties receive the outcomes of the retreat (GA, Field Secretary, PL Section Chief, BCA, etc.). Re-emphasize during officers transitions.
Ground Rules and Getting Started: Basic Overview/Ground Rules (Should be explained/paraphrased for the brothers by the facilitator): The goal of this retreat is to: Analyze ourselves fully and honestly, create a vision for the Chapter, agree on goals which can move the Chapter towards its vision, and develop an action plan to achieve these goals and visions. Basic Expectations: Be honest, Stay focused, Be considerate of others (and their opinions), Only one brother should speak at a time, Listen to your brothers, Hear what they are trying to say, Empathize, Be open to new perspectives and ideas. This process will involve input from every participating brother. We will capture on flipcharts the areas that the brothers feel are strengths, areas in need of improvement and also their individual visions of the future for the Chapter. Over lunch, leaders will synthesize these thoughts into no more than three primary focus areas for afternoon discussion. We will come up with those three primary focus areas based on the morning discussion, current cabinet analysis, and previous cabinet analysis (IHQ visit, Field Secretary Report, etc.). We will break up into diverse groups of equal number. Each group will discuss one of the three focus areas, proposes goals for that area, and brainstorm solutions/ideas for development. One cabinet member will sit in on each discussion as well as one graduate brother.
Self-Analysis and Setting Future Course: SWOT Analysis The retreat will begin with a SWOT Analysis (on next page) to evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats for the Chapter. Brothers can start out by thinking about what the Chapter achieved over the last calendar year. Brothers will write down what type of accomplishments, shortfalls, etc. happened. Also, you can ask them to consider how the Chapter has changed and evolved since they pledged in order to begin brainstorming for the SWOT Analysis. After a short period for reflection on these items, move directly into the SWOT Analysis. SWOT Analysis Strengths What does the Chapter excel at? What advantages do we have? What does the Chapter do well (in terms of mechanics)? What resources do you take advantage of? What do other people see as your strengths? When your Chapter is performing at its best, what does that look like? What are points of pride for you? Tell me about your best accomplishments this past year. How do you stand out? Weaknesses What does the Chapter struggle with? What could you improve? What does the Chapter do poorly (in terms of mechanics)? What are you not so good at? What would your PL or GA say you need to improve on? Why aren t you reaching your full potential? What outside pressures are becoming internal issues? Opportunities What should the Chapter take advantage of but doesn t? Where are some good opportunities that the Chapter faced with? What are the interesting trends you are aware of? What are ways you can stand out? How can you be campus leaders? Where can you be more involved? What opportunities are there to improve weaknesses? Who should you look to for help or get more involved? What are positive other Chapters are doing on campus? What are positive other Phi Gam Chapters are doing? Threats What items should the Chapter keep a careful eye on? What obstacles do you face? What is your competition doing? Are the required specs for your Chapter changing? Do you have bad debt or cash-flow problems? Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten your Chapter? Are your strengths staying strengths? What issues does the community face? Are you in trouble? Why? Could you be? What weaknesses are you not addressing? What holds you back? What are some not so good trends?
Vision/Mission Immediately following the SWOT Analysis, brothers should begin to formulate a vision (desired future condition of the Chapter). The brothers should first formulate an overall vision. A vision statement is a broad view of how the Chapter is going to leave an impact on its brothers and those it interacts with. A mission statement is a clear, concise declaration about the Chapter s operating strategy. Don t be vague. When creating the long term statement for the Chapter, work to incorporate both a vision statement and mission statement into one guiding statement for the group. When facilitating this conversation, first brainstorm with the brothers about what important elements they want incorporated. Then, start to help them synthesize these elements into one cohesive, collectively agreed upon statement. Encourage brothers to attempt writing out a statement on their own during discussion and to propose it to the group when finished. You can also delegate this facilitation to an undergraduate brother, and it will double as a team building and leadership development exercise. Ask: Why are you in this fraternity? What do you want for and from your brothers? What do we do? How do we do it? Whom do we do it for? What value do we want to bring? What do we want to be known for? How will we be unique? What underlying philosophies, values, perspectives guide and motivate this Chapter? Where do you want to see this Chapter by the end of this semester? What do you want to accomplish? Where do you want this Chapter to be a year from now? What size will it be? Academic performance? Where do you envision your Chapter in five years? What do you hope to accomplish as a brotherhood? Vision/Mission Statement This is a sample statement: We, the Delta Colony of Phi Gamma Delta at University of South Carolina, exist to create gentlemen who work to better themselves, their brothers, their community, and their country. Through lifelong friendships, uncompromising morals and developing social and leadership skills, FIJI will make every man in its ranks an essential asset to the community today and tomorrow, as well as demonstrate what it means to be an excellent student. Brothers of Phi Gamma Delta will always be role models of the FIJI Gentleman and the Carolina Man.
Teambuilding Exercise Facilitators should prepare a teambuilding exercise to implement at this point in the retreat. This exercise will allow the brothers to get up and take a break from thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of the Chapter for a moment. This activity should be about 15 minutes long and challenge brothers to engage each other in communication. Ideally, it will engage brothers beyond the surface level, and get them moving and excited. Several examples are listed below, one being Why does Phi Gamma Delta exist?, which challenges brothers to think about Phi Gamma Delta on a level beyond their own Chapter. Refer to the following page for additional activities. After this activity, take a 1 hour break for lunch or otherwise. Potential Activities: Why we exist Rank the following reasons for our existence from 1, most important to 10, least. You have 5 minutes for this task. Do it thoughtfully. After 5 minutes, divide into two groups. Each group should arrive at a rank ordering (1-10) for the group. You have 10 minutes. Finally, the two group should come together and develop a Chapter-wide ranking. Once complete, the activity is over and brothers are dismissed. My Order Group Order a) Phi Gamma Delta exists to help college students develop social maturity. b) Phi Gamma Delta is committed to improving the quality of life within the campus community. c) The chapter fosters the development of business and social contacts that will be helpful after graduation. d) We provide a "home away from home" where everyone is accepted and wanted. e) We seek to instill brotherhood and friendship in a positive and healthy environment. f) Participation in fraternity activities facilitates training for leadership in adult life. g) The fraternity supports and enhances the learning experience of students. h) Members are treated as adults not as adolescents who need to be controlled. i) Chapter functions are laboratories for democratic procedures. j) Brothers learn to serve and put others ahead of themselves. Desert Island Each individual member brainstorms what 10 items he would bring with him if he was stranded on a desert island. The brothers then get together in groups of 5-10, and collectively agree on a list. They then have to decide on one Chapter list. Tell them the activity needs to be completed in under 20 minutes, or the airdrop will pass them by and they will get none of the items. Human Knot Divide the group into smaller groups of eight to ten people. Players stand in a circle and place their hands into the center of the circle. Join hands with two different people, neither of whom are standing next to you. A human
knot is born! The goals is to untie the knot without letting go of hands. Be sure to be respectful of your neighbors! What you do may not be the best for them, so check it out before you work it out. Rock Paper Scissors Tournament Brothers compete to crown the rock, paper, scissors champion of the Chapter. Every brother starts as a team of one, and challenges others to a best 2 out of 3 match. Once they lose, they now become a cheerleader/hype man for the brother they lost too, and any hype men they had acquired move to cheer on the winning brother as well. Eventually, there are only two brothers left standing with the entire Chapter cheering on their final matchup. Encourage brothers to get loud; this is a great energy booster for the group.
Continuing the Retreat: Creating SMART Goals: Focus Areas At this point the Chapter will have completed a thorough self-analysis, and with that self-awareness, developed a statement that defines their identity and outlines their course in order to achieve a set vision of the Chapter. During lunch, the cabinet members and facilitators will define and agree on no more than three areas of focus for the Chapter this upcoming academic year. Discussion Rotations When brothers return from lunch, Cabinet members will divide them into three equal and diverse groups (good mix of age, class year, perspective, etc.). Two brothers (i.e. cabinet member and graduate brother) will serve as facilitators for each topic, and will stay with that one topic through the entirety of the retreat. The three groups of brothers, however, will rotate through each topic once. Brothers should offer suggestions, techniques, and ideas to eventually arrive at a set of at least three SMART goals for the cabinet members to use when creating an action plan. Facilitators should not share the goals of the last group until each group has made their own. The facilitators should records all goals created record these goals on their flip charts. Rotate three times, so that each group of brothers can contribute to each focus area. The goals need to be SMART goals: Specific: Must be clear, defined, specific, explicit/unambiguous, and communicable o What do I want to accomplish? Where am I going and how will I know when I get there? o Communicates what is expected, why it is important, who is involved, and any requirements o Goal: To improve our campus reputation. Vs. Every brother and pledge will be involved in at least one student organization. Measurable: Need to have concrete criteria for measuring/quantifying success easily, ideally both in terms of progress and completion. o Measurement of success or failure should also be motivational, meaningful, and manageable o Helps the Chapter stay on track, reach target dates and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs it on to continued effort required to reach the ultimate goal. Achievable and Ambitious: The objective should be achievable and ambitious. o Attainable goals should stretch a Chapter, but not be unrealistic or extreme. The goals are neither out of reach nor at/below standard performance (meaningless as a goal). o Attainable goals can cause the Chapter to identify previously overlooked opportunities to bring themselves closer to the achievement of their goals. o Ask: How can this goal be accomplished? How realistic is it based on other constraints? Relevant: Need to be relevant to the focus area, the overall vision, and Chapter longevity (i.e. scholarship, recruitment, specific to chapter operations).they need to be goals that matter. o Does this fit with our long-term vision? Our desired identity? o Does this seem worthwhile? o Is this the right time? o Does this match our other efforts/needs? Time bound: Goals should be grounded in a timeframe, with a target end date (and start date if applicable). These should ideally be goals for the coming year. o Commitment to a deadline focuses the Chapter on completion, and prevents goals from being lost in the day-to-day issues that invariably appear. Establish a sense of urgency. Large Group Sharing of Results of Afternoon Discussions After three rotations, bring everyone back together. At this point each focus area will have input from each group of brothers offering. Each officer/focus area facilitator will stand up in front of the Chapter and read off the individual goals discussed in his group. Brothers will get a chance to see what was ultimately decided upon (if they
started in that group) or see what other groups discussed (that they were unable to participate in). The Chapter can work to refine/combine/pare down the SMART goals. If time permits, brothers can begin to discuss what actions they will need to take for each focus area in order to begin working towards their goals immediately. If not, then brothers should set up committee meetings to happen within the next 3 days to discuss committee action plans. Cabinet officers will create a comprehensive action plan and communicate responsibilities to appropriate committees and/or officers. Then continue on to closing comments. Wrap Up: R&C, Creating an Action Plan and Follow-Up R&C After discussing the main goals and objectives that were established in each group, brothers should participate in a closing Remarks and Criticisms. Comments should be kept under two minutes in order to maintain a productive atmosphere. This is a time for brothers to comment on the overall nature of the Chapter s future goals and effectiveness of the retreat, not at a time to rehash old arguments or attempt to make additions to the preestablished goals. Facilitators should make sure their R&C s are positive and encouraging in order to build positive momentum and end the day highlighting positives and potential. Action Plan and Follow-Up Following the end of Remarks and Criticisms, all brothers will be dismissed. At this point, cabinet members (optionally, include committee chairmen if the Cabinet/facilitators deem it worthwhile/necessary) will sit down and decide on an action plan for the goals that were established at the retreat. This action plan should be sent to chairmen, applicable graduates, and any applicable faculty ASAP, and then be presented at the next Chapter Meeting. This meeting to develop an action plan should take place within a week from the completion of the Retreat, and the following day is preferable. While doing it immediately after the conclusion of the retreat is an option, you may want to give the officers time to recharge and process. Creating an action plan will allow each member of the chapter and any advisors to monitor progress and take each goal in a step by step fashion, helping all to be more efficient. In executing a structured plan for each goal allows the Chapter to delegate much more efficiently and clearly. It will also allow for easy support and follow-up from advisors. To create the action plan, begin by restating the goals created by the Chapter for all in attendance. These are the what, and the action plan will be the how and the who. You will determine who is responsible for each step of how you will accomplish what you came up with during the retreat. 1. Outline the process necessary to complete the goal, or actions the brothers will be taking to complete it. Each goal needs to have a series of action steps that lay out a clear path throughout the year on how it can be achieved. If the objective is the what, then the action steps are the how. If you are struggling to come up with action steps, first break the goal down into smaller components or milestones that will lead to overall completion. It s critical that the action steps are clear and actionable steps versus vague ideas or thoughts. The more detailed your action steps are, the more likely that they will be achieved, the easier they are to delegate, and better you be able to monitor progress and provide feedback and support. Note: If the goal is unchartered territory, sometimes the actions and processes will be unknown. Use resources such as advisors, IHQ staff, and other Chapters to gain insight and make an educated guess on what will need to be done to accomplish the goal. You can update the action steps as you progress and learn more about what it will take to achieve said goal. 2. Next, define the resources necessary to complete goals and action steps. These can range from materials to time to space needed to people you will need advice/insight/support from. For example, resources relating to a recruitment goal might include videos/presentations from PhiredUp and IHQ to learn about dynamic recruitment, space on the quad for tabling, money to print letters to parents of potential new members, and your Field Secretary to give advice and support.
3. Then determine the who. Each action step needs to have one person responsible for leading the action. In many cases several people share responsibility for the various action steps. In addition, one person should be responsible and accountable for tracing the progress toward each objective, keeping the team informed, ensuring timely action steps are occurring and adjusting the actions as reality teaches us what needs to shift. These may be the same person, or they may be different. For example, the person responsible may be a committee member while the person with ownership is the committee chair. 4. Finally, create a timetable. Each action step should have a start and due date. These ensure that you do not get off track or have setbacks on individual steps that will cost you completion of the overall goal. You can use a template for developing an action plan: simply go to your favorite search engine and type the following: development action plan followed by filetype:pdf, filetype:doc, or filetype:docx. This can give you access to action plans used by corporations, university, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and more. For example, you can download a free Excel template with some of the framework discussed in this guide using this link (tinyurl.com/virtusreportcard). Just as a vision needs goals and goals need an action plan, an action plan needs a clear follow-up plan. When outlining follow-up, communication is key. Keeping the right people in the loop for each goals and action step is important, as they need to understand the state of progress around your actions to see how they affect other actions and objectives. For each action step, determine who will support the person responsible. This can be multiple people. The key is that they re not responsible for the action or outcome; they re simply acting as a support in some capacity. The expectation for determining follow-up is that if facilitators are different than those who will providing day-to-day follow-up, they will meet with those graduates and advisors who are to review the retreat and action plan, and communicate follow-up timeline and responsibilities. They will help undergraduates fulfill their commitments as best they can. Follow-up should a continual and regular process that tied directly to the action plan, overall goals, and vision. Graduates should commit to regular supportive phone calls with officers and individuals tied to certain action steps or goals. Cabinet officers should be also be doing internal follow up with committee chairmen as per the internal organization chart, and chairmen can follow up with committee members. The plan should be reported on during cabinet meetings, chapter meetings (chairs/officers can report on steps they or their committee are responsible for), and BCA Meetings. It is very important to follow-up on the retreat during officers transitions so that that goals and progress towards them is not lost. Furthermore, you should send all retreat output to your Field Secretary, and he will follow-up with a group phone call a month out from the retreat and during his next two visits (or visit next semester if he was the facilitator). Those listed for follow-up aren t responsible for action/implementation, they are there to provide accountability, support, advice, and feedback.