Overview: Tips to help make your strategic planning session one that is well worth the time invested

In order to lead a great strategic planning meeting, you have to “plan the plan.” Otherwise, poor planning can result in a waste of a strategic planning session.

While there are many pieces of advice out there to successfully facilitate a strategy meeting, such as planning all of the details in advance to following up with follow-up steps (tips that we agree on that will also be mentioned here), we also want to give some pointers that we don’t often come across.

The following 6 tips will help make your strategic planning session one that is well worth the time invested.

1. Provide Meeting Materials in Advance (2-3 Weeks):
   While preparation seems like a no-brainer, it’s often a point that some find themselves overlooking.

Preparation could include things like:

1. Communicate to those attending how they can prepare
   1. Review materials
   2. Come prepared to discuss a) any problems that hold the company back or b) items that, if solved, would have a positive impact on the bottom line
   3. Bring a list of what is going well
   Of course, to ensure everyone in attendance is getting the most out of the meeting, you could also make attendance mandatory. After all, a strategy review meeting without the right people in the room is an expensive waste of time.

This means you can draft emails for leadership to send to ensure that everyone who needs to be in the meeting is there.

Related: The 8-Part Guide To Leading A Successful Strategy Meeting

2. Have a Set Facilitator and Note Taker (Not the Same Person):
3. Facilitator can be internal or you can hire an outside facilitator
4. Be sure note taker knows what they are responsible for
5. Stay on Track:
6. Start when you say you will start and end when you say you will end
7. Have Fun Outside of Meeting Time:
8. Group dinners or team building activities are great ways to break up the actually meeting time for multi-day meetings
IN CONCLUSION:

Smith Marion facilitators are trained in planning and facilitating great strategic planning meetings. If you are interested in learning more about working with one of our facilitators contact info@smcocpa.com.

Hannah Baldwin, Firm Administrator