Rating: 
Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know
Review: "Retreats That Work" could be subtitled "Everything you ever wanted to know about retreats." Just a look at the table of contents told me that there was going to be an answer to any question I might have -- from the basic who, what, when, where and why, to the types of specialized retreats.I am in a related, but quite different, field. As a qualitative research moderator, I am often asked to facilitate meetings or retreats by clients who are unaware of the differences -- hence, my interest in this book. But, whether you are working for a small or large company and want to hold a retreat, or you are someone needing to actually facilitate such an event, this book is a wealth of information. And for anyone thinking of facilitating a retreat or just understanding what a facilitator must be able to do, they would be advised to read the "definition" or role of the facilitator on page 116! I found this book very well-written, easy to read and follow. It's filled with lots of practical information and tips, valuable time estimates for the various activities, and additional resources given. The creative thinking section was particularly interesting to me. As a "left brain" person, I am usually skeptical of these kinds of activities. But the authors' examples and explanations of each exercise gave me a new appreciation for the value of this type of retreat. I also visited the authors' or book web site, which is a nice accompaniment to the book, including additional resources.
Rating:
Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know
Review: "Retreats That Work" could be subtitled "Everything you ever wanted to know about retreats." Just a look at the table of contents told me that there was going to be an answer to any question I might have -- from the basic who, what, when, where and why, to the types of specialized retreats. I am in a related, but quite different, field. As a qualitative research moderator, I am often asked to facilitate meetings or retreats by clients who are unaware of the differences -- hence, my interest in this book. But, whether you are working for a small or large company and want to hold a retreat, or you are someone needing to actually facilitate such an event, this book is a wealth of information. And for anyone thinking of facilitating a retreat or just understanding what a facilitator must be able to do, they would be advised to read the "definition" or role of the facilitator on page 116! I found this book very well-written, easy to read and follow. It's filled with lots of practical information and tips, valuable time estimates for the various activities, and additional resources given. The creative thinking section was particularly interesting to me. As a "left brain" person, I am usually skeptical of these kinds of activities. But the authors' examples and explanations of each exercise gave me a new appreciation for the value of this type of retreat. I also visited the authors' or book web site, which is a nice accompaniment to the book, including additional resources.
Rating:
Summary: This book is also for those who don't plan retreats
Review: Even if one is not involved in setting up retreats - and I'm not - this book bears looking into just on the basis of the facilitation, coaching and training perspectives it highlights. It is obvious that the authors know of what they speak, not just from the impressive quotes in the book but from the anecdotes and real life situations they show. I have loaned this book out to several clients, they all found the book highly illuminating.
Rating:
Summary: This book is also for those who don't plan retreats
Review: Even if one is not involved in setting up retreats - and I'm not - this book bears looking into just on the basis of the facilitation, coaching and training perspectives it highlights. It is obvious that the authors know of what they speak, not just from the impressive quotes in the book but from the anecdotes and real life situations they show. I have loaned this book out to several clients, they all found the book highly illuminating.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Hold a Retreat Before You Read This Book
Review: I just finished reading "Retreats That Work." Great timing! My HR director gave me a copy just after I brought up at a staff meeting the idea of holding an off-site retreat to revise our company's strategic plan, and I got a lot of great ideas from what Campbell and Liteman wrote. Most retreats I've been to were long on talk and short on results. Others in my company have had the same experience, so there wasn't much enthusiasm for the idea of having one. But after I shared with them some of the authors' ideas, they were convinced, as I was, that we could follow Campbell and Liteman's guidelines and actually hold a retreat that would help the company become more focused and improve our operations. The book is full of engaging stories about what can go wrong when a retreat is poorly planned or facilitated, and, in contrast, how to go about planing and leading a retreat that will succeed and make things better. I found the book well-written and easy to read, and I learned how details ranging from whom you invite to the kind of facility you use and how key executives -- including me -- behave before, during, and after the retreat can affect its success. The authors made me aware of many things I hadn't thought about that now I'll keep in mind. You may think that a book about retreats is just for your HR folks. Not so for this book. The parts addressed to executives are to the point, very useful, and actually enjoyable to read, and I'm glad my HR director passed the book along to me (though I've marked it up so much she'll have to order another copy for her office).
Rating:
Summary: Don't Hold a Retreat Before You Read This Book
Review: I just finished reading "Retreats That Work." Great timing! My HR director gave me a copy just after I brought up at a staff meeting the idea of holding an off-site retreat to revise our company's strategic plan, and I got a lot of great ideas from what Campbell and Liteman wrote. Most retreats I've been to were long on talk and short on results. Others in my company have had the same experience, so there wasn't much enthusiasm for the idea of having one. But after I shared with them some of the authors' ideas, they were convinced, as I was, that we could follow Campbell and Liteman's guidelines and actually hold a retreat that would help the company become more focused and improve our operations. The book is full of engaging stories about what can go wrong when a retreat is poorly planned or facilitated, and, in contrast, how to go about planing and leading a retreat that will succeed and make things better. I found the book well-written and easy to read, and I learned how details ranging from whom you invite to the kind of facility you use and how key executives -- including me -- behave before, during, and after the retreat can affect its success. The authors made me aware of many things I hadn't thought about that now I'll keep in mind. You may think that a book about retreats is just for your HR folks. Not so for this book. The parts addressed to executives are to the point, very useful, and actually enjoyable to read, and I'm glad my HR director passed the book along to me (though I've marked it up so much she'll have to order another copy for her office).
Rating:
Summary: Don't Hold a Retreat Before You Read This Book
Review: I just finished reading "Retreats That Work." Great timing! My HR director gave me a copy just after I brought up at a staff meeting the idea of holding an off-site retreat to revise our company's strategic plan, and I got a lot of great ideas from what Campbell and Liteman wrote. Most retreats I've been to were long on talk and short on results. Others in my company have had the same experience, so there wasn't much enthusiasm for the idea of having one. But after I shared with them some of the authors' ideas, they were convinced, as I was, that we could follow Campbell and Liteman's guidelines and actually hold a retreat that would help the company become more focused and improve our operations. The book is full of engaging stories about what can go wrong when a retreat is poorly planned or facilitated, and, in contrast, how to go about planing and leading a retreat that will succeed and make things better. I found the book well-written and easy to read, and I learned how details ranging from whom you invite to the kind of facility you use and how key executives -- including me -- behave before, during, and after the retreat can affect its success. The authors made me aware of many things I hadn't thought about that now I'll keep in mind. You may think that a book about retreats is just for your HR folks. Not so for this book. The parts addressed to executives are to the point, very useful, and actually enjoyable to read, and I'm glad my HR director passed the book along to me (though I've marked it up so much she'll have to order another copy for her office).
Rating:
Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know
Review: I run a large department in a major insurance agency. We have attempted on many occasions to hold retreats to improve cohesiveness and teamwork in my department. Ppredictably, some of them worked to some extent and others were total failures at great expense to the company. Had it been my good fortune to have found this book earlier our department would have been avoided many pitfalls that we encountered. I'll never call another retreat without referring back to this book. I highly recommend Retreats That Work for several reasons. It is written in clear concise and no-nonsense language and with a flair and a sense of humor which made the read not only extremely helpful but also a pleasure. Any executive organizing a retreat should read this book before taking the first step.
Rating:
Summary: Executives Giving Retreats--You Must Read This Book!!
Review: I run a large department in a major insurance agency. We have attempted on many occasions to hold retreats to improve cohesiveness and teamwork in my department. Ppredictably, some of them worked to some extent and others were total failures at great expense to the company. Had it been my good fortune to have found this book earlier our department would have been avoided many pitfalls that we encountered. I'll never call another retreat without referring back to this book. I highly recommend Retreats That Work for several reasons. It is written in clear concise and no-nonsense language and with a flair and a sense of humor which made the read not only extremely helpful but also a pleasure. Any executive organizing a retreat should read this book before taking the first step.
Rating:
Summary: Had to read it, but loved it!
Review: I'm responsible for planning the next retreat my department will have this Spring. I am impressed with the detail and organization of this book. It really helped me, someone new to retreat planning, think about the goals and objectives of this venture I'm undertaking. I can't wait to see how all this good advice helps my department move the company forward!
| 
