Abridged with permission from “Ease in Writing,” the newsletter of Full Circle Communications.

You’ve probably participated in a retreat or brainstorming session where all those great ideas somehow get lost in the shuffle once you’re back in the office. While a write-up of the action won’t guarantee success, it definitely increases the chances.

“A report is a visual reminder of the changes people committed to,” explains master facilitator Merianne Liteman, co-author of the book Retreats That Work. She recommends the following:

• Sift as you sit. Get organized even as the meeting is going on. Be clear about decisions and other concrete actions taken. If it’s a multiday retreat, summarize key points at night and check their accuracy the following day.

• Out the door in 24. Prepare a one- to two-page summary, to be sent over the signature of the meeting convener within 24 hours.

• The longer report is still short. A fuller report is important, but Liteman stresses it must still focus on the “so what” rather than the “how we got there.” An executive summary and subheads (”Decisions,” “Deadlines,” etc.) will help.

• Beware the bulleted list. Lists that emanate from retreats or other meetings sometimes convey a false sense of priority, in which “people assume that the top point is more important than #15, which may not be the case.”

Paula Tarnapol Whitacre is a writer, editor, and principal of Full Circle Communications, LLC, located in Alexandria, VA.

Posted in Presentations and meeting coverage