Have you enjoyed the pleasure of leading your first virtual retreat and connecting with your tribe? If yes, you may relate to some of what I share below. If not, may these tips help you find peace and better enjoy leading your retreats.
Virtual Retreats are a powerful way to share your message with more people, peace, and ease. If you are new to virtual retreats, you may appreciate tips about the three most common mistakes people make when creating their first virtual retreat.
1) Workshop or Webinar
So often we plan from what we know. We may have come out of corporate and attended a corporate version of retreat. We may be familiar with webinars as a way of sharing online, or workshops as a way to share on land. Corporate is all about the information and the work, while webinars often focus on sales and conversion. With each of these, the energy, tone, and pace are out of sync with retreat, renewal and deep connection.
#YINBiz Tip: Keep the focus is on transformation. Choose to plan on the being over the doing. Seek to empower inner strengths.
2) Over planning
Whether it be the familiarity with corporate retreat, the belief that you must keep your people busy, or having a fear of not giving enough value, most people over plan their retreats – on land or “c”, cyberspace. They include all too many activities, an all-too-detailed script of what they will say and do, and often feel the need to share the equivalent of a binder. Both the retreat leader and the retreat attendees leave the event feeling overwhelmed. Feeling as though leading your virtual retreats is about starting a whole other business.
#YINBiz Tip: K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple and Sacred. See it as an extension of or complement to what you already know and do. Keep your message alive, take it deeper, make it experiential, or take it to more people. But keep it simple, and focus on the transformation you want for you and your attendees.
3) Overzealous about technology
This one spans the spectrum and it speaks to the plethora of tech choices available to us today. Back in the day, you had an idea, got up the courage, gathered some folks and shared a conference line phone number. Today, you can reproduce almost all but the physical contact of a land event (although with 3rd-party elements, there’s room for that too). It is very tempting to go all out. Some folks are really excited and plan their event to take advantage of all the bells and whistles. Others are scared to do so but feel that they “should” because it is available.
#YINBiz Tip: Again, K.I.S.S., Be mindful not to get lost on the learning curve of new technology, which can detract from you being fully present when you lead your virtual retreat. Stay with what you know or are comfortable with, which enhances confidence and connection. This will also help you avoid overspending for time and money which can reduce your R.O.I. – Return On Investment.
The world needs the gifts you share and the gift of retreat. May you realize both and know joy and prosperity in doing so.