The Coastal Walk That Replaced Our Icebreakers

 

Icebreakers are typically at the top of the agenda when people are planning offsite events organized by their companies. The goal of icebreakers – structured conversation starters / games / introductions – is to help people get familiarized with each other so that they can start interacting quickly with one another; however, in our case with MICEcafe Journey, we found something more profound than any of those activities combined: Just walking on the coastline! 

An unanticipated walk on the coast turned out to be an incredibly bonding event for the team, which none of us had expected prior to participating in such a unique opportunity. 

Rather than trying to force conversation through these various structures, the combination of the ocean and sky coupled with pacing established a natural progression for dialogue between us all. 

As a result, we now see that rather than being created or engineered, true connections form from simply allowing and creating opportunities for one another to connect in meaningful ways.

When Nature Becomes the Icebreaker

The ocean provides a calming effect to nearly everyone who visits it. While walking along the beach as a group, there was an ease of conversation among our team members that occurred without pressure from others. Some were discussing work, some were discussing personal lives, and many just enjoyed being quiet together. This showed that walk & talks can be very effective meetings because the informal nature of the meeting allows movement instead of formality as well as being open to each other instead of hesitant.

The coastal walk was a simpler experience compared to previous beach-based incentive programs that were focused on luxury, entertainment and extravagance. The coastal walk demonstrated how the least amount of structure creates the most powerful experience that we can share together.

Why Coastal Settings Encourage Authentic Conversations

Coastlines are free from hierarchy, unlike meeting rooms. Each person on the coast walks at the same elevation with the same horizon as their guide. Therefore, coastal corporate retreats empower people to be more authentic and remove barriers. As a result, there is a natural opportunity for all of the individuals attending the retreat to connect emotionally by having a shared experience and not be concerned about logistics or other arrangements.

The Power of Movement in Communication

Exercise impacts the way you communicate and think about other things during your meetings. The movement of Meeting (walking and talking) is free flowing because your eyes aren’t locked into one another's eyes or on their physical space while you are seated. Also, walking beside each other gives a level of equality and comfort to both parties.

Our experience with the Beach Incentive Program taught us that it is not necessary to create complicated activities to create a meaningful experience for our participants. In many cases, simply taking a walk together is sufficient to provide an opportunity for connection.

From Icebreakers to Shared Experiences

The purpose of Icebreakers is to help encourage people to begin engaging with one another. However, we realized that there was so much potential for people to connect with one another without needing an Icebreaker activity to help them do it.

Our Coastal Walk by the Ocean was a perfect demonstration of how groups can create a community as a result of natural, organic bonding rather than structured engagements, such as Icebreaker activities.

Because of the careful planning of MICEcafe Journey, all of the other considerations were put aside and allowed the experience of engaging with each other to take centre stage.

How Walking Builds Trust

The comfort of familiarity breeds trust, while the pressure to perform can create anxiety or distrust. By allowing participants in our walk-and-talk meetings an open space free from observation, they are able to be more present with us and to themselves. When we meet at a gentler pace, we are able to create an atmosphere of integrity and thoughtfulness.

This was the case with our beach incentive programs; instead of being seen as Large Company Programs, they were experienced as collaborative endeavours we all shared.

Reimagining Team Engagement

We frequently create too much of an elaborate design for engagement. We create elaborate and detailed plans for the activities, the timelines and workshop facilitation; however, the way we execute these plans can sometimes feel very contrived. Coastal corporate retreats create a unique opportunity to open ourselves to engagement on a different level with nature as the influence.

Through our team's experiences along the coast it was evident that Authentic Engagement is not a forced outcome, rather, Authentic Engagement comes from experiences. Also, the coast represented the perfect environment to experience Authentic Engagement.

The Emotional Impact of Simplicity

Our coastal walk provided a very clear understanding of how quickly we could develop a sense of comfort with each other as we spoke during our informal meeting. It helped reinforce the idea that having a casual meeting while walking is not only a growing trend, but an important tool to develop relationships. Additionally, using the beach as an incentive for work could help foster increased emotional clarity on a person rather than just motivation through entertainment.

Why MICEcafe Journey Matters

The type of experience described in this example calls for careful coordination of efforts. In creating MICEcafe Journey, we were able to easily coordinate all of our planning work, giving us the ability to try out new and innovative ways to engage and connect with people, such as taking a coastal walk, which was a very memorable experience.

It shows that you can build a great experience based on emotional understanding and exceptional operations.

The Coast as a Classroom for Connection

Sea-coast fosters patience, openness, rhythm. Corporate retreats held on the coast use these attributes to set a stage for the team(s) to reconnect with themselves and one another through nature.

Nature has a way of opening up dialogue that would otherwise not have happened using an icebreaker.

Walk-and-Talk Meetings as the Future

Walk-and-talk meetings are proving to be an important method for organizations as they continue to find new, more human-centered ways of engaging with their employees. They encourage emotional honesty, mental clarity and relationships based on mutual respect. These walk-and-talk meetings transform everyday conversations into genuine connections.

Beach Incentives That Go Beyond Entertainment

Beach incentives are typically associated with many positive experiences like relaxation, fun in the sun, etc. However, through our studies, we discovered there was much more to these environments than just that; there were strong emotional bonds created by people sharing experiences together,

Beach incentives serve as a vehicle for personal transformation and growth, if designed intentionally.

MICEcafe Journey and Meaningful Experiences

The trip helped us realise that to truly engage with people we need to have a mix of the right amount of planning and freedom. MICE Café Journey allowed us to have the logistics taken care of so we could find new ways to create connections as teams through our adventures. 

This platform was able to create a foundation that allowed us to take something that should have been a simple coastal walk, and create an experience that has now become a significant part of our offsite.

Conclusion

The coastal walk was an unwelcome and unexpected substitute for icebreakers; however, it was still beneficial because it showed us that relationships can develop in environments where people feel comfortable and relaxed. 

Walking side by side on the beach created a relaxed and open environment and allowed us to have unplanned conversations, build deeper relationships, and break down barriers. This experience has taught me that many times, nature provides the greatest opportunities for team building, we simply have to take advantage of them.

About MICEcafe Journey

MICEcafe Journey is a great way to create experiences for companies to travel impactfully. With easy access to both ticket booking and information about confirmed hotel accommodations, MICEcafe Journey makes it easy and stress-free to plan a company's travel. 

Whether you're planning and executing a company's retreat on the coast, an offsite experience or employee engagement program with a unique approach, MICEcafe Journey can help streamline processes and free up your team to concentrate on making strong connections, and having fun along the way.