While breakout sessions at sales retreats and other corporate meetings address specific issues about a firm's products and its market, general sessions are the glue that binds an entire event together. They do so by presenting the big picture—the "why"—in a way that pushes attendees to apply themselves in those breakout sessions; to learn and to collaborate with colleagues in order to become better performers.
In this article from Fast Company, repeat TED Talk presenter Simon Sinek discusses how the concept of "why" affects the decision-making processes in the rational part of the brain, in addition to affecting the emotional part of the brain. In short, facts and data are made stronger in attendees' minds when the "why" is clear to them, and that's a powerful motivator.
The article details five benefits that come to companies when they communicate the "why" at corporate gatherings.
