It's frustrating to read that your ideas and those of your group weren't taken seriously, especially considering the time and effort that went into the day. Strategic planning, when well executed, can be a powerful tool, I use it in my business and it generally works well. But in this case, it seems to have missed the mark.
I'm sure you can make things happen because I'm sure you have some great ideas!
How do you think a day like this could be more productive in the future? Or how could everyone's ideas and contributions be better integrated and respected?
I think it could have been half a day and we could have had more direction instead of relying on magic to happen. It probably doesn't help that I was skeptical going in, but I think they could have accomplished a lot more in shorter time if they had wanted to.
Yes, but I know what you mean because my sister recently had a similar problem. Indeed, the fact that you are fundamentally skeptical probably didn't help as I now know that a lot goes on before such a meeting (mental preparation and acceptance).
I don't know if this will help you for future meetings of this type, but a good practice is to prepare a list of all your strengths. In fact, it helps you remember all your qualities and makes you feel better. That way, whatever type of meeting you have next, you'll go into it with a very different frame of mind. It may sound silly, but it works. Definitely worth a try.
Thanks for the tip!