Thursday, June 10, 2010

Different Types of Team Building

All outdoor team building events will enhance your team's ability to work within a group and can help them build much stronger working relationships. They are also a great way to thank your staff for working hard and will ultimately encourage them to continue this hard work.

By providing teams with outdoor activity days, you are also strengthening the relationship they have with the company which can help in securing them for the future.

There are three main categories in which outdoor team building activities fall into.

These are:

Outdoor Games - These come in a variety of forms from laser clay target shooting to orienteering and the most popular treasure hunts. Some of the more simple games are purely to build up relationships within a team and help 'break the ice' for newcomers.

The treasure hunts are highly popular and unlike treasure hunts you had as a child, they are far more sophisticated and require logical thinking and teamwork in order to complete.

They can make use of several different locations and settings and work with groups of all sizes. They usually require some detailed planning and it is recommended to have an outdoor event team organise it for you, in order to get the most out of the day.

Water based events - This can include any type of activity carried out on the water. These events will be very similar to those you may have experienced on an adventure holiday as a child. They can include a whole range of activities such as sailing, power boating, canoeing and raft building.

Groups are usually put into teams for such events and under a time limit of working against each other in order to achieve the goal. For example when raft building, teams will be divided into groups and given a few pieces of equipment to make their own raft.

They will then be asked to race each other on the rafts. This type of activity will not only provide great entertainment for all involved, but will assist them in thinking outside the box in order to make the raft and teach them to work together to achieve it.

Adventure based events - This includes everything from abseiling to high rope challenges. These events are designed to push employees slightly out of their comfort zone in order to help them realise their potential.

They can be more difficult but also far more rewarding. For some, this may mean overcoming a fear of something such as a fear of heights, however once this is achieved it helps to build a huge sense of achievement.

For example if a team were to take part in abseiling and one member had a fear of heights, other team players will be able to encourage them to achieve and help them realise they can do it. If this is then transferred to an office situation, the participant may come into contact with a challenge and will feel more confident they can succeed.

It is usually a good idea to have an outdoor team building company organise your events for you as they will have access to all the necessary equipment, materials and safety procedures needed in order to make this a successful day. The specialist companies will also be able to provide bespoke days suited to your individual needs and suitable experiences for the outcome you wish to achieve.

By : Mischa_Weston-Green

No comments: