TheAdventure Team Challenge was created for teams whose goals are recreational team building with a small budget. The program works best with teams who already work well together or who are just coming together for the first time. If you are adding a few staff and you want to achieve instant buy-in without the need for deeper team development, then the Adventure Team Challenge is a great fit. Getting ready to begin a new school year, and want an energizer? The Adventure Team Challenge is the team building option that will fit the bill.

The PORTABLE Team Challenge brings the team building to your location or to a park or retreat center near you. The Portable Team Challenge is a facilitated team building experience – our expert facilitators will sequence activities that are not only fun and challenging, but relevant to your goals, needs and group dynamics. Following most activities, your facilitator will lead the team in a debrief that relates the lessons learned in the activity back to the ‘real world’ of work dynamics and interpersonal relationships.

The ROPES Challenge combines the facilitated team building of the Portable Team Challenge (getting-to-know-you activities, problem-solving initiatives and trust-building exercises) with the individual challenge of the high elements (challenging climbing, traversing or leaping activities that take place up to 40 feet in the air) to create a uniquely powerful team building experience. The accomplishment of the high element portion of the day is often the most memorable and individually satisfying component.

The NEXTeams Process begins where traditional team building programs end. Designed for teams whose goal is to get to the root of organizational dysfunction and build a foundation of trust that will foster commitment, innovation and higher performance, the NEXTeams Process bridges the gap between team building and ‘teams working’. NEXTeams is “The NEXT Step” in team development. Check out our other professional facilitation services at The NEXTeams Companies website: www.nexteams.com.

Learn more about our different Team Building options…

Last week, on what seemed like the hottest day of the summer, we met a group of CPAs from Bethesda out at the Challenge Course at Butler School. The group’s organizer had requested a “recreational team builder,” that would get people “outside, up high, and out of their comfort zone.” The ROPES Course did all of that, and more… Here are a few videos of their day.

We started with ‘group juggle,’ a lighthearted problem-solving activity that takes a little bit of planning, but winds up getting people relaxed, laughing, and ready to try something new. The group juggle also illustrates the importance of planning, effective communication, and commitment to the team and the goal.

Moving on to a ‘low element’ – an activity that is built out of wood or cable – we headed out to the ‘multi-vine.’ In this physical challenge, the team had to traverse from one side of the cable to the other, relying on each other, and 3 ropes that hung from a cable above them. Without a great deal of support from their team mates, some participants would never have made it across, which provides a great metaphor for the importance of supportive teamwork.

Having successfully completed the multi-vine, the team was ready to work on building trust between the members of the group. We partnered up, and had one team mate lead their blind-folded partner through a simple obstacle course. This completely silent activity required the blindfolded partner to rely on the sighted partner to keep them safe, and the sighted partner to be completely responsible for their safety. Following this powerful trust experience, the group had a long ‘debrief’ about what the experience was like, and how it helped them to learn to trust not only their partner, but themselves.

After lunch, the team was ready to “go high,” so we set them up on the “Giant Ladder,” an activity that has two partners climbing up from beam to beam, while being belayed by their peers. The activity builds on the trust that was earned during the blind pairs walk, and has climbers helping one another, belayers keeping their team mates safe as they climb, and everyone highly engaged.

As the heat began to take its toll on the group, we decided to wrap things up. We debriefed about the day – what happened, what we learned, highs and lows, and general feedback. Then we cleaned up, and headed home – hot and tired, but happy. Another great day on the ropes course!

The UnBingo Icebreaker Exercise

With Spring just around the corner, we have been getting an increasing number of calls and emails asking about our team building and adventure instruction programs.  Although some of our clients are not restricted in their budgets, more than a few have listed ‘price’ as one of their top decision-making factors.

For ‘budget-minded’ clients, we have designed a recreational team building program that caters to groups of up to 250 participants, with general team building and fun as their major goals.

Pipeline Challenge

The Adventure Team Challenge is a ‘self-led’ rotational team building event.  Our facilitator will set up a series of activity stations ahead of time, and as the teambuilder begins, your group will be split into teams of 10 – 12 participants, each with a team leader and a ‘playbook.’  The playbook describes each activity station in detail, including goals, rules of play, and other pertinent information.  Teams will have an average of 25 minutes to complete each activity, before moving on to the next station.

Check out a video of one of our recent programs here.

The Adventure Team Challenge can be designed as a ‘friendly competition,’ or a themed event, and many groups prefer to make the program part of a company picnic at a local park or recreation area.

For groups in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, we suggest booking a spot at Rock Creek Park.  For a $7 permit fee, you can reserve a picnic grove that included a covered pavilion with picnic benches, a bathroom, plenty of parking and open spaces for activities.

If you are looking for fun on a budget, The Adventure Team Challenge is a great option!

• Preparation – Write an agenda of your topic items, and send out the agenda ahead of the meeting.  Encourage participants to come ready to discuss the agenda topics only.  This will help the team stay on task.
• Facilitation – Bring in an objective facilitator to run the meeting.  This person should not be directly impacted by the outcome of the meeting, and should be completely impartial.  Objectivity will help the facilitator keep the team on task.
• Room Layout – The way the room is set up can affect the level of participation within the group.  Be sure that seating is arranged so that everyone can see everyone else, and the hierarchy of the team is de-emphasized.  The classic U-shape seating arrangement works well, with the facilitator taking up the empty space.
• Timing – Be sure that the meeting starts and ends on time.  One way to do so is to start the meeting at ten minutes past the hour, rather than on the hour.  The facilitator’s job is to keep the team on task, and end the meeting on the agreed upon time, rather than letting it drag on and run the risk of losing the attention of participants.  In addition, the facilitator should keep track of the amount of time that team members discuss a topic.  In order to keep on task, some individuals may have to be given a time limit, in order to prevent them from dominating the meeting.
• Icebreaker – Start the meeting with an activity that gets attention, breaks the tension, and sets participants up to work together in a productive way.
• Off-topic ‘parking lot’ – Inevitably, someone in the group will bring up a topic that is not part of the agenda.  These ‘off-topics’ may be important, but should not derail the forward momentum of the meeting.  Keep a ‘parking lot’ for off-topics that need to be dealt with at another time or in another meeting.  This gives due credence to the needs of individuals within the group, while still keeping with the goals of the meeting.
• Minutes of the Meeting – Have someone keep track of the ideas and action steps that come out in the meeting.  After the meeting, this person should immediately email a recap of the meeting, and make sure that all participants have a written record of what happened, and what happens next.
• Follow up – facilitator should check in with team members and let them know the outcomes of the meeting, as well as keeping them on track with their assigned action steps.

Effective work teams require productive meetings and strategy sessions.  By following a few easy steps, any meeting can be improved, and a positive outcome can be assured.

• Snowboarding – Take a class and then rip it up at a local ski resort.  Try Whitetail, Ski Liberty or Wisp.
• Caving – Venture into an underground labyrinth and explore the beauty of one of the wild caves of West Virginia.  Check out an Introduction to Caving program to learn more.
• Rock Climbing – Indoors or outdoors, rock climbing in the DC area is easy to find, and offers something for everyone.  Stay indoors at Earthtreks or Sportrock, and then venture outdoors with one of our top-roping courses.
• Mountain Biking – The trails at Schaeffer Farms give beginners and advanced riders alike a chance for steep hills and curvy single-track.  If you’re new to the sport, check out our Introduction to Mountain Biking courses.
• Flat-water Canoeing – The rivers and lakes around Washington DC provide some excellent paddling for the recreational canoe paddler.  If you are itching to learn some new paddle strokes, check out the classes offered by The Canoe Cruisers Association
• Whitewater Kayaking – World-class whitewater can be found on the Potomac River.  If you are new to the sport, or simply want to improve your techniques, check out the instruction courses offered by Liquid Adventures and Potomac Paddlesports.
• Sailing – Travel down to the Eastern Shore of Maryland and enjoy a day of sailing.  Learn to sail with Getaway Sailing and you can join a club that meets to sail near the Chesapeake Bay.
• Backpacking – Hike Shenandoah’s Blue Ridge trails, or venture out to Western Maryland to enjoy the trails near Blackwater Falls.  If you are ready for wilderness travel, sign up for a Backpacking Adventure and take a long weekend on the trail.
• Wilderness Survival Instruction – When you’re ready to transition your camping from “car camping” to “backcountry” it’s time to brush up on your Wilderness Skills.
• Multi-Sport Adventures – With so many adventures to choose from, who wants to do just one?  Sign up for a multi-sport adventure and you could be climbing today, camping along the trail tonight, and caving tomorrow morning!
• Via Ferrata – combining rock climbing, hiking and ropes challenge course into one amazing adventure, the Via Ferrata (Iron Way) is an excellent introduction to the excitement of mountain face travel.

There is a world of outdoor fun available within a 5-hour drive of Washington, DC.  With so many opportunities, so close by, people with little money to spare can still enjoy a big adventure.

Team Building Challenges on the National Mall

With Spring just around the corner, team building is on the mind of school groups, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and corporations. The “doom-and-gloom” economic reports of 2009 have left many of our clients a little nervous about their immediate financial future, and the need for reigning in costs is more important than ever. Here are a few ways you can cut team building costs without cutting team building benefits…

• Hold your team building event either off-site at a local park. The group should not have to travel too far to get to the venue, and the venue should not cost an arm and a leg before you’ve even booked a team building facilitator. For groups in Washington DC, Rock Creek Park is one of our favorite event locations and only costs $7 to reserve a pavilion!
• Focus on activities first and decorations last. Although presentation is important, it is the activities that should have meaning in the end. If you really want to “do it all,” you could have a “banner-creating” team building activity as part of the program…
• Be realistic about your team building goals. Are you looking for a stand-alone event that will raise morale and enhance team spirit, or do you need something a little more focused, with specific goals and outcomes. If the focus is fun, check out our Adventure Team Challenge – a rotational team building event for groups on a budget.
• Potluck instead of catering. Nothing says team like a meal that was put together by the members of your group. Another great team building activity could be cooking the meal together…
• Combine your teambuilder with another activity. Maybe you just can’t afford to go off-site, and you prefer to have something brought to your location as part of a strategic planning session, or other meeting. Facilitated team building can provide a quick energizer for your team, and then you can “get back to work.” If you need to keep it quick and simple, check out our Portable Team Challenge - a facilitated team building program that can be brought to a conference room near you.

Team building on a budget is not necessarily a bad thing. If you simplify and focus on the key necessities, you can still reap the benefits of a high quality team building experience.