Our tailored Team Building courses

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Would you like to know more about Team Development? We hope the answers to these FAQs helps;

How physical are your Team Building courses?

All our Team Building courses are tailored to suit the fitnes level/physical abilities of the team. We never put people in a situation that puts unfair or unrealistic demands on them. We want people to enjoy the course but at the same time feel that they have to a degree been challenged. We'll talk about this with you beforehand so that we can get the right balance. Our team building sessions range significantly; from some practical team tasks set up in the grounds of the hotel in a controlled environment to extreme outdoor endurance/adventure/sport activities.

Is there a limit to the size of the team you can work with on your Team Building courses?

There's no limit to the team size. All the Team Building courses we develop are tailored to the particular team. If you have a team which is composed of a number of smaller teams, then that's not a problem either. We'll set up a team session that accommodates. One important thing though - we must know what you want to achieve from the Team Building course beforehand. We'll talk in detail to you about this. Once we're clear on your objectives, we'll be able to present you with a draft outline that we can discuss.

Do you combine indoor and outdoor work on your Team Building courses?

Some of the Team Building courses we run are conducted solely inside and others have a combination of indoor and outdoor work. We do feel that if you want to involve some outdoor exercises, they should be complemented by some indoor work/discussion. If you are looking for just an outdoor exercise, then we can present you with a number of activities to consider.

Our team isn't working together well but we don't know what the problem is. Could you help us on one of your Team Building courses?

Yes. We can develop a course that incorporates facilitated discussions about the issues concerning the team. This can be done in a diplomatic way. The last thing you want is a team of people who are demotivated and think that everything is going so badly that there's no way forward. Even if you do have problems within the team, we'll make sure team members feel positive about the process. You'll have a much better idea of where the problems lie within your team after the Team Development course and, more importantly, you'll have agreed a plan of action to address them.

We've got a completely new team and want to make the best possible start. Do you run Team Building courses for new teams?

Yes. We develop and run Team Buildin courses for teams that have just been set up. These training courses are a great opportunity for people to get to know each other. They're also great for agreeing roles and responsibilities, setting team objectives and deciding on how the team will communicate and operate over the important first few months. You'll also be able to understand the strengths of each team member and work out how they can best compliment the strengths of other team members.

We want to combine a Team Building session with some business planning discussions. Can you build this into one of your Team Building courses?

We often combine Team Buidling with business or strategic planning. Once we've talked to you beforehand, we'll be able to propose how to best use the time and to combine the two. Our facilitators have business as well as training experience so they are well placed to coordinate business and strategic planning sessions.

My team doesn't have any problems as such but could work better together. Would your Team Building courses help with this?

We do develop Team Building courses for teams like yours. A team doesn't have to have a problem to benefit from a course. Even good teams can work better together, there's always something that can improve. In fact, we find that our Team Building courses are a great chance for team members to talk openly and explore new opportunities. We'll need to talk to you to discuss the best approach and to make sure that we make the most of the time with your team.

An example of a team building activity

Our Team Building courses are normally conducted away from your office. We have a number of venues that we use in UK, Ireland and Mainland Europe. We can also consider other locations if you have a preference.

Depending on your objectives, we can tailor a programme to combine indoor, outdoor and social activities. Our programmes build team spirit and help the team to discover ways to adapt in order to achieve optimal performance. This can involve introducing the team to the key principles of teamwork and ensuring that they are present within the team.

We provide the team with opportunities to discover more about what each team member can contribute to the success of the team. One way of doing this is by identifying the ‘team role personality’ of each member, ie. how each person acts and thinks when working together on a challenge with others. We can then establish the present balance of personalities within a team. By adopting this approach, we can help a team to concentrate more on the strengths of individuals and to exploit these effectively when working together. It also helps us to suggest ways of overcoming any weaknesses that may be apparent in the make-up of the team.

While working indoors we reflect on the way the team is working at present and the areas in which developments or changes could be made for the best. This helps the team to think proactively and creatively operationally.

Outdoor Team Challenges

We develop tailored outdoor team challenges that are directly focused on the objectives of the team building programme as a whole.

Example - ‘Operation Tight Knot’;

A tailored outdoor exercise that centres around a very realistic scenario. Your team will be set an overall objective that can only be achieved if the team uses its resources (both people and material) effectively.

During the exercise, the team will have to solve a number of mental and physical challenges that are critical in terms of achieving the overall objective. The exercise could take between 4 and 12 hours to complete and, depending on your requirements, could involve eating and sleeping outdoors.

The exercise is developed in such a way that on occasions, the team as a whole must split into smaller teams to achieve certain tasks and to locate key information. When the overall team chooses to split, communication between the different team units is vital. There is a necessity for the units to meet up at various stages during the exercise to match up key information and to solve problems. The units must work closely together to succeed. If necessary, the dynamics of the team as a whole can be changed regularly by the staff to ensure that all team members spend time together rather than working solely in one particular group.

All our outdoor exercises are tailored to ensure that the physical aspects suit the age range and physical abilities of the team as a whole. The aim is not in any way to test people's physical endurance but to give the team a chance to work together in an environment in which they would not normally find themselves.

Example – Team Tasks;

We have created a number of outdoor physical problem solving tasks that are designed for teams of up to 10 people. The tasks can be set up in the grounds of the training venue. Each task takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. The tasks can be tackled separately as stand alone tasks or can be incorporated into a combined exercise.

Each task is challenging and requires commitment and creativity to solve. The experience of carrying out and achieving each task will help the team to realise the value of pooling their resources, using their strengths and thinking laterally.

Tasks are always carefully monitored by an instructor for safety and review purposes.

Staff

Our outdoor instructors are experts in their field. We monitor events throughout and facilitate the review that always takes place afterwards. We also ensure that lessons learned are transfered back to the workplace and used positively.

Review and Action Plan

We conduct a review after every outdoor exercise. This is important because it gives your team a chance to reflect on what happened and to draw up action points for the future. We also help your team agree a follow-up process that will ensure that the actions agreed on are actually implemented.

Training Hand Ltd are specialist providers of soft skills training courses. Visit our other websites for information on all our courses. www.traininghand.com :www.confidence-building-courses.co.uk : presentation-skills-courses.co.uk : time-management-courses.com : www.appraisal-training.co.uk : www.traininghand.co.uk : www.assertiveness-courses.com

Training Hand Ltd : Avebry House : Church Walk : Avonwick : Devon : tq10 9ej : Registration number 3228999 : Email info@traininghand.com