Footprints on the Mountainside

Here’s to those who have emailed me asking for free team building ideas and activities. You were right. I am one of the few people happy to share what I know. Unfortunately, it still took a lot of time, as I was rather busy of late.

Firstly, understand that team building is not a construction project. You can’t really “build” a team. What you can do, is design something that takes them through an experience together, and then help them see how it impacted them, and what going through it together means, and how they can go ahead from there. It is going to defeat the entire use of these suggestions if you are going to “prescribe” that they work closely as a team (because you benifit from that). You wouldn’t like being asked to be intimate with people because someone else thought it was what you should do. Unlikely that they will have a different way of looking at it too.

So, warnings taken care of, what I am sharing below, are more of ideas or flows than exact activities. Feel free to alter/adapt them, add equipment, etc. These are related with processes of a group opening up. I’ll probably write more for different objectives later.

1. One quite common situation I find with teams is a hesitation to speak up. It is often related with “performance anxiety” where staying shut seems safer than risking saying something “wrong” or “inappropriate”. Logically, everyone understands that nothing risked, nothing gained, yet feeling that way is not easy, so no actual action happens. What I do in such situations, is create a low risk and totally non-judgmental environment which is slightly exaggerated, so that it doesn’t hold any association with evaluation. This creates an opportunity for everyone to fool around together, and experience that it can be okay to do it. One way I do this sometimes is get people to sit in a circle, and have an activity that requires them to make a rhythmic sound for 30 seconds after which, the next person takes it up. Poetry is fine, meaningless sounds are fine, etc. If they halt or hesitate, they are eliminated, and this goes on till most people are eliminated (or 3 complete rounds) or similar. Each progressive round can add a requirement - for example, picking up on the previous beat and refining it, etc. Whatever…. the point is to not fuss around so much with the rules, and celebrate uninhibited behaviour. This easily creates a platform for a group discussion to follow.
2. Process of inclusion: Raka and a couple of his friends unintentionally created this awesome way of including people in a group deliberately while having some fun time on a beach on an event. Sometimes, I use this with groups. Its called “the rule number 4″ (an accidental label for group demands). This is perfect for campfires, or other informal times, just as the group gathers. Scenario begins with one person (the key person). Asks the next person to come to sing a song (or something). Persuades, shows genuine interest and listens appreciatively (no matter how it sounds - the important thing is that person is singing for you, because you want it so much). The next person to arrive, is asked to do the same thing. Any reluctance is overcome with joking references to “Rule No 4″ that state……. (create appropriate rule to negate the reluctance). For example, “Rule No 4 doesn’t require you to be a good singer”, “Rule No 4 states that the last person to sit has to sing”, “Clause 4a of Rule no 4 states that when two people arrive together, the last person to sit has to sing first”. Done well, this gets previous victims of Rule no 4 to actually become its strongest supporters, watching minutely for whose bottom hits the ground first when two people come together, creating new statements to add to the rule, etc. They key thing to remember is that we are not harrassing the newcomers, but persuading them to do something (whatever they can), for the group and then be included. So, the rules at no point must be derogatory, or actual negations of anything claimed. For example “I can’t sing” is better responded with “Here’s your opportunity to try with an audience who asked for it and can’t complain.” or “In fact, rule number 4 allows you to take revenge against such demands from this group by deliberately forcing them to listen to your singing.” than actual group force to sing whether he can or can’t. This impromptu setup (rather than activity) can get the group feeling very close, uninhibited and supportive of each other, and reassures them of their value and contribution to the group. Be warned that this will not work, if the key person evaluates people, or is not genuinely interested in them. Works better if there are 2-3 people on the “committee” who can also interact with each other, refine rules, challenge them, give discounts (”sing the tune first and then the words so you don’t have to remember both at the same time” etc)

So much for now. If you get the idea - creating an accepting environment, where people can be included and accepted for what they are. Some challenge followed by acceptance, etc.

It is not as important what you do, as the invitation you extend to the group, which helps them learn to invite and include others too.

In all the years I’ve bee working, I have yet to see consultants who actually practice the Team Development and interpersonal skills they encourage among their clients. It is difficult to get a consultant/facilitator/trainer to actually engage in a free and easy dialogue on a joint initiative.

I was wondering why it is so.

There are “professional boundaries” or plain old reluctance. Just finished a call with a friend of mine, who wanted me to work with him on a programme of his. I wanted to know details of objectives, methodologies, approach, etc. He was quite cagey about the whole thing, and preferred to talk on the day we began the programme. I see this as an opportunity lost  for him to engage my full potential in terms of preparing for the programme, and am now concerned that my role is going to be limited to acting without seeing the whole picture. No points for guessing what would prove more effective for the client.

I once contacted a consultant I know to ask him about an update he was going to provide, and found that he had completed the work, but not really informed the others, including the person who was to take it ahead. Yet, on a training programme with him, I have witnessed him bringing attention to the perils of dysfunctional communication, and the importance of keeping an eye on and staying in touch with happenings in the professional community. He often stresses the need for clarity on what each member of the team is doing, when working together.

So, as we become “teachers” do we actually forget to value our learnings?

I feel quite concerned about this. At the moment, I don’t see these symptoms arising in me, but I see a real risk that they could manifest in me, if I start thinking of myself as “arrived” rather than “work in progress”. It is a pity that with the enormous amount of collected knowledge, the only real way to collaborate seems to be through formal papers and seminars and stuff - platforms that offer distance.

I see this more as a phenomenon more among Indian consultants I know. Yet, the consultants I respect and am eager to learn from have always been free with their learnings and insights (including some from India). Sometimes even at the risk of being wrong. So, it appears to me, that either I discover their knowledge and competence and therefore I respect them, or that their ways of sharing knowledge and keeping it expanding contribute to their phenomenal talent. Either way, it works for me.

What do you guys think?

After hesitating for days, I have finally joined a gym. I had gone for a couple of days earlier, but quit. To me, it seems pointless to move my body without purpose, and I’m ok with my “body-image” as in don’t need to get fatter, thinner, bulkier, slimmer, etc. That means I used to get bored doing endless repetitive actions.

But now, I decided that with increasing success and *cough* seniority, I hardly get any exercise worth its name in the outdoors. Most of the time, as a trainer, my work load is more mental than physical, and the few times I manage to get into the activities, I have enough people who make my life easier out of respect.

Which basically means, that I’m revving with restless energy. I thought a gym may be a good way to burn it all out.

Yesterday was my first day, and it broke all illusions of fitness I had. All kinds of people were running endlessly on treadmills and stuff, which was my first destination as a beginner. As an ex-horsewoman, trekking guide and outdoor person for over 16 years, my fantasy was that it would be easy. Let’s stop at emphsizing that it was a fantasy.

10 min on the treadmill at 5kmph had me winded like nobody’s business. Somehow, walking on the treadmill got me whacked. There was a time when walking at 6kmph or so for hours with my horses was routine. While that has been a long time ago, I certainly don’t find myself anything close to tiring while walking even now. I’m wondering what happened to me on that treadmill.

My suspicion is that I was not able to get into my rhythm for walking on the treadmill. Add boredom and lack of pressure to that…. In the outdoors, there is a sense of peace, of enjoying the place I am in that was missing. Plus, there is a certain motivation to reaching the destination unless I want to be caught out in the wilds at night, which was not here - step off the treadmill at will and the walking is done.

I suspect I’m not too great with will power when it comes to doing things that don’t appeal.

Now I’m wondering how I can help myself like it. Going to take along some music today and see if that helps.

In any case, unlike the last time, I’ve created a destination that is not optional for this gym experience. I’ve paid for a full year, and the miser in me will not allow me to fritter it away. I know myself enough to know that the feeling of being in regular exercise will appeal to me, even if I don’t enjoy the actual exercise, and that is one thing that will help me find ways I can create my enjoyment in there.

A few things that come to mind are music, TV (they have one), etc. Another option is to create goals that appeal to me. One that I have in mind is doing the kinds of things that will help my climbing fitness or endurance, etc. Let’s see, its too early at the moment, but I’m certain that I will have updates as my creative mind begins to engage in this process.

Yeah, I’ve been missing from here for a long time. Too much happening in real life. My work at resonate, then my work with Wide Aware, some training for trainers I’ve been in the process of organizing….

Now, Wide Aware is in the process of designing a three day training programme for activity instructors in the outdoors. The current scenario with instructors is that there is no specific training that they undergo. Some instructors do the mountaineering courses in an effort to get some skills, but they are not particularly relevant to taking groups into the outdoors.

As a result, there are a lot of hit or miss processes.

This programme we are planning is a three day initiative designed specially for instructors who use outdoor adventure activities to support experiential learning objectives. While the course is still being designed, some of the intended content includes:

• How to handle activities
• How to execute programmes
• Handling ropes
• Belay systems
• Sequencing activities for optimal design
• Ratio of instructors to participants for various kinds of programmes
• Attitudes toward participant management
• Strategies and skills for working with different age groups
• Participant observation, interaction and guidance
• Risk management

Other possibilities being considered are orienteering, first aid, and some other subjects.

This programme is not intended to develop facilitation or training related skills, but restricts its scope toward activities in the outdoors and the role of the instructor conducting them.

The programme is planned for November at the YMCA campsite at Mulshi.

This programme is well suited for anyone who would like to develop skills for working with groups and conducting activities in the outdoors. Feel free to comment here with your feedback or if you would like to be informed when the final dates are announced.

As I had mentioned earlier, we are doing a Training the Trainer Programme for facilitators in the  outdoors.

Add value to your outdoor programmes with these skills and tools for facilitating active learning.

Empower Activity Camps and Wide Aware invite you to participate in a three day trainer-training programme designed especially for providers of outdoor training. Read more… »