What Type of Team Building Will You Need?

The type of team building assistance you need depends on number of factors: purpose, indoor vs. outdoor, physical vs. nonphysical, size of group, time of year.

1. Purpose - First and foremost, what is your purpose in seeking team building assistance?
   Do you want to simply take your group out for a fun time and a break from the routine?
   Is it to bring the group closer together (bonding)? Is it to integrate new team members?
   Is it a new group that you want to get off to a good start?
   Is it for training to learn new group skills?
   Is the group in trouble, and does it need help?
   Do you need a speaker, activity, or exercise for a large group meeting or conference?
   Do you need help in choosing a team building product to use yourself?
   Do you want to implement a teams process within your organization?
These are some of the more common requests we receive each day, and most people seem to know what they want or need. However, if you are struggling with how to approach this, simply talking to us can help you clarify your needs. The best way to start is to complete our Request for a Quote information form, as this gives us some valuable background information.

2. Indoor vs. Outdoor - We have a variety of approaches to team building, some which involve outdoor activities. People generally spend a lot of time indoors in offices, so the opportunity to get outside, especially when the weather is favorable, is a benefit. Some of our outdoor activities include Treasure Hunts, GeoTeaming, Olympic Rowing, Mini EcoChallenge, Portable Ropes, and Sailing.

Any outdoor activity comes with the risk of inclement weather. That being said, we almost never cancel an activity due to weather. Weather conditions that are not dangerous, light rain for example, can actually add to the activity by teaching teams that unexpected conditions (such as those we find in business) require flexibility, creativity, and strategic planning.

3. Physical or Non-Physical - This category will sometimes rule out some of our activities for groups, because they fear their people will not be able to participate in physical activities. To some degree this is true. However, remember that we conduct activities for corporate groups almost every day, so the activities must match the audience. The Mini EcoChallenge, for example, can have light or heavy physical activities. Overwhelmingly, the corporate community wants activities that are within the physical abilities of its participants.

In cases where one or more people cannot participate, we find new roles for them to play within the team structure. This reflects the real-world. Not everyone on every team can do every job. So how does the team use each person to the fullest? This makes for interesting discussion and reflection for the team.

4. Size of Group - The size of your group can sometimes restrict us from doing certain activities. For example, our capers require from 7 to 10 characters, and we generally like at least 3 teams interacting with them. So this would necessitate upwards of 30 people from your organization participating. Of course, some companies ask for the characters from outside their group (senior managers are a blast!), so that their entire group is engaged in the activity.

You can check for the maximum and minimum number of participants as part of the information given on the SERVICES page and usually on the actual web page describing the activity.

5. Time of Year - The time of the year affects our ability to do some activities in some locations. For example, sailing and rowing are not conducted in winter months in the colder climates. Although outdoor Teambuilding Treasure Hunts can be done outside anytime, we now offer indoor hunts in locations such as museums as an alternative during excessively hot or cold periods. Winter months, however, do open new possibilities such as our Team Olympia conducted at former Winter Olympic venues such as Lake Placid.

If you can think of other information we should add to this page, please email us with your thoughts.