Top 10 Tips on Arranging a Team Building Event

Jan. 12, 2008 - PRLog -- Here are some top ten tips for getting the most out of your team or individual training days

1. Set objectives
Ask yourself why are we doing this? What do we want to get out of this course or event. Is it just a fun event, or do we you have specific issues to address such as improving communication. Or is it just a getting-to-know-you exercise? This is becoming increasingly common with companies who have teams or offices all over the country. Try discussing the matter with the senior person responsible for organising the programme/event. This is especially important if you have to justify how much money you are spending and have to demonstrate a return on that spending in terms of improved performance.


2. Know and Agree Your Budget
There is nothing worse than identifying an event supplier without knowing what you have to spend. This is especially true if you have to report back to the purse string holder after you have spent a lot of wasted time discussing programmes in detail with a prospective supplier. Both you and the supplier will soon get frustrated with this. You may even get the reputation of a time waster and won’t get the full attention of the supplier.

3.Think about who you will taking
The setting of objectives will, to a large degree, help with this. It is unusual to have the same age range in your team who all like the same things. It is more likely you will have a wide age range who will have different ideas and fears about a team building course or event.

4. Get Buy-in or Ownership
Keep them in the loop. Explain to them the reasons behind the event to allay their fears. Many people fear such events as they believe they are being put under the microscope and assessed by the powers that be within the company. Explain this is not the case and spell out the objectives.

5. Decide on the nature of the event
Low impact? high impact? outdoors? indoors ? Again this will be determined by the objectives you set, the issues to be addressed and the individuals involved. You may wish to put people under pressure, you may want to put them in an unfamiliar environment. Alternatively, you may just want some light indoor challenges. The more thought you give to this question , in the context of 1 to 4 above, the better the course or event will be.

6. Distance with overnight
Is this event being held locally or further afield? Are you going to stay overnight or just go for the day. This again will be determined by 1 and 2 above in particular. Budget will obviously play a big part in this decision. In our experience an overnight stay can add more value to an event as people can learn more about themselves and their colleagues, rather than a single day close to home. The problem we have seen repeated with an event close to home is that as soon as the event is finished, everyone rushes off home. Invariably that mens that they're back in work the next having not had any real time to reflect on the experience.

7. Venue and geographic area of search
Once you have decided on an overnight stay or a local event you can work out relative travel times to a mutually convenient part of the UK or Europe. To a degree this will be dictated by the choice of event, for example outdoor wilderness, seaside etc. You must remember to factor in travel costs and whether the travel time to and from an event is work or the employee's own time. You should also explain clearly that if an event does finish early and the delegates can return their office before the end of the working day then that is what is expected of them. If this isn’t explained clearly, people will slip off home.

8. Find a Supplier
Word of mouth or recommendations are best. Has anyone else within your company arranged or had experience of similar courses or events in the past? Once you know where you are looking, it is generally much easier to search on the internet. Think of the type of event you need and use that as the search phrase.

Agent, one-man band or large supplier provider. If you book through an agent, it will usually cost you more than booking direct with a supplier. In addition, every fine detail will be filtered through a third party which often doesn’t help you if fast you need responses. You also run the risk of having someone with poor product knowledge dealing with you.

On visiting some websites you may be left with the impression that they are a large operation with the resources to deal with your course or event. Small operations can serve your needs very well depending on 1 above and the size of the course or event. But again they may not have all the resources in house which will impact on cost.

A larger operator may have all the resources you need, thus easing the organisational headache. Other benefits may include reduced costs, more flexibility (with changes to the programme) and faster response times to those urgent last minute details.

9. Visit the Venue
We certainly recommend visiting a venue if you have the opportunity. This can definitely iron out any last minute problems which you wouldn’t otherwise have been aware of until you’d turned up on the day. It will also help to develop that relationship with the supplier/ organiser.

10. Appoint Suppliers, agree detailed itinerary and circulate to all those attending
At the earliest opportunity, and once you have finalised 1-9 above, you will need to tie down the detail - don't forget the devil is always in the detail. Sorting out the finer points of the plan will prevent you being inundated with enquiries and questions from participants as you draw nearer the event. Ask the supplier to do as much of this as possible to assist. Here is a list of some of the things you will probably need:

   * Detailed timed programmed itinerary for the whole event
   * Kit list and what people are expected to bring with them
   * Medical questionnaire to be completed
   * Dietary needs and requirements
   * Travel details and directions

As with any "project" the key is to make sure you have planned correctly. As the only saying goes: "he who fails to plan, plans to fail"

For Details on Corporate Training Events, contact Call of the Wild (Corporate) http://www.corporate-training-events.co.uk

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Call of the Wild offer Team Building and Management Training and Development and Leadership Training Programmes in the Brecon Beacons (Wales) and throughout the UK. We also offer Corporate Events and Fun days - all using our unique approach through the natural environment.

Website: www.corporate-training-events.co.uk