MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR ADVENTURE EXPERIENCE
DO’S & DON’TS
To consider as you plan your next team bonding experience
You want to do a team bonding experience with your group? And a high-up-in-the-trees adventure is what you’ve decided upon?
(great choice, you’ll have a fun time)
Knowing that you are spending a lot of time and money on this event, you’re going to want to set your team up for success. Here are some DO’S and DON’TS to consider as your plan your adventure:
DON’T
Book an adventure experience on a whim. There are many forms of adventure experiences: a zip line tour, a traditional challenge course, and an aerial adventure park just to name a few. Reach out to your local provider and ask questions to see what type of adventure will be best for your group.
DO
Consider your goals for this event. Is it to get out of the office and have fun? Is it to help a brand-new team bond before their basketball season starts? Is this for the executive team to breakthrough whatever is keeping them from performing at their top level? Your goals for the day will change how the facilitator plans and sets up various challenges.
DON’T
Surprise your group with a day on the course. Occasionally, a boss/coach/mom/partner decides to not tell anyone the plan until they arrive onsite. It seems like a great idea, but likely you will have a group of people telling you that they wish you’d given them a heads up. “I wore high heels today, Brenda!”
“Adventure experiences are designed to bring groups together and encourage collaboration”
DO
Give your group the ability to prepare for their time on the course. People will need to dress for the weather and the setting. Or psych themselves up to be in a harness. Or drink their requisite two cups of coffee before they get to work that day.
DON’T
Make promises about certain activities. Group leaders like to tell their team “We’re going to do zip lines!” only to have booked a site that doesn’t have zip lines. There are a handful of reasons (weather, logistics, staffing, in-ability to read minds, etc.) that a certain activity may not be available.
DO
Encourage your team (and yourself) to approach your time on the course with an open mind and try something new. Don’t let rigid expectations rob you of experiencing a new favorite activity.
DON’T
Turn the time on the course into a competition or a way for participants to “prove” themselves. Bosses and coaches like to do this. “The person who climbs the highest gets to…” or “Anyone who doesn’t catch the bar has to…” Adventure experiences are designed to bring groups together and encourage collaboration. Adding extra pressure to perform is a surefire way to turn a fun day in the woods into a stress-filled opportunity to lose the trust of your team.
Choose your challenge
Be intentional about how you will approach the time on the course and see how it changes your experience.
DO
Make certain your group understands that they will have a lot of choices throughout the day and that those choices will be respected. No one will be forced to climb a tree or jump off a platform unless they want to. This allows participants to make good choices for their mental and physical health (and it makes the day more fun for everyone).
DON’T
Forget to bring snacks! In my 20 years of challenge course facilitation, the groups that offer a well-timed granola bar or cookie tend to have the happiest participants. Days on the challenge course are more active than your average day—you need fuel!
DO
Be willing to challenge yourself. There is a philosophy in adventure programming called choose your challenge. This concept invites participants to step out of their comfort zone and do something that will stretch them. For some people that means putting on a harness and climbing a tree, for others that means trying a different role within the group. For some people the most challenging part of the day will be to let someone else lead or to speak up in discussions. Be intentional about how you will approach the time on the course and see how it changes your experience.