Team Building Days - White Water Rafting

There's nothing like the whiff of fear to motivate people

, and that's why many corporate team building sessions involve an element of adventure activity such as white water rafting.

Teamwork is highly valued in most workplaces as it is a proven way of getting complex jobs done and achieving goals. When a job requires several people with different skills and personalities to be involved, it usually runs more smoothly when those people set their egos aside, respect each other and communicate with each other.

Many organisations spend time and money motivating their staff and encouraging them to work more closely together as a team. Often this is done at a formal 'away day' outside normal working hours and away from the office.

Team building can happen naturally anyway, through informal socialising between colleagues, and through experience of working together on projects. Formal sessions sometimes become essential when new people have joined a company, upsetting the equilibrium of a team, or when departments or companies are being merged and underlying rivalries or grudges have to be addressed.

One way to help cement the working relationships between team players is to set them a task where it feels as if their lives depend on helping each other. An adventure activity like rafting down a fast flowing river together is the perfect way to combine this sense of co-dependency with the thrill of a fun and challenging outdoor activity. Each person in the raft or boat has a paddle, and navigating around rocks and rapids requires everyone to paddle at the right time. Although it is a safe activity when supervised by an experienced guide and booked with a reputable company, there is a constant element of danger which acts as a great motivating factor. Unlike some outdoor adventure activities, rafting doesn't require a high level of fitness, and large groups can be split into teams competing for the fastest run, best style or 'loudest screaming'.

Professional and experienced white water rafting companies can tailor the experience to suit a team's needs by offering the most suitable location, whether a slow river or a rushing torrent, and by providing transport and accommodation. There are lots of rafting rivers in the UK, as well as all over the world if you want to make it a really big adventure. Your guide can help to enrich the experience by bringing out the theme of the day, or setting the scene for role playing exercises. If anyone falls out of the boat their team mates will need to work together to help them back onboard. Whatever happens on the rafting trip, everyone will have been on an emotional journey together and will want to share the memories of the thrills and spills with each other afterwards.

by: Robert MacLaren

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