This event was designed to provide two teams who work mostly ‘apart’ with the opportunity to accelerate their effectiveness, by helping:

To assess where they are as a ‘whole’ team and where they want to be in the future, To improve communications, particularly between the Team A and Team B, to eliminate duplication of effort, and improve efficiency, to appreciate each other’s various strengths and weaknesses and improve understanding of individuals and their roles, to agree new and improved ways of working together.

Team Building Day 1

• 09.30 Arrive at Venue
  Tea and Coffee
• 10.00 Welcome and Introductions
• 10.10 Ice Breaker
• 10.30 Starting Point

Where are we now and where do we want to be? A facilitated session, using a variety of media, to clarify the future aspirations of the team.

• 11.30 Break
• 11.45 Team Challenge: Parlez

Given the challenge regarding internal/external communications and duplication of effort, Parlez is a perfect metaphor for dramatising these issues.

Each team is given a resource pack containing cash, market information bulletins, commodities and precious stones.

The commodities and stones are of unknown value to the participants at the start of the game, and every bulletin in the game yields different information.

Although each pack contains differing quantities, they are all of equal value. Each team must attempt to raise the value of their pack. All the information the teams require is in the room. It is up to them to negotiate their way to success.

• 12.30 Review of Parlez
  A facilitated review to explore the key learning points.
• 13.15 Lunch
  Where are we now and where do we want to be? A facilitated session, using a variety of media, to clarify the future aspirations of the team.
• 14.15 Syndicate Work
  Building upon the experience of ‘Parlez’, and the lessons from ‘behaviors that help or hinder’, we facilitate a discussion on ways of working in your team, back at work. Working initially in syndicates with a plenary session to share thoughts.

• Communication strategies – internal
• Communication strategies – external

Eliminating duplication

• 15.30 Tea/Coffee
• 15.45 Team Challenge: Mission Impossible
  This exercise builds upon Parlez, and is particularly useful for teams that usually work ‘apart’. Divided into teams of 5/6, they navigate their way around a course of intriguing four-dimensional tasks. The teams meet for the final challenge with everyone working together on one task, either in competition or collaboration – the choice will be theirs.

  Phase One – The Team Tasks
  No two tasks are the same. Each team will have to focus upon a whole host of skills and adapt their approach accordingly. The tasks are designed to be stimulating, ingenious, challenging, action-packed and fun.

  The IMF Agents Training Manual
  A series of amusing and intriguing cerebral problems designed to test the lateral thinking of the teams. They can be worked on at any spare moments during the event but must be completed before the final challenge. Points will be awarded and added to the final team score.

  Phase Two – Final Challenge
  Teams converge on a central location to complete the event. Throughout the mission, teams will have been retrieving missing computer disks. These disks contain vital clues to decipher the overall riddle of the missing ‘NOC List’ (the top secret names of contacts for agents data base).

  As each disk is safely returned to IMF Headquarters, the information on the screen builds, enabling the teams to solve the identity of the ‘mole’. The fuse is lit, the theme music plays and in a highly charged final few minutes the teams rush to present their solution to the IMF Chief of Staff.

• 17.30 Review of Mission Impossible
  A facilitated review, which will include highlighting areas that can be focused upon in Day Two.
• 18.00 Close

Team Building Day 2

• 09.00 Review of Day One and Introduction to Day Two
• 09.30 Activity: Quality Time
  This surprisingly effective yet simple activity builds upon the thoughts generated by the event.

  The delegates meet with one of their colleagues. Once they are together they simply ask the following question…. and then LISTEN.

  “How can I help you to be even more productive in your job?”

  This should reinforce the mindset required for open and frank communications within a team.

• 10.45 Tea/Coffee
• 11.00 Into the Future – Improved Ways of Working
  Action planning session to ensure that ideas are carried forward into the workplace. We explore the detail regarding responsibilities, next steps and measures of progress.
• 12.45 Lunch
• 13.45 A series of brief, fun and creative problem solving, team building activities to bring together the whole learning experience of the group and finish the event on a high note.
• 14.30 Event summary and closing comments from the project sponsor.