.....................................................................................................
-
- Using carefully
planned and researched
- Problem Solving
Exercises coupled with
- sensitive
reviews for serious
staff
& team
- development will
improve the performance
- of real teams
from commerce & industry.



-
-
- The best
OMD outdoor training accelerates
- learning
processes enormously if the tasks
- offered and
the review which follow are very
- relevant
to the needs of the delegates ; if the
- activity
is vivid and has real (as
opposed to
- make-believe)
consequences if things go right
- or wrong.
-
- We also believe
it should all be enjoyable,
- totally
safe
and exciting !
-
-

-
- THE BASIS
OF OUR PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH...
-
-
- Peak Activities have many years experience
in using carefully
- planned and executed "Brief-Monitor-Debrief" task based
- problem solving sessions out of doors
to help groups of delegates
- to address all manner of training issues
- and in particular to help
- them to boost their teamworking skills
in problem-solving and in
- unlocking & boosting their creativity. These are very much
- "learner-centred" activities
rather than activity-focussed
tasks
- ...and the here the skills of our highly
trained HRD personnel
- really do come into their own...for
the quality, relevence &
- emotional safety of the delegates during the reviews which
- follow are paramount.
-
- All serious training
sessions need
- to be carefully
planned so that the
- review sessions which
follow the
- various tasks are capable
of eliciting
- the very best sets
of training outcomes
- for the group and the individuals
- concerned...without
any nasty
- after tastes !

- The best BMD tasks early on in a training
programme can be very simple,
- easy to complete
exercises, whilst later tasks may be quite complex and
- open ended. Some tasks may appear sometimes to be very simple when
- seen in a snapshot...and a first class
review seen from a distance
might
- just look like a group of people sitting
down having a good old chat in a
- field
and enjoying a laugh over a cup of tea ! For example, illustrated
above,
- the Director of Human Resources of the NHS Supplies Directorate,
Chris Uden,
- is involved with a well-known ice-breaking
team task involving extracting an
- object from a"no-go" area...in
order to feed the group their
lunches !
- Those involved are health authority
execs. undergoing an extremely
- sophisticated training programme -
but a from a distance it just looks
- like a lot of fun !
-
- Chris later wrote in a kind unsolicited
testimonial : -
-
- " I have now run
three team builds with Peak Activities at Rock Lea
- and all events have
had very satisfactory outcomes which is in large
- part due to Iain's
personal level of commitment in ensuring that the
- training & development
process is of the highest quality. For example
- in being very clear
about objectives and in evaluating outcomes.
- The events' content
has been very responsive to our needs using
- both established and
proven tasks and innovative tailor made exercises.
- The Rock Lea team works
well together and reflects a good briefing
- system before each
event. They're very reliable in meeting commitments,
- flexible in adapting
events whilst up and running to respond to evolving
- needs - and open in
their views concerning ways of improving
things for
- us in future. Rock
Lea's own accommodation is adequate for our needs
- and the local hotels
upgrade system is good. I'd be happy to speak to
- any prospective clients
about the above comments."
-
- OTHER
CASE STUDIES & ENDORSEMENTS
-
- Thank
you letters from delighted participants & organisers
-
.....
One of the delegates on one of the events we've run for the NHS
- Peter Wells ( Chief Exe. United Health Supplies Agency ) wrote
an open endorsement to our MD as follows :-
- " Now I
have recovered sufficiently to engage my brain
- and rest the
aching bones (!) I must write and express my
- sincere thanks
on behalf of my team and myself for the
- excellent 3
day course that we spent with you in the
- beautiful Peak
District. I know from discussions with my
- colleagues that
they really appreciated the atmosphere,
- environment
and the efforts that all your team put into
- making our tailored
"Top Teams" event very successful.
-
- We were all
very impressed by the way in which you
- made every effort
to identify and understand the environment
- in which we
all work - and I think that effort paid off in the
- event flowed
so well. With best wishes to you and all your
- staff Iain.
We wish you, your centre and your training
staff
- every success
in you worthy mission ! "
-
- We have dozens of such kind
unsolicited customers'
- comments on file,
which we hope will encourage people
- who are
understandably sceptical
about outdoor training
- to come
along and see how we might
be able to help them.
- Clearly, we vary our events
from group to group, but not
- all outdoor training providers
have the same approach.
- There are still some very
different styles of customer
- care
but unfortunately all
centres seem to be stereotyped
- sometimes.

MIXED ABILITY / MIXED FITNESS
EXERCISES....
- We like all participants to get stuck
into our exercises, and to enjoy the
- benefits which ensure when there is
a pattern of guided discovery involuntary
- learning taking place. This means organising
and planning tasks which offer
- choices (such as time constraints forcing
the leader to ask "Who wants to go
- down and survey the cave and who'd
rather stay in the bus and do the
- calculations and get the presentations
slides ready ?") as well as making
- sure the tasks suit the fitness of
the people involved - and ensuring everyone
- has plenty to do. Below, a group of
managers from Rolls Royce jet
- engines working hard in one of our
minibuses on a spreadsheet and
- presentation notes outside a cave in
which some of their colleagues
- are taking measurements and surveying
readings as part of the same
- integrated "cost-benefit"
analysis & presentation of findings task.
-
...
-
- ...and, of course,
if a sensitive exercise leader asks
- the directing staff
for some extra time for those who
- wanted to go to explore
the cave but who volunteered
- to help out the entrance
in the bus.. we'll be delighted
- to help the leaders
do just that ! Otherwise their street
- cred could be around
their ankles during the review !
-
- Insofar as possible we design tasks
that mimic or
- model situations at work - so during
reviews people
- can if necessary "tell it like
it is" and make their
- points in a loving and positively caring
way against
- a work context if they wish. Delegates
are coached
- to become "solution centred"
rather than just problem
- -focussed.
-
- The death of a course's cred by "action-planning-
- generated-boredom and fatigue"
can be avoided.
- The way we approach this problem has
often proved
- is very realistic and "do-able"
That's important because
- our understanding of Kaizen is that
a good idea to solve
- a problem that cannot be implemented
is a load of rubbish !
-
- All too often poorly managed courses
trawl up lists of
- loads of problems that can't be fixed
straight away and
- which when added up can demoralise.
Sometimes we prefer
- to look at "quick hits" with
people, to boost their "can do"
- attitude through positive reinforcement.
This needs full
- co-operation and prior agreement from
managers, of course...
- ...and may involve investing extra
time and resources on
- follow-up events / implementation of
suggestions when
- back at work.
-
-
As seen on
the BBC & Yorkshire TV...
..............................................................
An example of one of our training programmes
for Gilders Group has been shown on YTV
Our list of corporate
clients
Comments from the
chief executive of regional tourist board
More kind clients'
comments
Come and see us
to discuss your specific needs !
.
Peak Activities Ltd.,
Rock Lea Activity Centre,
Station Road,
Hathersage Village,
The Peak District National Park,
Derbyshire, United Kingdom, S32 1DD.
Telephone 01433-650345.