What is the
Challenge Program?

Program Models and Scheduling

Why Consider a
Challenge Program?

Challenge Program FAQs

Sample Activities

Participation in the Challenge Program offers the chance to...

• Strengthen group cohesiveness, team spirit and cooperation.
• Improve problem solving ability.
• Enhance communications among group members.
• Increase self-confidence and self-awareness.
• Learn conflict resolution skills.
• Develop an atmosphere of mutual support.
• Deepen trust in self and others.
• Get outdoors and have some fun!

A day at the Challenge Program consists of a carefully designed series of problem-solving initiatives and group activities selected to meet the needs of your group. Activities range from 'simple' ball tossing activities to more complex challenges involving larger and sometimes fanciful props. Some activities are physically challenging while others challenge the intellect; each one is chosen and sequenced specifically to assist your team in meeting its goals.

Transfer and Application

Most activities are followed by a “Debrief”: an essential opportunity to reflect on the teamwork process and articulate what the group members learned. Our professional facilitators help participants share their experiences and relate them to their workplace, group or team environment. This is an important step that includes reflection, evaluation, and goal review - all of which are critical for the learning process. This step helps the transference of positive experiences and helps minimize the return to old habits and behaviors.

Research has shown that experiential learning programs, alone or in conjunction with more traditional training programs, are a highly effective means of enhancing team development. Your Challenge Program will be custom-designed to meet the goals of your individual organization; however, the following overview describes in general terms what you can expect from our various program models.

What can you expect to accomplish at the Challenge Program?

½ Day

A half day is enough time to start exploring group process or team issues. You can expect to meet the following objectives during a half day of teambuilding:

• Help participants get to know one another differently than they might in the workplace.
• Provide individuals with a greater degree of comfort with one another.
• Open up lines of communication.
• Establish a sense of team camaraderie.
• Create an atmosphere of mutual support in which cooperation, encouragement and interpersonal concerns are emphasized.
• Gain a greater awareness of the importance of teamwork.
• Get outdoors and have fun!

Full Day

A full day program allows you to reinforce the objectives that are achieved during a half day, and additionally serves to

• Develop clear and effective communication skills.
• Anchor experiences and allows participants to draw useful parallels to the workplace.
• Assess critical factors and more deeply explore ways teams can effectively work together.

In addition, a full day allows time for individuals and groups to set future goals. Goal setting beyond the day assists participants in transferring what they have learned to the workplace.

One or more Days

Any teambuilding program longer than one day increases a group's ability to focus on and analyze issues that are important to the team. Additional days allow you to focus on a broader range of problem-solving activities or include more traditional training segments that further enhance your group's long-term goals. Research into teambuilding has shown that the blending of an adventure program with traditional training models is more effective than either method alone. The benefit of the additional day(s) is that the participants have more opportunities to:

• Integrate traditional training within their adventure program.
• Design specific strategies that transfer their experiences back to the workplace.

What can you expect to accomplish in the high ropes course?

The high ropes course provides participants with the opportunity to challenge themselves individually. Adding a high ropes experience to your program allows group members to

• Explore individual and team risk-taking issues.
• Enhance their understanding of how perceptions can limit achievement.
• Increase their individual self confidence.
• Practice techniques for individual and group support.

Maintained by the University of Michigan Department of Recreational Sports.
Please send comments or questions to recsports@umich.edu.

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