‘Th e Tea m Ch al leng e’ i s de si g ned t o be a u niq u el y exc it ing , fa s t m ov ing and th ou gh t pr ov ok ing pro gr am , wh ich ex pou nds th e b enefi ts o f im p rov ed com m u ni cat io n, team work and pr obl em so lv ing sk il l s. T he ev ent co nta ins a va ri ety o f fou rt een intri g ui ng c onu ndru m s , wh ic h dev el ops b oth th e coh esi ven ess and po tenti a l of t he t eam a t al l l ev els of abi li ty . A ll prob lem s h av e a bu il t in fl ex ib il it y, desi gn ed t o tes t th e ini ti at iv e and neg oti at io n s k il ls of th e p art ic ip ati ng g r ou p.
Teams are encouraged to carefully analyse the task, matching them to the strengths of the team, and then by negotiation with the adjudicator, adapt the problem to achieve the best results and rewards.
It is very unlikely that any group will have time to complete all the activities, so careful time management and consideration to the type of problem, will prove essential in acquiring the best results.
When reviewing a problem, it might be beneficial to consider just three questions :-
WHAT DID WE DO WELL THAT WE ARE GOING TO KEEP DOING? WHAT DID WE DO BADLY THAT WE ARE GOING TO STOP DOING? WHAT DIDN’T WE DO THAT WE ARE GOING TO START DOING?
SUGGESTED AREAS FOR CONSIDERATION COMMU ICATIO SKILLS * How did individuals communicate their ideas? * How did the team receive communication from individual team members? * How aware was the team of the feelings of others? * How much time did the team spend when discussing the problems? * Could the planning stage be shortened and yet made more productive?
MOTIVATIO
* What was the spirit of the team like during the exercise? * When the going got tough, did the tough get going? * How did you ensure a proactive frame of mind under pressure? * Was the team aware of the frame of mind of its members? * Was P.M.A. Maintained throughout?
PROBLEM SOLVI G * Were all alternatives explored before deciding on a course of action? * Once a direction had been identified, did the whole team work proactively to perfect the plan. * Did every team member know what was going on at all times? * Did the team plan for all eventualities? * Was the element of time taken into consideration?
TEAMWORK * Did the team allocate areas of responsibility? * Were decisions autocratic or democratic? * Did the team work as unit? * Did the team use the strengths of its members to their full potential? * Can the team identify at what level of development they are at.
O B J E CT I V E S To make as much money as possible, by successfully completing as many challenges within the time limits allowed.
1) Teams must read and discuss all the information on each one of the challenges prior to the commencment of the day. Teams will be awarded £1000.00 for every spelling mistake finded giving you your start up capital. 2) Teams must arrive at the problem together. Failure to comply will result in a fine of £100 for every team member present. 3) Before commencing any problem the adjudicator must be informed of the plan. 4) A two minute ‘Time Out’ can be called once during every activity. On ‘Time Out’ the clock is stopped and teams move to an area away from the equipment. After the ‘Time Out’ the team rejoin the equipment at the point that each team member left it. 5) Two coffee beaks and a dinner break must be scheduled into every day. 6) The team is allowed to play a ‘Joker’ once a day. On playing the ‘Joker’ the amount available for the problem is doubled. The joker must wear the ‘Jokers Safety Equipment’ for the duration of the problem. 7) Teams are encouraged to negotiate with the adjudicator to tailor the problem to suit the attributes of the team. It is expected that if the team select to alter the difficulty of the problem, the remuneration will also be adjusted to suit. 8) If the team can convince the adjudicator that a second attempt at a problem will produce impressive results, they may be able to attempt the problem a second time. 9) At the end of each activity, one piece of the equipment held by the team is considered a consumable item and cannot be used on any future exercises. 10) At the end of each problem the teams bank account is credited with a 10% premium on its balance. 11) Teams are expected to keep a running total of expenses and income, equipment purchased, equipment consumed and equipment remaining in the store. 12) If at any point the adjudicator shouts ‘STOP’ all activities must cease IMMEDIATELY, you will be deemed to be violating ‘Safe Working Practices’.
TEAM LEDGER
ACTIVITY
JOKER USED
EQUIPMENT PURCHASED
EQUIPMENT CONSUMED
EQUIPMENT HELD BY TEAM
EQUIPMENT DELIVERED
INTEREST ON ACCOUNT
REWARD FOR EXERCISE
EQUIPMENT PURCHASE COSTS
FINES
TOTAL
EXTRA INFO
The Egg Drop
This is a intriguing mechanical problem, which takes the classic ‘drop an egg without it breaking’ to the extreme. Solutions can be very ingenious, with a bit of lateral thinking and ingenuity, what can the team come up with.
THE GREAT EGG DROP Your mission should you choose to accept it............
SCENARIO At ‘Eggs R us’ we specialize in getting eggs to our customers as fast as we possibly can. Unfortunately in doing this a large number of our eggs are damaged in the process. The main problem is transporting the eggs down a flight of steps from the dropping zone to the packing area. It is not possible to move these areas closer together, so outside consultants are being invited to offer a solution to this transportation problem.
SCORING £4000 for returning the egg undamaged
Is to manufacture a working model that can demonstrate a safe transportation method.
GENERAL RULES
*The egg must travel the proscribed route without any physical intervention. *The egg must stay intact. *No ‘Armour can be attached to the egg. *There is no limit to the planning stage, which can incorporate construction carried out away from the site.
TIME AVAILABLE No time limit
PENALTIES Because of the disruption that will be caused to the chickens, the installation of the apparatus carries a progressive time penalty of 1 x £2 for the first minute, 2 x £2 for the second minute, 4 x £2 for the third, 8 x £2 etc.
THE BOX
An interesting and challenging problem. But before the group can undertake this task they must of first made the bridge. Will bridge stand up to this treatment?
THE BOX SCENARIO
Your mission should you choose to accept it............
Your company has been honoured to become the custodians of a priceless Chinese antique box from the Ding Dong Dynasty. The emperor Ding Dong has decreed that the box is to transported back to your company for a formal presentation. Unfortunately the journey requires you to cross a river. Because of the dubious structure of the bridge it is felt that only one piece of the box can be risked at any one time.
TIME AVAILABLE 45 minutes
SCORING £7,000
Is take the box to pieces and bit by bit transport the pieces over the bridge and reconstruct the box on the other side.
GENERAL RULES
* The exercise ‘The Bridge’ must first have been completed. * Each piece of the box must travel over the bridge one piece at a time. * The box must be correctly reassembled on its base on the far bank of the river. * If the bridge collapses during the operation, it must be repaired before continuing. * Anyone touching the river is deemed to have fallen in and must return to the near bank with anything they have in their possession.
PENALTIES If the box is not completely and correctly reassembled on the far bank, within the time allowed, the team will score £0.00.
THE BRIDGE SCENARIO
Your mission should you choose to accept it............
Your company are keen to get involved in ‘Green Issues’ and have agreed to replace a derelict bridge on a local footpath with a new one. Due to the fact that the new bridge is to be placed in an area of natural beauty it is important that the new bridge fits its surroundings. It has been decided therefore to build the bridge entirely out of Bamboo.
Is to design a bridge capable of taking the weight of a person out of Bamboo.
GENERAL RULES
* The bridge must be strong enough to take the weight of the the heaviest member of the team. * The bridge must span a seven foot gap. * The bridge can be anchored on each bank. * The bridge must not have any supports in the river. * No extra equipment can be purchased.
SCORING £5,000 for all members crossing the bridge.
TIME AVAILABLE 45 minutes not including planning.
PENALTIES If the bridge collapses while crossing, £5,000 is divided by the number
in the team and multiplied by the number successfully across. Teams are given 60 6 ft bamboo canes, extra poles can be purchased at £100 per cane.
SECRET MESSAGE SCENARIO
Your mission should you choose to accept it............
Your team has been selected to act as stand by to the local search and rescue team, operating on the local moors. It was discovered by one of the last groups, that due to interference on the radios, at times communication became impossible. It has been decided that in order to prevent a recurrence of this situation a alternative method of communication should be developed as a standby.
SCORING ÂŁ3000 for correct and complete transfer of message
Is to develop a method of sending and receiving messages with the use of flags.
GENERAL RULES * The team have to develop a method of encoding a message, and sending it with use
of flags. * The team are given four flag for this purpose. * No body language is permitted. * The message will not be given to the sending group until they are in position. * Once the message has been given to the sending group they must not rejoin the main group.
TIME AVAILABLE 30 minutes including planning time.
PENALTIES Every mistake, ÂŁ500 deducted from bank account.
Providing the team are in credit at the end of the exercise, the stores will receive a delivery, replenishing any equipment lost to date.
Heavy Pen
It’s easy, just lift that drum with a pen attached and guide it to draw me letters. Just one thing , we deduct points for poor hand writing.
THE HEAVY PEN SCENARIO
Your mission should you choose to accept it............
The research department at your company have developed a Reactor Performance Monitor (R.P.M).T his equipment is designed to be manoeuvred into a confined area within a power station to monitor the performance of the reactor. Because of the sophisticated systems required, the R.P.M must be packed in a protective lead coat. The clients are now skeptical that something so heavy can be moved accurately enough to complete the installation. Your sales team have organised a demonstration to prove the mobility of the R.P.M.
Is to attach a pen to the R.P.M, and with the use of ropes, demonstrate that the unit can be controlled with a fine amount of dexterity, by directing it to draw letters on a white board.
GENERAL RULES
* Using the R.P.M the group must write as many letters on the board as possible. *No one can enter the marked out area. *Any letter cannot be written twice. * The group must decide prier to commencement whether they wish to write lower or upper case.
SCORING ÂŁ1000 for every perfect letter.
TIME AVAILABLE 45 minutes
PENALTIES Money will be deducted for any scruffy or incomplete letter.
THE SHELTER BUILD SCENARIO Your company has agreed to assist a charitable organization within your local area. This organization caters for the blind and they are to attend a team building day with Contact. Because of the inclement weather that has been forecasted, a tent has been provided to protect the team members from the worst of the weather. It is felt that these people should be encouraged to erect their own shelter and so as to appreciate the difficulties involved, a simple exercise has been developed so as to encourage empathy by the supporting staff.
SCORING Bank balance is doubled at time of exercise
TIME AVAILABLE No time limit
PENALTIES
Your mission should you choose to accept it............ After a period of planning, don blindfolds and under the direction of only one able bodied member, erect the tent.
GENERAL RULES
* Teams are give an erected tent to start with. * It is recommended that teams study the construction of the tent. * Labeling of the tents components is allowed before striking the tent. * The tent must be completely taken down but the components can be arranged to aid construction. * All but one team members then done blindfolds. * Under the GUIDANCE of the sighted team member, the BLIND team members must then erect the tent.
£50 for every minute in the construction area. Anyone suspected of ‘Peeking’ that team member is removed from the exercise and the team fined £250. The Joker cannot be played on the exercise.
THE WRECKERS SCENARIO
Your mission should you choose to accept it............
During days of old, the locals living along the coast of Devon were known as ‘Wreckers’. On stormy nights they used to light beacons that would supposedly guide ships to safe havens. Unbeknown to the poor unsuspecting crews, they were actually being drawn to a watery grave amongst treacherous rocks, where on meeting their end the Wreckers would then finish off any survivors and make away with any bounty.
SCORING £4500 for exact completion
TIME AVAILABLE 45 minutes including planning time
Is to revive the lost art of ‘Wrecking’. Because it is anticipated that the local authorities would disapprove of this revival of culture, it is imperative that any beacon can be easily extinguished at short notice.
GENERAL RULES
* A candle must be lit and placed in the lantern. * The lantern must be hoisted 20 feet into the air. * On the instruction of the adjudicator the candle must be extinguished within 5 seconds without lowering the lantern. * The lantern must not be damaged in any way. * The candle must not go out before the instruction from the adjudicator.
PENALTIES £100 for every minute taken on the problem
Armchair Olympics
Swinging our canoeist through the slalom gates, without touching the water requires excellent team work, coordination and communication skills.
ARMCHAIR OLYMPICS Your mission should you choose to accept it............
SCENARIO Due to the increasing fashion of watching sports from the comfort of your own home and the growing technology in virtual reality, your company has developed the ultimate armchair, virtual reality, low cost experience.....Armchair Canoe Slalom. This new sport enables participants to experience all the spills and frills of canoe slalom without ever having to get out of their armchair. After considerable research, your company has identified this area to be an ideal venue to pilot this amazing new phenomenon in entertainment.
SCORING £2000 for completing the course. £2000 for negotiating each gate in the prescribed manner.
Is to install the Armchair Slalom course.
GENERAL RULES
* Teams are given a number of pieces of equipment free of charge. Additional equipment can be purchased from stores at the normal rates. *Team members are allowed anywhere on the course whilst installing and testing the ride but must be out of the marked out river when the ride takes place. *The canoeist must travel threw 4 gates, 2 in the direction of the current and 2 against, plus the canoeist must travel in reverse through two of the gates and forward through 2 gates. * The platform must not be lifted above 3 feet.
TIME AVAILABLE No time limit
PENALTIES £1000 for touching a gate as the canoeist passes through.
Caterpillar crazy
Moving down the course on these platforms looks easy but try doing it with the full team of ten delegates and things get interesting. Good time for building relationships.
CATERPILLAR CRAZY SCENARIO During the unusual wet spring this year in Brazil, the carnivorous Yellow Stripe caterpillars natural predator, the Lesser Spotted Catkiller, has not been able to breed. This has caused a proliferation of the Yellow Stripe to plague proportions. Earlier this week a ship bringing produce from Brazil landed at the local docks and unbeknown to the crew, they were carrying thousands of the Yellow Stripe. These have now disembarked and are surrounding the only stores of the pesticide Yellow Death, which is essential for the control of this epidemic.
Your mission should you choose to accept it............ Is to rescue the pesticide from the deadly clutches of the Yellow Stripe. Because of the Yellow Stripes unusual ability to jump two feet into the air, specialised equipment has been supplied to allow the whole operation to take place above the two foot danger area.
GENERAL RULES
* Only one piece of extra equipment can be purchased. * At the outer low perimeter wire the whole team must go under the wire but remain above the two feet danger area. *At the high inner perimeter wire the whole team must go over the wire. *Anyone touching the floor will be attacked and eaten by the Yellow Stripe and will be out of the exercise
SCORING *Each person successfully negotiating the low wire = £100. *Each person successfully negotiating the high wire =£200. *Each person successfully reaching the storage dump =£300
TIME AVAILABLE No time limits
PENALTIES No penalties
THE DECIPHER
The Decipher will present the team with a problem solving conundrum that will require considerable lateral thinking skills to solve. Difficult but teams are rewarded with a great sense of achievement on this team challenge.
THE DECIPHER SCENARIO A terrorist organisation has taken five members of your team hostage. Each team member is being made to hold a bomb, which will explode if released. A crack extrication team has discovered how to rescue the hostages but, it’s risky.
Your mission should you choose to accept it............ Is to divided into two groups, the hostages and the rescuers. With the information provided carry out a daring rescue.
GENERAL RULES * 5 team members must be selected and will be take hostage by the adjudicator. * Once the hostages have been taken they cannot change places with the rescuers. * The remaining team members will be given a envelope with disarming instructions. * Using the information provided the team must work out how to safely perform a rescue. * There is no ‘Time Out’ facility on this problem. * If any of the rules are infringed, the bomb will of deemed to have gone off with no survivors.
TIME AVAILABLE 45 minutes
PENALTIES No penalties
Successfully disarming the bomb £10,000 No money will be paid if the hostages are killed or for partial completion.
DOCK SIDE
Dockside presents delegates with a real challenge. Participative learning has never been more important when it comes to helping hands, support and encouragement
DOCK SIDE SCENARIO Due to the demise of shipping at the local docks, all the cranes that are used to unload not only the large ship but the small but significant fishing fleet have been removed. This has caused a problem within the fishing community because at low tide the deck of a trawler is seven foot below the level of the quay, making unloading very difficult. Today we are receiving a Royal visit, and it is imperative that we have the product from the sea as soon as it arrives at dock but unfortunately the time of arrival corresponds with low tide.
SCORING ÂŁ3500 for successful attempt
TIME AVAILABLE
Your mission should you choose to accept it............ Is to find a way of unloading the produce over the seven foot quay, so as to allow our chefs the necessary preparation time.
GENERAL RULES
* The whole team will join the boat prior to it entering the dock. * The produce must be stacked on the pallet before any team member can exit the quay. *All team members must leave the quay by crossing the finish line. * ONLY HORIZONTAL poles can be touched. * Anyone touching the floor or any pole that are not horizontal and the whole team must return to the boat.
No time limit
fis h
fish
fish
h fis
PENALTIES No Penalties
f is h
MINE FIELD Your mission should you choose to accept it............
SCENARIO During the war in the Middle East a number of antipersonnel mine-fields were laid. These mines are triggered by electronically detecting intruders. The only way to cross the mine-field is to use the specially developed ‘Dispersing Electronic Array Detectors’ (D.E.A.D), which are very reliable, most of the time.
Is to cross the minefield using the D.E.A.D and retrieve the equipment.
GENERAL RULES
Within one of these mine-fields is a number of pieces of equipment that must not fall into enemy hands.
* Each team member will be issued one D.E.A.D and the team will be issued one spare D.E.A.D. * All D.E.A.D must be passed between team members, not thrown. SCORING *No more than one team member can stand on £1000 per team mem- any D.E.A.D. ber making it trough The team must completely clear the minefield of all items. the mine-field.
TIME AVAILABLE No time limit
PENALTIES Every Three minutes one of the D.E.A.D will fail and explode. This will happen at random. The person standing on the D.E.A.D at the point of failure will be killed and will be out of the exercise.
STRETCHER CROSS SCENARIO
Your mission should you choose to accept it............
During a navigation exercise the team have become geographically embarrassed and have strayed into a secret Hand Bag manufacturing alligator farm. The first the team know of this is when one of the team notice a grinning swimming log carrying off his training shoe with his foot still in it. The team have managed to get onto an island and are now stranded in the middle of the swamp with an injured party.
Is to transport the whole team including the injured party out of the swamp using the available high ground
SCORING ÂŁ4500 will for successfully completing the challenge.
GENERAL RULES
*Team members can not enter the swamp at any time, including the planning stage. * Team members can only touch the per scribed high ground. * Equipment can only be supported by high ground. * Anyone touching the ground, the whole team must return to the start point. * The injured team member must not stand during the whole of the operation. * High ground platforms cannot be moved.
TIME AVAILABLE 45 minutes
PENALTIES ÂŁ1000 will be deducted every timer the team return to the start point.
The Reactor
Exercise that test the teams ability to plan for all eventualities. Once they have decided on a course of action, teams are not allowed to move, so careful planning is required in order to complete this multi faceted problem.
THE REACTOR SCENARIO Because of the power strikes in the earl 70’s, the local hospital decided to install its own nuclear generator. The core of this plant is the highly dangerous Plutonium, which has now degraded to a very unstable state. This plutonium now needs to be removed from its containing vessel and placed in its safe handling container.
Your mission should you choose to accept it............ Is to transport the plutonium through its proscribed safe rout to its safe handling container. Caution Breaches in radiation can seriously damaged your health
GENERAL RULES * Once the plutonium begins its journey, the enclosure is out of bounds. * The plutonium can not leave the danger area. * For safety reasons the plutonium must travel the prescribed route. * If the Plutonium touches the floor the team will suffer an expensive clean up operation costing ÂŁ1000 per contact. *Repairs can be carried out by : 1) By Manipulating the equipment from outside the danger area. 2) By replacing the Plutonium back into the reactor and once safely secured entering the area. *Team members must not move position once the activities begins.
SCORING Successfully completing the task will double the teams bank balance at the time of the exercise.
TIME AVAILABLE 45 minutes. Planning time is not included within the 45 minutes
PENALTIES Unsuccessful attempt will half the teams bank balance.
Thank you for taking a look out our Indoor Challenge. These are a sample of the exercises that are available. Our remit is to provide such an eclectic mix of activities, there will always be something that every delegate will be able to shine at. For more information on this course or any other enquiry please contact Simon 01395 222174, visit our web site: www.contact-training.com or email me at Simon@contact-training.com