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Last week saw a group of 19 students and staff, winners in the Leeds Metropolitan University Festival of Partnerships for Students, arrive at the Carnegie Alpenrose for a week of fun and personal development in the mountains. When they received the news that they were to fly out to Bavaria for a week of snow and sunshine, few of them really knew what to expect.
Many groups arrive here questioning themselves deeply, will I be fit enough; is it going to be scary; am I capable? Well, so far...everyone who has visited us on a teambuilding or leadership programme has accomplished the challenges on offer; some against all expectations of themselves. Our trainers are some of the most highly qualified and experienced outdoor specialists and safety remains their main focus; fun a close second! This is nicely expressed below by one of the students in the group.
From all your Gorge group, we wish we were in the Gorge every day. Not once did we feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Thank you for making our first day at the Alpenrose so great. Becki Griffiths
Although this programme was not essentially about learning new skills or teambuilding (these students came from many different faculties across the University) it was still designed to be a very powerful experience, benefitting the individual both personally and professionally.
Reasonably new to the industry myself, I have been blown away by the effects of outdoor activities on individuals. The achievements in getting yourself and your team mates down through the “Gorge experience” or of learning a new skill such as Nordic skiing are a huge boost to self confidence and self belief which in turn can boost creativity, problem solving and develop talent and potential. You are also bonding with people who are sharing the same experiences as you and in doing so you are learning to place trust and have confidence in others as well as yourself.
Experiencing something outside of your normal routine can also have huge psychological benefits and give you that nudge you need to realise dreams and aspirations that you thought were beyond your boundaries. Please see our “Be your Best“ web page for more benefits of outdoor activities.
“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow.”> Ronald E Osborn
This group arrived in the main as individuals but left as a group of friends who had shared some great experiences. There was a lot of laughter as well as a few tears of anticipation but I think the testimonials they left us sum up the end product......
“Had a brilliant time and would like to thank all the staff involved. I feel I have achieved something I would not have done otherwise, thanks" Karen Smith
“Thanks to everyone involved in making the last few days so amazing. I’ve never been on a trip like this but I definitely will be doing something like this again....” Chris Jones
“The time spent with My Peak Potential has been both exciting and exhilarating. The activities are so rewarding and the team leaders are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Thank you 4 the opportunity” Sam Dixon
Outdoor activities, by combining cerebral, physical, and emotional dimensions, offer the opportunity to discover the behaviour patterns and interpersonal skills of how people behave, interact, and achieve, regardless of whether they are abseiling or undertaking a work role. This is the key to the effective use of the outdoors. First designing a course that is strong in isomorphs - the similarity between behaviours at work and in the outdoors – and then enabling participants to discover this relevance and transfer their learning back to the workplace. This has been described as isomorphic transfer – the gaining of knowledge and skills in one environment that can be transferred to another.
So how do outdoor activities that appear unrelated to work activities improve performance at work?
Effective learning takes place when an individual puts an idea into practice. That practical experience tests the original idea, the individual can reflect upon the results achieved - modify the idea as necessary - and try again. The outdoors is a superb environment in which to do this because it is closer to reality than most forms of training as participants behave normally and cannot role-play due to the unfamiliarity of the setting. For most people it takes them out of their comfort zone, which is necessary to develop and learn. Learning occurs when we move briefly into stretch, try new things, and return to comfort to reflect upon the experience and assess what we have learned. Soon what was in stretch becomes comfortable, our comfort zone expands, and we become more capable. My Peak Potential’s experience of controlling people’s exposure to risk in the outdoors ensures that participants do not spend time in their panic zone as that causes stress and significantly hinders performance and learning.
Not only does the outdoors provide a novel, non-contextual environment for learning but also because tasks are unrelated to work activities and are relatively simple they expose the processes by which individuals perform and achieve. Outdoor activities offer an emotional dimension that parallels real life and presents a full learning experience. The physical, emotional, and cognitive nature of the activities helps by breaking down psychological barriers that can inhibit participation and learning. The immediacy and nature of the tasks involving these three domains requires full participation, the taking of decisive action, and heightens the experience. So gaining greater commitment from the participants and encouraging longer retention of the learning outcomes.
The safety of participants must be of the highest priority and although outdoor activities have apparent danger, in reality the danger is minimized and mitigated. The outcome of well structured outdoor programmes is one of the individual experiencing strong emotions in a safe environment. This is important because it exposes the underpinning processes (the behaviour patterns and interpersonal skills) of how people relate to others. In taking what they perceive as risk, whilst being challenged and supported, participants can explore and understand their own limitations, how they react to others and how that affects their behaviour. Limitations can then be placed in context and practical steps planned to overcome them.
[1] Teigen KH., 1994. Yerkes-Dodson: A Law for all Seasons. University of Troms0, Norway. Sage Publications.
Last week saw a group of 19 students and staff, winners in the Leeds Metropolitan University Festival of Partnerships for Students, arrive at the Carnegie Alpenrose for a week of fun and personal development in the mountains. When they received the news that they were to fly out to Bavaria for a week of snow and sunshine, few of them really knew what to expect.
Reasonably new to the industry myself, I have been blown away by the effects of outdoor activities on individuals. The achievements in getting yourself and your team mates down through the “Gorge experience” or of learning a new skill such as Nordic skiing are a huge boost to self confidence and self belief which in turn can boost creativity, problem solving and develop talent and potential. You are also bonding with people who are sharing the same experiences as you and in doing so you are learning to place trust and have confidence in others as well as yourself.
