New Team Building Event

Way back in 1997 Fresh Tracks created the Chocolate Challenge it brought team building indoors and replaced military style tasks with a sensory experience that was both enormous fun and conveyed important messages about business and teamwork.

Every few years we develop more events, like The Team Machine, and we are currently creating another completely original team building exercise that responds to the needs of the present time….

The X Factor of teams

As we approach the year end it’s good to reflect on our achievements. It’s even more gratifying to reflect on the achievements of others, particularly those we’ve helped along the way.

Some time ago we were asked to create a team exercise for X Factor runners up JLS. As the video above shows their performance was outstanding and it’s no coincidence that a year later JLS are have become one of the most successful teams in their field.

Our normal candidates for our team building activities are work teams and during 2010 we’ve seen teams from industries including oil, wine and management consulting all raise their game having adopted some of the same principles that pop stars JLS exemplify:…

Tailored Team Building Exercises on Tap

August 2011 will mark Fresh Tracks’ 20th anniversary. During the past two decades we’ve designed, developed and delivered hundreds of experiential team building exercises.

Along the way we’ve created some classics that we use again and again but we still get excited when a client gives us a brief to create something totally new.

For many years we’ve worked with a water company, monitoring their staff engagement and delivering an annual company conference. Part of the brief this year was to create a 30 minute team exercise for the conference that would entertain, involve and educate over 100 people. …

The Big Picture – Communicating Corporate Values

Finding genuinely effective ways to communicate change in a business can be a challenge. Emails get deleted, newsletters get recycled and live presentations are easily forgotten.

With this conundrum in mind Foster’s Group approached Fresh Tracks to come up with a team activity that would bring to life the launch of their new company identity – Treasury Wine Estates. The strategic decision to separate the Foster’s beer and wine business marked a major change not just in name but also in culture, as the company transforms from a general drinks business to a wine specialist.

As with any change there was a degree of cynicism ahead of the conference, especially toward some of the new values and language being used.

Fresh Tracks responded by creating a challenge…

New Resources: learn from over 19 years of experience

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand” Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC).

In a world of iPods, iPads and 3D TV, it is perhaps surprising that technology has yet to find a more memorable and effective way to put across a message than the simple act of doing.

For over 19 years Fresh Tracks have been coming up with practical activities that improve understanding. We appreciate that it’s not always possible to take a team out for a day and so we’ve developed a selection of resources that can be used in team meetings and training sessions….

What a laugh – Our new laughter workout

Much like exercise, laugh hard enough and your muscles will begin to ache. Similar to physical exertion, when we laugh the elation we feel combats the effects of stress, our body relaxes and endorphins (natural painkillers) are released into the blood stream.

Last week Fresh Tracks ran our first Laughter Workout at a conference for a team from the BBC. This 45 minute energiser led by our expert Amanda Bate had some participants crying with laughter. Although different people respond in different ways everyone felt able to participate and even the most reserved delegate came away having felt a natural high….

New Team Building Event: The Bigger Picture

Try our newest team building event and create a giant piece of sand art that represents your team’s strengths and character.

The day starts with a facilitated discussion about the nature of teams and what kind of team the group is. After a session encouraging creativity and different approaches to art, the team is asked to begin designing a piece of art that can be scaled up to a finished product of around 100m long. …

A quick team building energiser: Team Jump

We have just come up with an idea for a new team building energiser that can be run inside or outside and would work especially well with larger teams. It’s called ‘Team Jump’.

Overview:
A great way to re-energise the team and have a great photo memory of your day’s training.

Running the Activity:…

A very brief look at the Myers Briggs personality test

Fresh Tracks uses the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to develop teams but what is it? For this months video blog Vancover Film School have produced a very simple explanation.

Wikipedia explains that Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.  These preferences were extrapolated from the typological theories originated by Carl Gustav Jung, as published in his 1921 book Psychological Types (English edition, 1923). …

How To: Motivate your team ready for the New Year

It can take several days for your team to really get back into the full swing of things after the Christmas break so it’s imperative that you are already thinking of novel employee motivation ideas to kick start 2010.

Although the right attitude, application and work ethic are important throughout the year, we’ve assembled some employee motivational events that will inspire and invigorate your personnel during a gloomy January….