- for new, unique, FUN and extraordinarily effective self help resources!
Rick’s “legacy” of resources includes
DO IT YOURSELF KITS
for
ANYTEAM: executive teams, private, public, departmental, SME, project teams. ANY group with “shared Objectives”: EVERYTEAM
Over the years we have built a library of unique learning "Tasks" some of which we are now making available in "KITS" for clients to use as they wish, as often as they like.
ALL require Teambuilding and/or Leadership (leaders can be assigned to
teams in any Task) as well as developing specific relevant skills.
Below are links to the details of our most popular kits
To view the slide show, hover over an arrow on left or right and to enlarge any or all of them, click one
- and then try to work out or guess which of the DIY Tasks below each one is an example of !
NB: All kits include: a Tutor's Brief; delegates' briefs; Teamwork and/or Leadership Behaviour checklists for debrief
ALL TASKS REQUIRE TEAMWORK, whatever the functional learning objectives like planning, debating, negotiating; and in many teams need to acquire information or resources.
What's the task for
What's in the kit
Team Meetings, including remote; boost empathy; help each other grow; identify comfort zones and POTENTIAL and HOW to achieve it - what TO DO
Copies of the Book; tutor's brief; delegates' briefs how to prepare by completing self analyses on pages 12,13; Assertiveness and Listening forms
£250
THINK ABOUT IT!
indoors - 60 to 90 minutes
A great task for helping people get to know each other and help everyone "see themselves as others see them"! The session should be related to specific company/team objectives and goals and HOW to achieve them. The Tutor's brief also explains a range of options of how to use the books and the "EXTRAS" (checklists and questionnaires) to maximise practical benefits. Please feel free to consult Rick on how best to USE the book (and free means no charge!)
indoors - 60 to 90 minutes
£250
The Moonlanding
What's the task for
What's in the kit
Teamworking; Icebreaker; develop key skills.
team meetings, courses and workshops,
Ideally 3 to 6 people in each of 2 to 4 teams.
Tutor's brief; delegates' briefs - 3 parts; Teamwork Behaviour checklists; Assertiveness and Listening Techniques questionnaires
A great task for helping people engage with each other and learn and practise key skills, including LISTENING, DEBATING and TEAMWORK. The Tutor's brief explains a range of options of how to use the kit and the "EXTRAS" (checklists and questionnaires) to maximise practical benefits. In Part 1 individuals (without colluding) choose 12 out of 30 items to take with them to the moon and in Part 2 each team must discuss and AGREE on 12 items to take - and prioritise them. Teams present and justify decisions; optional Part 3 is debate between teams to agree; reflection focuses on teamwork and individual behaviour and skills.
£300
How Good ARE We
at Teamwork?
What's the task for
The ULTIMATE way to boost Communications and Teamworking for ANY team or teams at ANY level, in ANY organisation. Indoors circa 60 minutes.
What's in the kit
Always personalised, examples and tutors' brief in box and see How Good Are We (symptoms are edited for you by Rick who will also collate results)
always customised
In preparation for this Task ideally EVERY member of the team (even those not attending) must anonymously complete a questionnaire scoring the "symptoms" of effective teamwork in YOUR team. Go to How Good Are We for an example. The facilitator collates the scores to identify strengths and opportunities. All individual results (still anonymously) and the team totals and ranking are presented to the team for discussion and debate and, hopefully, AGREEMENT on an action plan on how to improve teamwork and communications AND how to move on together to achieve the team's "SHARED OBJECTIVES".
What's the task for
Indoors 60 to 90 minutes; for teamwork, flexibility, decision making, strategic planning, negotiating and recognising assumptions; teams of up to 6.
What's in the kit
Two bags of Scrabble tiles (the same number and the same value BUT a different mix for each team) Task briefs, Tutors' brief with spare tiles for auction/sale.
Wordpower
£400
2 kits (2 competing teams)
extra kits £100 each
In this task, using Scrabble tiles, teams have to make up words of specific lengths. Each team is issued with a bag of tiles (the same number and the same value BUT a different mix for each team and they can add to these in a variety of ways - buying, or an auction between teams for valuable letters like a Z or a blank or negotiating. Teams need to read the "small print" carefully to work out how to score highly - and, watch out for the ASSUMPTIONS that WILL distract them!
The Lego Tower
£400
What's the task for
Indoors 60 to 90 minutes; for teamwork, planning for profit, decision making, creative planning and recognising assumptions; teams of 4 to 8.
What's in the kit
2 boxes of Lego pieces (identical number and mix of bricks each team); 3 Profit Graphs illustrating how to maximise profit. Task and tutors' briefs.
2 kits (2 competing teams)
extra kits £100 each
The aim for this task is to maximise PROFIT. This requires real teamworking, especially in challenging the ASSUMPTIONS people WILL be making! And as a Leadership task, strong leadership to control the debates! NB: There is a BEST way of using the bricks which is counter-intuitive and is explained in the tutor's brief. If a team does do it this way, (or if none do, the tutor can explain it) this can be used in a discussion around the types of intuitive assumptions that influence decisions and limit creativity and innovation in your world.
The Minefield
£750
for 1 kit for 2 teams
Outdoors up to 3 hours; for teamwork/leadership, use of resources - time management, creativity and lateral thinking, motivation; teams of 4 to 8.
all equipment (see below); task briefs including logic puzzle clues to enable teams to plot where mines are laid and plan a route through; tutors' brief
What's the task for
What's in the kit
The aim is to escape through a minefield - including wounded and blindfold team members! Included in the kit is one "minefield" for laying out, poles and materials teams can improvise with to make stretchers for "injured" team members; blindfolds; There are photographs all over this web site of minefields in action.
The Minefield is flexible (so talk to Rick) and adaptable to different groups - eg, very senior people, who may be great at their jobs, confused by, and arguing about the logic puzzle clues! And once a Headmaster who had attended a Leadership course briefed Rick to prepare a version with simpler logic clues (and methods of escape, eg three legged, for Year 6 pupils (they did brilliantly, because they didn't make the assumptions or argue as much as senior people!)
Profiling for FUN
£300
ideally 4 to 8 participants
indoors, circa 60 minutes
Your choice of the 4 books which include Experiential Profiling, plus copies of THINK ABOUT IT for each participant, plus task brief and TUTORS GUIDE.
What's in the kit
What's the task for
Facilitator issues laminated Experiential Profiling Reference Cards and explains the principles. Team members then pair up to each select 2 or 3 "Personality Types" from each of the Bright AND Dark sides that best describe how they believe they project as personalities. There is then a round table "group therapy" session with each individual learning HOW they can maximise their individual effectiveness and "see themselves as others see them". The books for you to choose from which include their application of Experiential Profiling are: “the PERSUASIVE Professional” - “HELPING People to Buy” - “Leadership at WORK” and “Share, Care, Communicate” (teamworking). Kits include 20 Reference Cards.
What's the task for
One Big HAPPY Team
- our UNIQUE AND MOST POPULAR TASK
indoors & outdoors, 1 to 3 hours - 2 or more teams
What's in the kit
Developing teamworking and co-operation between teams/individuals who might not always work in the same location, but who (should) have shared objectives! Building relationships and motivation.
A 500 piece jigsaw split into sections, with a plan of how they fit together and with each piece having a number on its back. A tutor's guide (personalised as relevant) all checklists for debriefs
£500 for a 500 piece puzzle
Though competing to win, teams need to collaborate with each other to assemble a jigsaw in about an hour! The puzzle is split into sections with teams allocated the ones they are responsible for; and each piece has a number on its back to help with assembly. But teams are not issued with their sections - they must earn them by going on a “treasure hunt”!
This is a great task for bringing everyone together and getting over the message that, no matter what your individual and “small team” roles might be, EVERYONE ALWAYS has to communicate and co-operate to achieve SHARED objectives.
NB: over the years Rick has tailor-made many variations of this task including teams building rafts to float a puzzle on a pond, or carry it up a mountain, or round an obstacle course! (There are images all over this site) So please feel free to ask him what he can do for you!
nb keep your jigsaw to use again (break it back down into its sections after use)
The Balloonpole
£750 for 2 kits
What's the task for
What's in each kit
100 balloons; a variety of poles sufficient to design and build a base and erect a 50 feet pole; string and rope, scissors; briefs checklists, tutors' guide.
£350 each for more
Outdoors up to 3 hours; for teamwork/leadership, use of resources - time management, creativity, negotiating, motivation; teams of 4 to 8.
The aim of the Task is to maximise PROFIT by building a flagpole flying balloons from the top of it. Profit is calculated by the height and the number of balloons and the time taken. Included in each kit are 100 balloons; poles of varying widths and strengths sufficient to design and build a base and then erect a 50 feet balloonpole; varying widths and lengths of string and rope; and scissors. An option In the Planning Phase is to hold an auction between teams for materials. So by the time of the auction teams need to have a very specific strategy - for how much they can afford to spend versus the potential rewards. And negotiating before and after the auction is allowed. See a variety of Balloonpoles in various stages of erection in the slide show above.