For businesses · Team Experience
Building together.
A day away from the workplace to come together around a practical challenge and observe how you work as a team. The team designs a solution, tests it and discusses the choices that made a difference.
When an understanding needs to become concrete.
A meeting ends with an agreement. The next day, two colleagues discover that they had imagined different results. Each is doing their part, yet a step is missing that would allow those parts to be coordinated.
A task outside the usual setting offers an opportunity to observe moments like this as they happen. People need to clarify what they want to achieve and decide how to contribute. A change to the design requires informing those working on another part; a doubt raised in time may avoid having to start again.
The experience also makes room for curiosity and the pleasure of doing something together. Seeing a solution work helps people recognise the value of a contribution that could go unnoticed in the daily rush.
A challenge to tackle together.
Participants work in small teams with an objective, a set time and resources available. After the initial brief, they choose how to organise themselves and develop a solution to test.
As they work, they may discover that an idea needs adjusting or tasks need distributing differently. The result also depends on how well they communicate these changes and make room for the skills within the group.
The day takes the project through to the final test and includes a closing discussion. Even an attempt that does not work offers a concrete episode to revisit: what had we anticipated, and what did we discover only afterwards?
The rhythm of the day.
In the morning
We meet for a welcome breakfast. I present the programme and activity brief, including the objective and participation conditions. Teams have time to compare ideas and organise their work.
In the afternoon
After lunch, groups develop the project, carry out the necessary checks and tackle the final test. The end of the activity and the prize giving are followed by a debrief: a guided discussion of the experience.
What to take back to work the next day.
In the debrief, we revisit specific moments. We might pause over a suggestion that received no response, a period of waiting or a check that helped the group move forward. Those involved describe how they experienced that moment and what information they had available.
From there, I ask the team whether they recognise something similar in their own work. The connection becomes valuable when the group can identify a concrete situation and choose a practical adjustment to try.
For example, if it emerged that everyone imagined a different outcome, at the next meeting people could be asked to describe what they expect to deliver. Agreeing who will initiate that conversation and when it will be revisited helps the experience lead to action.
The aim of the closing discussion is to identify one or two workable agreements. The debrief concerns facts and behaviours observed during the day; it does not produce individual judgements or profiles.
The format at a glance.
Participants:
12 to 20 people, divided into small teams of four to six.
Duration:
an eight-hour day, with three hours in the morning, one hour for lunch and four hours in the afternoon.
Location:
a venue away from the workplace, chosen to suit the group, with indoor spaces and an outdoor or covered area suitable for the activity.
The proposal includes:
welcome breakfast, drinks, buffet lunch, materials, space organisation, facilitation, final test, prize giving and debrief. The conditions are detailed in the quotation.
We prepare the day around your group.
In the conversation with the company contact, we define the occasion and what you want to offer people. A newly formed group has different needs from a team that has worked together for years: understanding the context helps us assess whether the proposal is suitable.
We agree on participant numbers, timing, venue and language. We also gather dietary and accessibility requirements, so activities and roles can be organised with the people taking part in mind.
I lead the discussion and guide the group throughout the day. Preparation includes the operational support needed for the spaces, materials and safety of the activity.
Frequently asked questions
It can be part of a Team Day, a project launch or a meeting between departments that work together. It is useful for the company contact to be clear about the opportunity they want to offer the group and to make room for follow-up discussion.
Building together is a Team Experience: a defined day centred on a collaborative activity and a debrief. Ongoing work on team dynamics requires a different programme. Serious conflicts, staff assessments and established organisational difficulties need specific interventions.
No specific skills are required. The roles allow people to contribute in different ways, including through organisation, observation and discussion of ideas. Materials and activities are prepared in advance.
We gather these during preparation to assess their compatibility with the venue and activities. No one is required to undertake a physical task they do not feel comfortable with. Roles are distributed according to people’s abilities and willingness.
Preparation includes a covered alternative. Outdoor activities are adapted or moved when conditions do not allow them to take place safely.
The initial format is designed for 12–20 participants. For a differently sized group, we assess in the first conversation whether the proposal remains suitable.
An anonymous summary of feedback, the agreements reached by the group and a brief account of the relationship between the agreed objective and the experience. This account does not include individual assessments.
The quotation is prepared after the first conversation and depends on participant numbers, venue, hospitality, materials and logistics. It distinguishes the professional fee from direct costs, with the day’s conditions set out in the proposal.
What opportunity do you want to create for your team?
Write to me with how many people you would like to involve, when, and what you are interested in experiencing together. In the first conversation, we will establish whether Building together suits your group and how to prepare the day.
