They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
Last week I went to a wedding of a friend – Mark and I have known each other for over twenty five years and keep in touch every now and then, so it was fantastic to catch up with him and also with so many others from the past. We used to attend the same circus skills workshop and along with another friend, Mike we formed a circus act called “The Flying Frick Circus Company” which we performed at local fetes and events. Mike had flown in with Paivi his wife, from Jordan to be there and it was so good to catch up face to face rather than on Skype or Messenger. The rapport was still there...
Read MoreHow do I organise a team building away day for our surgery?
Before making any arrangements, there are some questions that need answering such as “What are the reasons we are doing this”. Is it something that is done every year and is therefore expected by the staff? Are there specific issues that need to be discussed? Is this something to lift morale within the surgery? Equally important to ask is “What are our desired outcomes and how are we going to measure them” The answer to these questions will most likely depend upon the type of intervention you choose. For example a meal out for the team or say a trip to a local ten pin bowling club...
Read MoreHow important is the venue to a team building away day?
For most organisations the price of the venue or the day delegate rate will be the biggest cost to the day, so getting the venue right is very important. Probably the more important question to be asked is, “How much value will the choice of venue add to the overall experience” or “Will the venue enhance the opportunity to deliver on our required outcomes”. Over the seventeen years we have been delivering our unique motivational away days for clients, we have had some interesting experiences in respect to the venue selected by the client. When asked, we prefer a well lit room clear of...
Read MoreDo team building away days work?
I suppose as someone who designs and delivers team building away days I should answer “ Of course they do, just sign the contract here and here please” (Actually we don’t ask you to sign a contract, an email confirmation and a deposit to secure the date in our diary will do) Being realistic though, it really does depend upon the expectations you had about the outcomes. For example if the team has issues with the way the way communicate with each other, how work well they work together as a team (rather than a collection of individuals) or perhaps there are some personality clashes, the...
Read MoreHow much does an away day for a GP surgery cost?
This is a much easier question to answer than the previous blog because there are more known factors. When working with GP surgeries numbers tend to be less than thirty which of course impacts upon what we know will charge. Another know factor is what we deliver during the half/whole day. We have developed a programme that has worked incredibly well and therefore most of the design work has already been done. Around this basic format it is quite easy for us to tailor a half/whole day for a surgery. Another factor is that we are committed to working within the NHS and have developed a strategy...
Read MoreHow much does a team building away day cost?
Very much like the question “How long is a piece of string” there is no defined answer. There are however several factors that affect price and so knowing what these are, can give you a better idea of what you can get for your money. Number of people. As a general rule, the greater the number of people, the lower the cost per head. Event management companies like any organisation will have an initial cost they need to recover and of course there will be costs relating specifically to your away day. The cost of a venue, the appropriate number of facilitators required, travel costs, use of...
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