Research by the country’s foremost activity provider, The Activity People, reveals a combination of tougher economic times and Government spending cuts are steering employees and companies away from traditional office Christmas parties towards more action-based activities.

The Activity People monitored corporate bookings for Christmas parties over a five-year period. The figures reveal a dramatic increase in the last two years in the number of companies booking activities such as paintball, go karting or clay pigeon shooting.

Research by YouGov in 2009 revealed that only about 40 per cent of office workers were guaranteed a Christmas party, with one in six employees contributing to the budget themselves.  Rebecca Rudkin, Corporate Manager at The Activity People, believes this pressure on the Christmas party budget is forcing employees and companies to rethink their party plans.

‘More than ever before companies want value for money for their Christmas party and they want to be sure that employees enjoy it. Therefore, they are being more creative in what they are doing,’ says Rudkin.

Although the latest Government economic statistics revealed higher growth figures than expected, the planned Government spending cuts mean 2010 is likely to be another Christmas where budgets will be tight for parties.

Mark, who runs a small engineering firm in the West Midlands, is taking his team of 25 for a corporate shooting day. ‘We just wanted to do something different. We had a vote amongst our team and shooting come out top,’ says Mark

Angela, who runs a hairdressing salon in London, said: ‘We are all going karting, and having some food and drink afterwards. We are a young team and didn’t want to sit around with paper hats on. The guys are really looking forward to it.’

Rudkin says: ‘Our research shows many companies like to do something active because it relaxes people and it is simply more fun.’

The Activity People are giving every participant a £10 voucher to spend on an activity of your choice after Christmas, with Christmas and New Year bookings of 20 people or more. Just quote ref: adrenamagfreevoucher, when you book your group into any activity, and the vouchers are yours.

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1. Motor sport star Alice Powell. In January Alice Powell was named the British Woman Racing Drivers Club Elite Gold Star Winner for her success and achievement in 2010. It is the second year in succession she has won the award.

Presenting the award to the former karting star was the BBC1 Formula One TV presenter Jake Humphrey. Jake said: ‘I really do think it’s about time that women who are making waves in motor racing are recognised at the very top. So good luck in 2011.’

This year Alice hopes to compete in the Formula Renault UK Championship, which receives LIVE ITV coverage and crowds at the track that match figures of attendance at an average Premier League Football game. If you are a woman who is interested in karting and would like to know where Alice started click here.

2. Italian women clay pigeon shooters. Italy is home to some of the world’s top women clay pigeon shooters. Katiuscia Spada won the Skeet Women ISSF World Cup Final in Izmir, Turkey, in 2010. It’s not the first time the Italian police officer has been seen on the medal winners’ podium in the last three years; she won the Olympic silver medal in Beijing behind fellow Italian Chiara Cainero. Skeet is a clay pigeon discipline where clays are thrown by two machines for the shooter to kill. If you want to try clay pigeon shooting, click here.

3. Water sports super star, Kristin Boese. German Kristin Boese is a legend in women’s water sports. Twice women’s world kitesurfing champion, she has been nominated for world sailor of the year. The author of several books, she has also recently launched a modelling career. If you want to try water sports, click here.

4. Archery hot shot. Twenty-six year-old Nicky Hunt is targeting more medals in 2011. Finishing 2010 in number one position in the FITA world rankings, she helped the English team win the women’s compound team event then added the individual gold medal a day later. If you want to try archery click here.

5. Women skydivers. It’s known as the world’s biggest pink cloud with 181 women skydivers filling the Californian sky in 2009. Led by Kate Cooper-Jensen, one of the foremost skydivers in the world, Jump for the Cause was co-founded with Mallory Lewis, after her mother, legendary puppeteer Shari Lewis, lost her battle with cancer in 1998. Events in 1999, 2002 and 2005 raised a combined total of over $1 million and broke the previous world records with 119 women in 1999, 131 women in 2002,151 in 2005 and 181 women in 2009. If you want to try a sky dive or another extreme sport, click here.

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Back in 2011, West Ham United spent most of the football reason firmly rooted to the bottom of the English Premiership table and they decided to reverse their fortunes with a day’s karting and clay pigeon shooting. The team bonding session was revealed by the then England international striker Carlton Cole on Twitter.

Avram Grant, West Ham’s beleaguered manager, no doubt hoped to sharpen the striker’s shooting skills with a day hitting clays. No one at the club was available to comment on whether the karting laps got the team motoring or whether the team’s star player Scott Parker used the go-karting day to practise his corners. After the team-building event, West Ham achieved their best result of the season with a win over Liverpool, to lift them off the bottom of the table for the first time – they even ended up surviving relegation!

If you want to try karting click here, or clay pigeon take a shot here

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Team building was widely regarded as a key part of the England cricket squad’s success in retaining the Ashes in Australia back in 2011. Before leaving for Australia, England’s cricketers headed to Germany for team building activities that included boxing and commando-style assault courses, hiking and various other activities. Indeed, England head coach Andy Flower faced criticism from the press when James Anderson – spearhead of England’s bowling attack – suffered a rib injury during a boxing session and was omitted from the team’s opening tour game in Australia.

In an irony, not missed down-under, it was the Australian cricket team that first embraced team building exercises in a major way, when their former coach John Buchanan sent the squad off to the bush for a boot camp prior to the 2006/7 Ashes series. The Australians famously won every game in the five-match series.

So what is the value of games for team building?  Do team building ice breakers really work? And can corporate team building activities add value to a business?

Peter Ward, who runs a paintball centre in the Midlands, said: ‘We get corporate team building groups coming to us all the time. Their feedback is that the experience is hugely beneficial because it helps break down barriers and forces people to communicate.’

He added: ‘I can’t speak for the England cricket team but I would have thought that exercises where you learn to understand and trust your team mates must help them enormously when the going gets tough.’

Former Royal Naval Officer Jack Broadley, who runs a consultancy specialising in team building, believes team building activities such as the ones which were undertaken by the England cricket team ‘force individuals to react quickly to change and learn in challenging environments’.

Broadley’s view is that team building activities help communication because barriers to dialogue are removed. ‘When you put people on a level playing field they can’t just rely on rank or hide behind their desks. It is about developing authentic communication,’ he says. So if you’re in charge of a team, maybe you should book a group activity day.

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One in three UK workers is too shy to get sweaty in front of colleagues according to a British Heart Foundation (BHF) survey. The BHF study, which looked at UK workplace exercise trends, revealed that over half of UK workers are desk-bound for most of the day with nearly 50 per cent eating lunch at their desks. According to the findings 81 per cent of UK workers fail to get the recommended amount of exercise a week.

With the UK government predicting that 36 per cent of men and 28 per cent of woman will be obese in five years, what’s the answer? The BHF survey suggests the workplace is the perfect location for keeping fit and active, with half of UK workers admitting they won’t travel more than 10 minutes from work or home to exercise.

Lisa Purcell, project manager for the BHF’s Health at Work Programme says: ‘Embarrassment shouldn’t prevent people from being healthy at work. You don’t have to don a lycra leotard to get fit and healthy, the payoffs from even simple changes like taking a walk at lunchtime are too great to ignore. Getting healthy during the working day means you are less stressed and better motivated.

‘Bosses need to understand there’s a massive return on investment here. Simple measures to improve the health of your workforce – like swapping tea-break biscuits for fruit, or getting the team together for a lunchtime kickaround in the car park – can improve productivity, reduce staff turnover, and mean fewer sick days.

‘We are calling on businesses to take their employee’s health and wellbeing seriously, and start reaping the rewards,’ she said.

The BHF Health at Work programme, sponsored by Legal & General, has already signed up more than 800 organisations. Employees from bin men to bank tellers are finding there’s no need for blushes when they’re all in it together.

Apprentice star

Claire Young has lost four stone since appearing on the BBC’s Apprentice. She says: ‘All companies need a fit workforce – a healthy mind is a productive mind. The more employers look after their staff, the better they will perform. It’s a great way to ensure a happier and healthier workplace.’

Five corporate sporting events for shy employees

1. Paintball. No need to worry about getting sweaty in front of work colleagues when playing paintball: the protective clothing will hide your blushes and save your face. If you want to fire your work colleagues into action, click here.

2. Karting. Karting is another sport where the more retiring office worker can hide behind the crash helmet and the overalls. Put your foot down and get your colleagues away from the desk for some exercise. It may be sitting down, but the blood is pumping. More and more offices have having their Christmas parties on the track. Check it out here

3. Clay pigeon shooting. Here’s a sport that’s more swanky than sweaty. Green wellies, tweeds, picnics, oh and there’s also the shooting. Clay pigeon shooting is the perfect mix of social and sporting for lots of work colleagues. Take a shot at it, click here.

4. Segway. Segway racing is a popular corporate event that doesn’t have to embarrass anyone. With the average British office worker spending so much time chained to their desks, a whirl in the countryside maybe just be what the doctor ordered. To take a ride, click here.

5. High Ropes. Tree walking is a corporate sporting event that is rising in popularity. And just like Tarzan and Jane, it is possible to still look cool, although the loin cloth is optional. To book, click here.

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‘5.8 million people in the UK have expressed an interest in trying out an extreme sport. 50% of the population are currently active participants in outdoor activities,’ reported a research team from Brighton University.

Now it seems companies are using the lure of adrenalin to pump up their sales people. How does it work? Andy Leech at The Activity People – the UK’s largest activity network – explained:

‘We work with a number of companies to offer activity vouchers as an incentive for reaching sales or other targets. We even set up a branded site on a company intranet if requested for the employees to redeem their vouchers.’

What is the feedback from sales people? Paul, who runs a nationwide sales force for an electrical business, says: ‘We are always looking at different ways to motivate our sales team in addition to money. The team is fairly young and sporty and activity vouchers are the kind of thing that appeals.’

Graham, who works in IT sales, said:

‘You hear too much about health and safety these days. You have got to live – get out there and do something different. It’s very motivational – and great fun to boot.’

If your business is interested in an activity voucher incentive scheme, email Rebecca Rudkin at The Activity People on rebecca@activityhq.com“. In the meantime, check out the options on: click here.

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Jack Broadley is a former Royal Naval officer who trained officers at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. He now runs a consultancy specialising in developing future leaders, working with clients to maximise performance and enhance levels of effectiveness, especially during periods of rapid cultural change such as mergers or acquisitions.

His solution is extreme. ‘We see extreme sports activities and team building as a metaphor for change in organisations,’ says Broadley. He believes that putting people in team building activities such as high ropes or on the water can replicate many of the challenges faced in organisations. ‘It requires reacting quickly to rapid change, and above all the environment is unfamiliar,’ he says. Sound familiar to anyone in the public sector?

Challenge leaders to be authentic

‘Putting people in an environment where they learn quickly from their mistakes can be hugely beneficial for managers and teams,’ explains Broadley. But he adds there is a difference between challenging and frightening people. And surely many in the public sector are frightened enough. ‘We don’t believe in scaring people, they learn better when they are in a supportive environment,’ he says.

As a practitioner in this field, Broadley is keen to stress that one of the keys to business to getting more out of team building exercises is putting the skills learned into context. ‘What is critical is that people take the skills and apply them. It’s not  just a fun day out of the office,’ he says.

Broadley notices that when managers and teams are undertaking a sport such as sailing, relationships that, on the surface, seem okay in the office environment can break down. ‘When you put people on a level playing field, they can’t just rely on rank or hide behind their desks. It is about developing authentic leaders,’ he says.

‘It keeps things real. Managers learn about their own strengths and where they have to rely on other people. The do-it-yourself approach is definitely old thinking,’ believes Broadley.

Quite how the press and the public sector unions would react to managers hanging from ropes or yachting on the taxpayer is uncertain. But one way or another, Broadley argues that people within organisations, public or private, need to be better equipped to handle change.  If you want to consider some team building activities for your organisation, click here.

And, you can contact Jack Broadley via his company website.

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In his new book, Tom Peters The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence. Tom Peters the US management guru has a phrase: ‘Hard is soft. Soft is hard.’ He believes it is the soft skills in management – not the Rambo macho stuff – that are the keys to career success. And these skills, such as empathy, communication and listening, are the hardest to master.

But what is surprising is that organisations turn to activities like paintball to deliver these skills.

Trevor Read, who’s been a paintball instructor for 20 years, isn’t surprised. He says: ‘It’s fascinating watching people work together trying to attack or defend against another team, very often it is the team who take the time to plan and work together that come out on top. The gung-ho types can go off in different directions and get picked-off.’

Henry Jervis runs Jervis Homes, a property development business in the Cotswolds. ‘There’s no doubt paintball helps build team and leadership skills. In paintball, you often have tasks to do. Someone needs to take on the role of leader, organise a strategy and get people working together. This is often a good chance to give someone a leadership role who doesn’t normally get that chance,’ he says.
‘Reversing people’s roles can be a useful skills-building exercise. They may find themselves leading a team of people, who they normally work alongside or underneath. And, under the pressure of being fired at, they have to communicate clearly and precisely,’ adds Jervis.

Nigel Curtis is head of a marketing and communications agency in the Midlands; he’s a late convert to combat sports. ‘Creative people tend to view the ‘Rambo’ world of laser and paintball sports with a bit of sceptism,’ he says.
‘But I think it gives people the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills, where perhaps they were previously a bit reserved,’ Curtis adds. Jervis makes the point that, like business, combat sports are about learning to balance risk and reward. ‘You’re making critical judgements under pressure, those that make the best decisions win,’ he says.

Curtis believes combat sports can ‘help to break down barriers’. He says: ‘People who are a bit reluctant at first – like me – enjoy the thrill of winning together as a team. I think it also gives people confidence in their skills. They discover they don’t have to be macho figures to outsmart another team. In the end, it’s a combination of head and heart that wins the day.’ Just like the commercial world, then.
10 soft skills combat sports can teach
1. Communicating under pressure. There’s no time for waffle when the paintballs are flying.
2. Building trust. Your life (paintball being that is) can depend on someone else.
3. One and one equal three. Demonstrating the power of the team over the individual can be
very powerful for some people.
4. Plan, act, reflect, and act. Learning to balance action and reflection are key management
skills. Running into enemy fire without a plan is likely to leave you with more paint on than
your skirting board.
5. Strategic thinking. Developing strategies together as team can be both frustrating and
rewarding. But you always learn something.
6. Winning is a habit. It’s amazing what winning does for team motivation.
7. Hidden leaders. Given the chance people surprise themselves, and others, with their
leadership skills.
8. Confidence. Demonstrating the power of people’s soft skills can be liberating.
9. Down and dirty. Back seat ‘ego’ leaders, who won’t get their hands dirty, don’t work in
paintball. Or organisations for that matter.
10. Risk and reward. Balancing risk is a key management judgement.

If, you want to organise a paintball team-building event for your team, or simply shoot them, click here.

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Demanding customers: Every business has them – customers whose expectations can never quite be met.  Nothing is ever quite right, so why not take the angst out of the decision-making and let them choose their perfect day? Tell them how much you value their business and ask them what they’d like to do most: quad biking, hot air ballooning, rally driving, 4X4 driving etc? They will feel uncomfortable, after all complaining is easier than positive suggestions, but deep down they will appreciate it. Just don’t expect them to say so. For a range of activities, click here

New customers: You are in the honeymoon period. You’ve just won their business, and you want to get to know them better. How about a shared activity? Something like white water rafting, monster truck driving or tank driving. Something where you get time to talk to them and understand what makes them tick.For a range of motorsport activities, click here.

Late-paying customers: Why not take these cheque-is-in-the-post guys zorbing? Not only will you put them in a spin, but you’ll get a chance to mention how your cash flow is a rollercoaster ride. If you want to try zorbing, click here.

Ex-customers: By showing how generous you are to your lapsed customers, you’ll have the upper hand all day. And if they come it means they’re still thinking of doing business with you. Try paintballing, take a couple of shots for them and they’ll soon realise what they have been missing. They’ll be back. If you want to try paintballing, click here.

High spending customers: You can’t afford to loose these guys, so one day out a year may not be enough. So how about taking them karting? If they like competing, you could make it a regular monthly event. Put your best driving foot forward, click here.

Low-spending customer: How about mini-moto racing for these mini-spenders? It’s a motor bike that’s only a foot off the ground but goes at 45 mph. It packs a punch and it’s economical. They’ll love it. And if they don’t you could get into talks about how to increase the size of budgets. If you want to try mini-moto racing, click here

Prospective customers: They are ready to buy, but they remain uncommitted.  Whatever you do, don’t talk business. Have a blast. Try off-road karting or dune karting – click here

Angry customers: You need to say sorry and give them time to think it over. Send them up in a hot air balloon. No one can be angry for long with their head in the clouds. If you want to let your customers try it, click here

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David Breslow is a US golfing and business coach and the author of Wired to Win. He’s a firm believer that business has much to learn from sport and extreme sports in particular. ‘There’s no difference between sport and business. It takes the same things to succeed such as confidence, resilience, emotional flexibility, focus and an ability to enjoy yourself.

‘Business people can learn from sports people, who practice a lot, even at less elite levels, in preparation for a short period of intense activity or competition. The opposite is the case in business. I teach that preparation is really everything in business and sport,’ he adds.

Steve, a 40-year-old marketing director of a telecommunications business, relaxes by kite surfing. ‘It’s a contrast to my professional life. I am alone on the water and I am in control. A big part of the attraction is that I am also learning and challenging myself. It’s a mental and physical thing, which I find invigorating.’ But what psychological benefits, if any, does Steve think he derives from his sport?

‘There’s a lot of information to take in and things happen quickly on the water, so it’s about learning, speed of reactions and decision-making. Which I suppose isn’t that different to my job, so maybe there’s a mental training there. But for me the main thing is relaxing the mind, which I couldn’t get watching TV or walking the dog.’

Breslow believes extreme sports can provide a release for stress. However, he cautions: ‘Some business people who are prone to overstress can take the same type of attitude into sport.’  But Breslow believes extreme sports offer special opportunities for personal growth.

He says: ‘Extreme sports can help people step into areas you wouldn’t normally go. You can get amazing feelings of accomplishment. It can truly expand your horizons leaving you with a sense of achievement.’ In his view, extreme sports can be particularly beneficial for managers and leaders.

‘In extreme sports, you have to show high levels of trust in yourself, your training, your equipment, at some point you just have to go for it. Some overbearing, over stressed managers could learn from this. At some point you have to have trust,’ he explains.

Breslow’s advice to extreme sports enthusiasts is: ‘Go to the sport with an open mind about how taking risks, facing danger and stretching your limitations can broaden your horizons.’   And, maybe, like Jeffery, you can make a personal leap forward.

If you are interested in extreme sport activities for team building or corporate development, click here

David Breslow is a peak performance specialist. He is the weekly contributor to the Golf Channel and author of Wired to Win. To learn more about David, email: david.a.breslow@gmail.com or visit www.theflowzone.net

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