Lost in the Wilderness! A 100% online DIY reality energiser where teams having crash landed in the Canadian wilderness

Reality exercise for teams: This is a matter of life or death

30-40 minutter + debrief. For both virtual and face-to-face training. The exercise will be delivered digitally.

Five-Year Repeat Use Licence: This Northgate training activity comes with a five-year licence for repeat use with up to 24 participants. A licence is required for each site (or remote hub). To use with larger groups or for multiple site licences please contact us for a quote.

Participants: 3-24 (up to six teams of 3-4 per team).
Timing: 30 - 40 minutes + debrief.
Delivered as a download.

Each team receives a Brief, telling them they are part of a flight over a remote area of Canadian territory, en route to a fishing holiday.

Their seaplane is fitted with amphibious floats but when the engine falters, the plane crash-lands in the wilderness, killing the pilot. The crashed plane lies pointing in the direction it was flying and the pilot's last words were that they were 20 minutes flying time from their destination. Knowing their speed they can work out how far they are from their goal.

There are 15 items that have survived the plane crash. No food or water but some useful items that might help with survival. Teams do NOT rank these items but can utilise them in any plan they come up with.

Each team's objective is to plan a way forward - but they have limited time - just 20-30 minutes! Should they stay with the plane? Striking off into the wilderness, especially as two of the team are slightly injured, without food and water, compass or map could be disastrous - in this wilderness who will find them?

Teams must sum up the situation, list the options and decide on a plan. Clear thinking, common sense, good leadership and decisiveness are required. Lots of lively debate ensues!

Trainer’s role (full guidance supplied in Trainer’s Notes)

• Divide your group into teams, with 3-4 people per team, and briefly introduce the activity as a team activity and give a time frame (do not go into details of what is on the Brief).
• Put teams into virtual breakout rooms and issue a Team Brief (PDF) to each team.
• Announce the time and tell teams they have 20 minutes for the task (you may want to shorten or extend this).
• Visit teams in their breakout 'rooms'. Observe the teams at work. Note how their discussions progress, how they work as a team, whether they elect a leader or one emerges. How much conflict is there? How easily do they reach consensus etc?
• Stop the activity at the allotted time (or when you judge it right).
• Start the Debrief in a plenary session. Ask teams in turn to briefly report on how they approached the task and their final decision on what to do. Give a time-frame of, say, one minute for each team. Allow teams to quiz each other on their decisions. See the Trainer's Notes for suggested points to raise.
• Finally, ask teams what key learning points they take from the session - about themselves and their teamwork, to take back to the workplace. A whiteboard on your virtual platform might be useful here.

Learning objectives

• to discuss an issue under time pressure
• to analyse a problem
• to work together as a team
• to see the usefulness of brainstorming
• to prioritise
• the need for consensus
• decisive leadership
• to express views with conviction