Developing community through adventure play

with Mike Anderson & Associates

Experiential Programming should not be confused with feats of physical strength and endurance. On the contrary, challenges are about perceived strength, or lack there of, placing the real challenge on attitude, emotion and intellect. The perceived risk factors encourage participants to cope with interruption, explore goal setting abilities and formulate attainment strategies recognizing the need to utilize the group and their surrounding resources when individual tasks become too great.

We believe that human-relations skills are a must for successful functioning in any environment. In recent years leaders have been relying ever more heavily on group, (specifically intact teams) approaches to promote adaptive change in organizations. These approaches, collectively known as Organizational Development (OD), often require assessing the organization's current stage of development, identifying future goals, and developing the means to achieve these organizational goals. There are three primary methods of OD: survey feedback, process consultation and teambuilding. Our work encompasses both process consultation and teambuilding. Teambuilding emphasizes the analysis of work procedures, the development of positive member to member relationships, and the role of the manager. We understand that organizations need and want to increase performance/productivity through teamwork, and they want the training to occur in a naturally empowering environment. We create an environment in which experimentation can occur, data can be analyzed, new ideas are encouraged, and decisions can be made or problems solved. In a fun and active manner, our programming imparts concepts and skills necessary for success in personal and organizational dimensions. As participation, comprehension and enactment of awareness occur, areas of goal setting, trust, self-confidence, problem solving, relationships and individuation expand. Growth occurs as team members begin to work together toward a common goal despite individual differences.

Our programming is effective as a result of several vital components. Beginning with participant anticipation, individuals are excited and curious about what happens on the challenge course, and what they will be doing. After orienting to the program and beginning initial activities, participants start to experience a sense of disequilibrium. This refers to a state of internal conflict that occurs between old patterns of thinking and new information. The novel, outdoor setting and series of experiences that are selectively placed just outside each participant's comfort zone, challenges participants to integrate the new knowledge, reshape existing perceptions, or face their resistance to change. Participants are encouraged to draw on their mental, emotional, physical, and interpersonal resources to complete each task. As the individual barriers begin to dissolve, participants become increasingly open to a cooperative group belonging and start to experience trust and camaraderie. Any competitive attitude is then laid aside in order to focus on the common Team goals. Completion of tasks leads to feelings of accomplishment, which leads to an increase in self-esteem, increased internal locus of control, more effective problem-solving, more effective interpersonal and intrapersonal communication, and overall morale. Ultimately, this renewed sense of self and success, encourages participants to generalize what they are experiencing and learning in their adventure-based experience, to future behaviors, relationships, and work endeavors.

Some of our more popular programs include:

The staff at Petra Cliffs are experienced in facilitating a wide variety of programs and activities. We love sharing the fun of playing games and the power of group experiences with all ages of participants.

Why use an outside vendor for you teambuilding programs?

The truly effective facilitator - not just someone chosen because he or she happens to be handy - makes training relevant and meaningful and memorable. An ineffective facilitator - even if it is someone who has "always wanted to give it a try" - can still make the most critical issue seem unimportant to participants. Facilitation is a skill that, when mastered, maximizes training time and dollars.

Additionally, your subject matter may call for presentation and advocacy by someone who is not involved with the participants on a daily basis.

We provide you with a carefully chosen professional facilitator, ready to make your program come alive for participants. You benefit from:

What drives us?

Mike Anderson & Associates is dedicated solely to creation, facilitation, and maintenance of highly effective teams. Whether the program takes place at your facility or ours, the programs we deliver are of the highest quality. Our staff has extensive experience in the both the academic and business world.

Our core learning principle is based on understanding that skill development and enhancement through discovery increases retention, and that practice leads to mastery.

All of our programs are experientially-based, combining traditional, interactive classroom techniques with creative challenges which capitalize on the power of metaphors, enabling participants to easily and effectively transfer what they've learned to the workplace.

Our programs are conducted in a challenging, team-oriented environment that will instill a higher level of awareness, confidence, and respect for the power of a highly effective team. With our repertoire of skills, our flexibility, and our experience we have provided extremely effective programs to a variety of corporations and businesses throughout the United States and beyond.

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