As a trainer, you're familiar with this plea. We know teamwork is vital to organizational success, yet so many teams continue to struggle. Why? The answer may be as simple as this: they don't have a clear vision of how a well-oiled team looks, acts, and feels.
You can stand in front of your audience and tell--even push--them to be better team members, but we have a better idea. Let them experience it. Whisk teams away from the traditional classroom with Jungle Escape, the high-energy game that's been a bestseller and perennial favorite among trainers since it was first introduced more than 30 years ago.
Fully immersed in a survival scenario, teams are challenged to work together to build a make-shift helicopter with only limited parts--and each other. Jungle Escape's hands-on design enables players to discover and practice critical group-process skills such as team planning, problem solving, decision making, and conflict resolution. Before they know it, they've experienced first-hand the differences between a Cohesive team and one that's Fragmented or Divergent.
How it Works
Stranded in a jungle after surviving an airplane crash, teams are challenged to build a helicopter to exact specifications using only toy parts, limited access to an assembled model, and teamwork. Starting with a planning phase, they discuss how to execute the project, and then the construction begins!
When the team believes they've properly built their aircraft, the facilitator checks the helicopter for accuracy and then records the amount of time that was dedicated to planning and construction. The winner? The team that spends the most time planning is typically the team that completes the project the fastest. Following the activity, team members take part in a discussion about team dynamics, offer insights, and create an action plan for improvement.
The Jungle Escape kit is packed with everything you need to deliver an interactive, 90-minute team-building exercise, from a comprehensive facilitator guide, colorful toy parts, and useful participant guides to support materials, an action video, and an eco-friendly backpack. Heck, we even added a water bottle for trainers with a thirst for learning!
Jungle Escape is a snap to facilitate, whether you are a novice or a seasoned trainer. Use the game as a powerful way to introduce basic team skills, improve productivity between multiple work teams, or energize mature teams.
Learning Outcomes
Understand the difference between Cohesive, Fragmented, and Divergent teams
Learn and practice the nine elements of effective teamwork
Experience vital group-process skills
Demonstrate the balance between planning and implementation
Recognize the impact of individual behavior on group productivity
Establish action-planning steps for improved team performance
Uses and Applications
Jungle Escape can be used as a standalone team-building exercise or part of a more comprehensive training program. It was developed specifically for new and intermediate work groups, but it's also an excellent refresher and energizer for more mature teams. You can also use the game to:
Introduce the elements of effective teamwork
Kick off a team-building workshop or seminar
Improve productivity between multiple work teams
Identify group issues or concerns that block team performance
