Corporate trainings are an essential part of any organization's growth and development. It is through these trainings that employees are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their duties effectively. However, traditional training methods can often be repetitive and more of best operating processes and unengaging, leading to reduced retention and application of the training material.

To address this issue, organizations have started to incorporate adventure-based experiential activities into their corporate training/ learning programs. Adventure-based activities help to increase employee engagement, primarily through physical, social, emotional engagements to enhance team-building, improve communication and problem-solving skills. One of the most effective adventure-based activities for corporate trainings is OUTBOUND OBT WORKSHOPS conducted with the intention of building teams and enhancing individual performance in the most effective way. And that’s where we come in! These programs are commonly known as Professional Development Programs (PDP) or Outbound Training Programs (OBT).

But what are these OBT WORKSHOPS activities that can be achieved through Adventure Camp / experiential Activities?

PDP workshops activities are activities that are designed to help individuals and teams to set and achieve goals in a challenging and stimulating environment. These activities take place in outdoor settings such as camps, forests, mountains, rivers and involve physical challenges that require teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills to complete. These activities are usually conducted in safe and controlled environment.

In these activities, individuals and teams are presented with a series of challenges that they must complete within a specific timeframe. The challenges may involve physical activities such as hiking, rock climbing, or kayaking, or mental activities such as puzzles or riddles. The objective of these activities is to develop Confidence, share ideas and resources and work on mutual strength to improve problem-solving abilities, and enhance teamwork and communication.

Benefits of Outbound activities for Corporates

● Enhance Goal-Setting Skills

The primary benefit of OBT adventure camp activities is that they help individuals and teams develop goal-setting skills. In these activities, individuals are required to set specific and measurable goals that are achievable within a given timeframe. This helps participants to develop a clear understanding of what they want to achieve and the steps they need to take to get there.

● Develop Problem-Solving Skills

OBT WORKSHOPS also help in developing problem-solving skills. The challenges presented in these activities are designed to be difficult and require individuals to think creatively and critically in order to find solutions. This helps participants to develop their problem-solving skills and learn how to approach challenges in a more effective and efficient manner.

● Foster Teamwork and Collaboration

OBT WORKSHOPS are also great for fostering teamwork and collaboration. The challenges presented in these activities require participants to work together to achieve a common goal. This helps to improve communication, collaboration, and trust between team members.

● Improve Time Management Skills

Another benefit of OBT WORKSHOPS is that they help individuals improve their time management skills. In these activities, participants are required to complete tasks within a specific timeframe. This helps participants to develop their time management skills and learn how to prioritize tasks to achieve their goals

● Boost Confidence and Self-Esteem

OBT WORKSHOPS also help to boost confidence and self-esteem. Successfully completing challenging tasks helps participants to build confidence in their abilities and develop a sense of accomplishment. This can have a positive impact on their self-esteem and overall wellbeing.

Examples of OBT WORKSHOPS Activities for Corporate Trainings

● Wilderness Survival Skills

One of the examples of an OBT WORKSHOPS for corporate trainings is Wilderness survival skills. In this activity, participants are required to learn and practice basic wilderness survival skills such as building a shelter, starting a fire, and finding food and water. The goal of this activity is to teach participants how to survive in the wilderness and develop self-sufficiency skills.

● Hiking and Orienteering

Hiking and orienteering are also great outbound activities for corporate trainings. In this activity, participants are required to navigate a set course using a map and compass. The goal of this activity is to teach participants how to read maps and use compasses while also improving their physical fitness. This is applicable at workplace to set a goal and navigate through challenges, share ideas and vision and achieve the desired place. Any change of a single degree may change the direction of the company and hence the company’s vision is worked out and displayed to the stakeholder to ensure that they remained focused.

● High Ropes Course

A high ropes course is a challenging activity that requires participants to navigate a series of obstacles high above the ground. The goal of this activity is to develop teamwork, problem-solving skills, and confidence in participants. The other objective is as the company evolves and reaches higher position, the challenge multiplies and every step of this growth should have firm footing and balanced foundation.

● Rock Climbing

Rock climbing is another challenging OBT activity that requires participants to navigate a rock wall or cliff face using ropes and harnesses. The goal of this activity is to develop physical strength and endurance, as well as teamwork and problem-solving skills. It also brings the realisation that keeping balance in vertical growth is critical and every step need to be reinforced with systems.

Conclusion

OBT WORKSHOPS are a great way to enhance corporate skills and learning and improve employee engagement, team-building, and problem-solving skills. These activities provide participants with a challenging and stimulating environment that helps them to develop goal-setting skills, improve problem-solving abilities, and enhance teamwork and communication.

By incorporating OBT WORKSHOPS adventure camp activities into their corporate training programs, organizations can help their employees develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their roles and drive the growth of the organization

The pioneer of these said OBT corporate workshops is Mr. Avinash Deoskar, who carefully crafted experience-based learning program for a group of senior officers of an MNC having a mega cement plant, and a software company in the year 2000. The programs were effective and were expanded to other domains of education, service industry and primarily in the IT industry.

A major opportunity struck when the Global leadership cell of Tata Consultancy Services was supported by Avinash’s program design and helped them make one day outbound activities as part of Ambassador Corps program at ISB, Hyderabad.

After getting this kind of international exposure, and being highly praised and appreciated by International clients, more corporate office in India got motivated to get the benefits of these OBT workshops brilliantly conducted by Avinash Deoskar. And thus started the first licensed Outward-bound centre in India- Adventure Academy with Avinash Deoskar being the founder and Director.

International exposure validated the concepts and methodology formulated by Avinash Deoskar The programs got refined with case studies and fundamental theories being practiced worldwide, but the biggest challenge was to find out ways to make it more relevant for Indian work cultures. There are multiple challenges such as professionalism, ownership of task and leadership styles that play a role in deciding the kind of strategies that would work for Indian corporates. The priority was to address the local challenges by customising the programs to suit the local functioning of a company with very informal yet effective method of program delivery. The program evolved with physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual layers and was received very well by the Indian corporates.

Today Major corporates including Tata Advanced systems Ltd, Tata Consultancy Services, Mahindra & Mahindra, Violia, Spacewood Office solutions, Department of Forests, Revenue, skill development, Tribal development department, Vidarbha Management Association, True scholars, Daga Infrastructure group, Micropro, Sherwood group of education and many more such organizations have deeply benefited from Experiential programs/ workshops designed by Avinash Deoskar.