Adventure Learning Newsletters

• 4th Quarter 2003
• 3rd Quarter 2003
• 4th Quarter 2001
• 3rd Quarter 2001

Newsletter: January, February, March 2004:

CollectiveIntelligence: Beyond Team Building

In response to continuing requests from clients for programs that actually improve performance and simulate their current business environments, we have created our new CollectiveIntelligence programs.  These programs differ significantly from any team work programs currently being offered in the US. For a limited time we are offering significant discounts and a satisfaction guarantee. For further information on these exciting new programs please go to our CollectiveIntelligence page.

Symmersion Programs:

In collaboration with Real Life Systems, we have developed a new and completely unique Experiential Simulation: The Symmersion.  This two day, outdoor based simulation, was designed as a vehicle for building cohesion in large organizations with differing cultures existing under the umbrella of the organization's common goal. This is a dynamic program designed specifically to highlight ways in which organizations can harness the dynamic aspects of a different cultures/common goals to achieve excellent performance. This simulation is like no other team building/experiential program that we know of. For more information about Symmersions, please call us at 800-551-3210 or fill out our Information Request Form. We intend to have this product on CD and available for license in 2004.

What's New:

Among other highlights this year are, the continuation of a major team training initiative with all levels of a large government agency in which we continue to design and build challenge courses in a number of different training centers, continued development of our Professional/Executive Coaching practice, and the continuation of our commitment to be a global provider of team building programs.  The last year also marked continuation of our membership in the Association for Experiential Education and membership in the Association for Challenge Course Technology. Our membership in these and other professional organizations greatly enhances our ability to offer cutting edge programs and services to our clients.

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Jeffrey Parsons has been an instructor/facilitator for Adventure Learning Associates for the last year. Jeffrey has been a commando with the Royal Marines, a manager for Outward Bound for over ten years, and has owned several businesses. Currently, with his family, he owns Bethel Outdoor Adventures, in Bethel, Maine.  His experience includes lecturing, leading wilderness expeditions, and facilitating corporate development programs.  He works primarily with executive groups in a wide range of settings, from executive board rooms to the wilderness.

Jeffrey brings to his work, intuition based on years of experience including running and owning businesses, a global perspective, energy, insight, and a tough minded world view complemented by a world class sense of humor. Jeffrey has the unique ability to take a working group to the next level of performance.

Jeffrey is based in Bethel, Maine but delivers programs globally.

Highlighted Program Offerings:

• New Responses to New/Old Problems
  Is your team just going through the motions? Are you finding your team lacks the resources to come up with the creative solutions to the ever changing problems generated by our current crisis oriented business environment? Or, is your team in crisis denial, thinking if they ignore what's happening around them, it will just go away? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then your team may be a good candidate for our new Team Jump Start Program. This newly developed two day team program has the deliverable/outcome of increasing your teams creativity/ability to develop new solutions to complex problems and to get your team out of analysis paralysis and to find the internal resources it needs to actually develop realistic action plans to take on the important issues. Team Jump Start is two days of increasingly difficult problem solving activities culminating in a complex activity that requires teams to dig deep into their creative resources to be successful. The program ends with a half day action planning activity that should generate the jump your team needs to move the next level. This is the ideal program for a new team, a retrenched team, or a team that just can't seem to get going. Please visit our Services page for more information.
• Celebrating/Challenging/Motivating Teams to do More With Less
  The layoffs and cost cutting are over and you've retained the best and the brightest, now, the big question remains: How can you get fewer people to do more with less? One possible solution to this dilemma may be our half day Team Spirit Program. Team Spirit is a large group rejuvenation/motivation program. This program focuses on creating a high spirited, can do approach to teamwork. Teams compete against each other to successfully complete physical and cognitive challenges while identifying team skills/processes and best practices that can lead to increased productivity in the work environment. The teams compete for a donation to their favorite charity. The Team Spirit program ends with a high energy, multi-media, celebration and appreciation of team contributions. This is an ideal way to create an atmosphere of appreciation in an era where bonuses and other percs that have been standard in the past have been temporarily eliminated for economic reasons.

Frequently Asked Question Page
In response to your requests, we have now developed a Frequently Asked Questions page on this site to answer your questions on team building, Coaching, and the rest of our products and services. This page will increase and change from month to month. You can reach this page by clicking here.

Portable Equipment
We are now offering portable initiatives designed by Executive Edge/Virtual Adventures. These "high tech" initiatives can bring an additional level of challenge and fun to your next event. They can be shipped to your program site and include many options. Please contact us for our ever changing list of portable equipment and current prices.

Personal/Professional/Executive Coaching
For over five years we have been offering personal and professional/executive Coaching services as part of are overall service offerings. We developed our Coaching services as a response to needs expressed by our clients for increased interpersonal effectiveness and to be able to develop strategies for goal achievement that were practical and attainable. Our Coaching services are designed to help our clients pay attention to the true issues in their professional and personal lives by changing their structure of interpretation of events, rather than just focusing on our emotional reactions to perceived problems. Our Coaching programs consist of clarifying interviews and discussions and then the establishment of self correcting practices that enable our clients to use their own resources to generate sustained effective responses to personal and business challenges. Please use our form or contact us at 800-551-3210 for a free initial coaching session.

Train Your Staff
One way to save on facilitation fees for large programs is to have Adventure Learning Associates' staff train your employees to lead and facilitate a specific program that is tailored to the needs of your organization. Depending on the length and complexity of your program we can train you and your co-workers in as little as one day. On the day of the program our staff can supervise and monitor your employees as they actually lead the program and can assist as needed. Please use our form for further information.