Description

Black Bear is a survival simulation activity for team building that requires participants to work together to rescue their scout leader following a bear attack. HRDQ Team Adventure Series training simulations are a popular choice for team development training. They're an effective way to introduce the concept of synergy and help team members quickly develop vital group-process skills such as consensus decision making, problem solving, communication, and conflict resolution in a nonthreatening learning environment.

How It Works

Each survival simulation game for team building in HRDQ's Team Adventure Series starts with a suspense-filled scenario that challenges teams to work together to escape danger with only limited resources – and each other. While most people can rest assured knowing they'll never encounter these survival situations, they do experience similar feelings of stress and conflict that accompany everyday organizational life.

The Black Bear Scenario

On an early-morning hike in the Great Smoky Mountains, a group surprises a mother black bear – with near-fatal results. Suddenly, their scout leader is attacked, and he is left lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. Now, the group must work together to make vital strategic decisions and find the most effective way to rescue their scout leader.

Participants are asked to work as a team in an emergency situation to save the injured person’s life. By ranking items, the group is asked to make a crucial strategy decision, "What is the most effective means of ensuring the victim’s survival?" The backpack items are then evaluated for their usefulness to the group as it carries out its plan. This more realistically imitates typical organizational behavior. They then select the best strategy alternative key to the scout leader’s chances for survival. Individuals and teams are penalized points based on the strategy alternative they select.

Learning Outcomes

Develop the necessary teamwork skills to excel under pressure and experience the power of team synergy. Participants will:

Learn seven behaviors of effective consensus decision making.
Hone group problem solving skills.
Practice a model for consensus decision making.
Learn how to work as a team under pressure.
Experience the concept of team synergy.

Uses and Applications

Use Black Bear and other Team Adventure Series survival simulations to illustrate the concept of team synergy, break the ice among new or conflicted teams, and give teams a nonthreatening opportunity to work together and practice decision making. It also helps:

Improve active listening, probing, and confronting behaviors in a realistic setting.
Train team leaders in team facilitation skills.
Open or close a learning session.
Introduce an organizational change.
Interject a fun activity into an otherwise serious agenda.
Supplement outdoor experiential learning.

What to Order

Facilitator Guide

Order one guide per trainer. The Facilitator Guide includes everything trainers need to deliver a successful learning experience, including background information, administrative guidelines, a step-by-step workshop outline, expert rationale, alternative training designs, a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, and sample participant materials.

Participant Guide 5-Pack

Order one pack for up to five participants. The Participant Guide includes the adventure scenario, pressure-sensitive scoring, background information, team worksheets, and action planning.

QuickStart Train-the-Trainer: 1-Hour Virtual Coaching Session for This Product

QST is a convenient, one-hour virtual coaching session for first-time facilitators of this product. You'll receive personalized, one-on-one coaching with a subject matter expert who will get you up to speed quickly and accurately so you can step into the onsite with confidence. We'll answer all your questions about the facilitation of the product. And you can add additional coaching hours as needed. Your coaching session can be provided by telephone or video call and at a time of your choosing.

Facilitators will also receive an HRDQ Certificate of Completion for completing the QuickStart session.

About the Author

The HRDQ Development Team creates soft-skills learning solutions that help to improve the performance of individuals, teams, and organizations. At HRDQ, we believe an experiential approach is the best catalyst for adult learning. Our unique Experiential Learning Model has been the core of what we do for more than 40 years. We combine the best of organizational learning theory and proven facilitation methods with an appreciation for adult learning styles. Our philosophy initiates and inspires lasting change.

Additional Resources

Article | How Team Survival Simulations Come Into Play
Infographic | How Team Survival Simulations Come Into Play
Case Study | Black Bear Case Study by Gary Turner

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