On Monday,  I took part in an outdoor workshop which developed our ability to communicate within a team! For this workshop we had to create a den using a variety of random materials and things from the natural environment. My group and I decided to use poles and a cover to create a tent like den.

Group and leadership:

I feel like my group worked well together and we all shared an equal part. I don’t feel like anyone took the lead as such rather we all shared our ideas and decided between us which we would decide to go with. I feel this was positive as it meant that everyone felt included and valued. The most challenging aspect of working as a group for me was overcoming the barrier of not knowing everyone in my group well, however I feel the group was great as a whole.

Explaining-

Another part of my workshop on Monday was explaining the process my group had taken to create our den.  The group who explained to me were clear and concise and I feel they completed all 5P’s of explaining.

Enviroment-

This workshop took place in the woods outside of the Ayr campus. I feel this environment was relaxed which led to me feeling relaxed, this allowed me to communicate effectively and confidently. One difficultly this environment had was speaking over the surrounding noises (eg ; the wind, birds and passers by), this led to  each and every one of us having to speak much louder and clearer to ensure everyone could hear us. However, I don’t feel like this affected our group much as we all stood close together and spoke loud and clear.

Negotiation-

Another aspect of this workshop was having to negotiate materials with other groups. My group needed another large pole in order to complete our den however another team had it. At first the other team was not open to trading however when we offered our two small poles they were happy to trade.

I found this workshop extremely beneficial. It helped to develop not only my communication skills but acted as a team building opportunity. I am looking forward to taking part in more!