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Outbound Training

This free article on Outbound Training will provide an insight into this important aspect of Soft Skill Training.

"You can  discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year conversation."

Outbound training is also referred to as experiential learning or action learning; it is a process wherein a group of individuals from an organization meet outdoors to participate in a range of activities that are both physically and mentally challenging. It is a reflective learning process that takes place amongst the participants.

Learning occurs through experience; this includes reflection and action. It fosters the individual's ability to reflect on past events, understanding one's own actions and finding ways of dealing with similar relative situations in the future.
Some of the areas that could be impacted greatly by outbound training are:

"Nothing like a break in the wilderness to bring a jaded team together again. "

- Author Unknown

Team bonding and increased self confidence are the two greatest benefits achieved through outbound training. It helps employees discover new facets about each other; bonding with each other in a way that would not be possible in a regular office environment.

In outbound training we use scenarios that employees encounter in their everyday work. We invigorate the individual’s ability to find effective solutions to the problems encountered in the activities. The individual will be able to transfer this ability to overcome hurdles that are prevalent in the numerous areas of everyday work life.

By reflecting and applying what they learnt during their training, they become better team players through the self confidence they acquire. They also awaken the dormant skills present within themselves that surface as a result of the relative nature of the training activities.

In short, outbound training instills a sense of team spirit and self belief in each individual. Since it involves the concept of shared learning, it gives maximum benefit to the organization.

Because of our trainers, their education, corporate work experience and exposure to both outbound as well as classroom training, MMM Training Solutions can confidently vouch that the learning in outbound training that we propagate is remarkable. We have worked across domains with various clients and have been able to successfully translate and address their needs.

However, there is a section amongst the corporate audiences who are skeptics and believe that outbound training programs may result in a waste of energy and time. They feel that participants focus on the fun element and are unable to translate the learning to the work environment. While this maybe true, this problem can be conclusively addressed by selecting the right facilitator for the task. A facilitator, who has considerable expertise in the field of training, could lead the participants toward the right direction of learning and reflection.

Source:

http://books.google.com/books?id=CJoPaPvBGX4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=action+training&lr=#PPA13,M1

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/manager/2009/04/06/stories/2009040650651000.htm

http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/26/disturbing-trends-in-outbound-training

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This article was authored by Pramila Mathew, M.Ed, MBA, an executive coach who helps individuals, groups, teams and organizations find the right solutions in the workplace. MMM Training Solutions conducts soft skills training and executive coaching anywhere in the world. We guarantee the effectiveness of our training.

You may reprint this article by requesting permission from: pramila.mathew@mmmts.com