Wilderness Drum > Wilderness Writings > Team Building

Team Building in the Wilderness
Steve Beyer

Introduction
Campfires
Conflicts
Confrontation
Cooking
Council
Darkness
Decisionmaking
Development
Drumming
Followership
Leadership
Meetings
Stress
Trust
Wilderness Ethics

Campfires

Ask people who have been in the wilderness for their fondest memories, and the list is sure to include good talk around a campfire. There is something primal about sharing the warmth and light of a fire in the darkness. There are a number of ways to use campfire talk as a means of building team cohesion. Sometimes undirected and seemingly random talk leads to the sort of sharing and self-revelation which bonds team members together. The glowing fire, the sense of safety, the intimacy, and the privacy of the darkness seem to lead people to share more of their secret selves than they might do in the harsher daylight; and such sharing is an important component of the remarkable cohesion sometimes achieved in wilderness groups.

Sometimes topics can be suggested. The old standby, of course, perhaps most suitable for older all-male groups, is describing one’s first sexual experience. But other topics can serve just as well – perhaps even better – to lead group members to share the more secret parts of themselves – for example, ”When were you most scared in the wilderness?” “If you could bring one book to a desert island, which would it be?” “What are you most proud of in your life so far?” “What was your most embarrassing moment?”

For groups that are initially less self-revealing, telling jokes and stories can sometimes get the words flowing. Some people are gifted natural storytellers; but even the less articulate should be encouraged to contribute. Round-robin stories are useful for getting everyone involved, and can, in fact, be very funny. One way of insuring participation, even by the inarticulate, is to pass around to each person prepared cards containing words or pictures. A card might have the word tree or chipmunk or Bozo the Clown written on it, or a picture of a tree or chipmunk or Bozo the Clown; I have seen people use Tarot cards for the same purpose. No one knows what is on anyone else’s card. As it becomes each person’s turn, that person must weave the word or picture on the card into the story, the more humorously the better – thus, “And then the hero climbed a tree,” “The evil magician turned the heroine into a talking chipmunk,” “And who should appear but – Bozo the Clown!” Elaboration should be encouraged; but even the most taciturn or inarticulate group member can come up with a sentence about a tree, and the contribution should be applauded. Once group members have gotten into the habit of talking around the fire, more quiet and introspective discussion is likely to follow.

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