What are team building and low ropes?

At Bethelwoods Camp and Conference Center, we use team building and low-rope activities to facilitate opportunities for connection and growth for guest groups. When groups work through challenges, it helps improve communication and problem-solving skills while allowing them to bond and become a more cohesive team.

Team building and low ropes are programs done with or without elements (think spider web or whale watch) that stimulate a groups aspiration for connection and communication. We tailor our activities for the wants and needs of the group based on what they hope to accomplish during our time together.

Interested? Contact us at [email protected] or call (803) 366-3722.

Why does team building and low ropes matter?

Challenge by Choice

Challenge by choice means that everybody gets to choose how involved they are in the activity, For example, if a challenge will require some participants to be lifted in the air for the Spider Web, anyone who isn't comfortable with being lifted does not have to be.

Challenge by choice doesn't mean that people can completely opt out of participating altogether. Rather, we ask that everyone consider stepping slightly outside their comfort zone without feeling compromised.

​By encouraging particpants to participate outside of their comfort zone while still holding bounadaries, our facilitators help groups in the process of cooperative learning.

Physical and Mental Challenge

Team building and low ropes are a combination of both mental and physical challenges, which aren't kept separate but are mutually beneficial. Even if a physical challenge is obvious, like balancing on whale watch or swing on the nitro crossing, low ropes challenges often include mental puzzles by design.

Form example: Who swings on the rope first, having no one on the other side to catch them? Who swings last, having no one on the original side to help push them all the way across?

These questions may seem to have simple answers on paper, but in execution often pose hurdles for the team to overcome. What if the first or last person simply can't make the crossing without help? The way groups problem-solve in those cases is where true teams are born.

Communication and Creativity

During our team-building, we like to separate teams from their normal work environment, which can help them view work situations differently and more creatively. Discussing their creative ideas with other team members can also give employees a fresh perspective on approach situations in their lives. It can help them solve problems more effectively and learn to collaborate well with their coworkers.

Team building also allows groups the space and time to understand each other and communicate more openly. As team members develop relationships through challenges, they are more likely to have natural conversations even in the workplace. This can help improve employee morale and make sharing ideas easier.

Experiencing Success

as intimidating as team-building and low ropes challenges appear, we will never issue a challenge to a group that we aren't confident they can complete. This means that even though your group will certainly have to problem-solve and work through the challenge, they will likely experience shared success. This shared success can increase morale and build deeper connections among the members while creating ample room for growth among the team members.