11 November 2019
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by Lauren Balasco
ForrestBrown away day 2019: the sky’s the limit!
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This summer, ForrestBrown set out on another one of our legendary away days – this time, at Ettington Chase in Warwickshire. Despite the torrential rain, we were determined to make our “Space Race” themed event the best away day we’ve ever had! ForrestBrown away days are a bit different. Our away days are a combination of teamwork, laughter, testing mental challenges and lots of team bonding. Think less corporate icebreakers and more getting physical, stepping out of your comfort zone and learning new things about your team.
Following suit from last year’s approach, we used our C-me colour profiles – a tool we use to understand each other’s communication styles and work. Everyone has their own individual strengths, and by mixing up our team colours it helps us learn how to draw on those strengths and work together as a whole.
After splitting into teams, we were tasked with listening to two audio clips and recording a lip-sync video using famous songs from David Bowie, Elton John and The Police. This was a chance for our team to really show off their creativity (and a bit of silliness), while making our own costumes and props from craft materials! All the different ideas we came up with were incredible – and the finished video is going to be a memory we treasure (and laugh at) for years to come.
“The summer away day gave me a chance to get to know all sorts of colleagues at ForrestBrown I don’t often work with, in a fun and informal environment! The whole day brought out the best of our personalities and skill sets across a range of challenges. Now, I’ve made closer connections with people in the team!”
Emmy Mitchell, associate in the education & awareness team
The second and third challenges required a little more strategic thinking and team coordination from each group – as well as some healthy competition. In one construction challenge, the more spatially minded of the team, notably those with an engineering background, excelled. In another, a speed and problem-solving challenge tested all our communication skills and ability to work together under pressure.
This year was my second away day at ForrestBrown - and it was just as good as the first! The venue was a great space for us to get involved in challenges - despite the poor weather! The organisers put on a number of great exercises that allowed us to network with others outside the teams we normally work with. We really pulled on each other’s strengths and allowed different personalities to take charge! I felt like I learned a huge amount about others at ForrestBrown - in was an unforgettable experience!”
Rob Lowe, senior sector specialist
Three down, one to go. The fourth and final challenge was a bit more mysterious: the team were given visual clues that matched up with certain areas of the grounds. Hunting the grounds in the pouring rain, and racing against each other, the teams ran about finding the different parts. Once they’d been found, the next task was to crack a riddle, and make a rocket out of different parts we’d collected. For the grand finale, we took our rockets to the meeting point and fired them with a bang, straight into the giant moon! The winning team celebrated by letting off fireworks which was a great sparkly end to a rainy day.
At the end of the day, we all celebrated over dinner and watched our lip-sync debuts from the first challenge. Perhaps inspired by our musical exploits from earlier in the day, the evening ended in some good old-fashioned karaoke and dancing into the night. After a comfortable night’s stay in the hotel, we headed back to the office with the melody of ‘Rocket Man’ still in our heads.
“Coming from a corporate background, the away day gave me a real feel of ForrestBrown and showcased the different skills and personalities within our teams! From the very first challenge, I felt like my contributions and skills were valued - and it was also great getting to know each other’s personalities! It’s amazing being surrounded by people who really love their job and are clearly great at what they do.”
Stephanie Oxenham, talent and development associate
Of course, at ForrestBrown we know that team away days are only really successful if our team genuinely loves them too, which you can see from some of the feedback above. Does this sound like the sort of away day you’d like to be part of? Picture yourself featuring in the next ForrestBrown lip-sync video or think your ability to perform under pressure would make you our perfect fit? Find out more about our teams and where you could fit in or apply for a role today.
