Few team-building exercises sound more
enjoyable than an old-fashioned scavenger hunt. But all too often,
the theory proves more exciting than the actual excursion. To stage
an effective activity, heed the key to successful hunting and don’t
put too much stock in the thrill of winning, advises Bret Watson,
founder of New York City-based Watson Adventures (
www.watsonadventures.com). “Only one of your teams
will win,” he points out. “The trick is to keep it fun the whole
way through, so that at the end of the day, everyone’s had a great
time.” Some advice to ensure a successful hunt:
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Set enjoyable goals and tasks. “Don’t have
your attendees trying to get a napkin signed in some bar,” says
Watson. “Give them something fun to do or see, or you’re wasting
their time.” Watson recommends holding hunts in museums or
conducting citywide excursions that focus on genuinely engaging
landmarks.
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Keep the teams small. Ideally, groups should
have six to eight participants. “More than that can barely walk
down a sidewalk together,” Watson notes.
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Encourage creativity. Organize a photo tour,
for example, that prompts attendees to do more than huddle
pitifully around a statue. “On our tour of Little Italy, we told
the teams to find the perfect backdrop and take their best picture
posing as ‘wise guys,’” says Watson. “We got some hilarious photos
out of that one.”
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Keep clues and questions simple. “Don’t make
it so hard that they’re frustrated,” Watson says. “Frustration is a
total joy killer.”
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Don’t make a day of it. A good hunt should
last about two hours, Watson says, and certainly not longer than
three.