A team-building exercise on-board the Spirit of Bermuda last week included professionals from a variety of sectors.Spirit of Bermuda crew. Lifestyle reporter René Hill andphotographer Mark Tatem were invited along and were expected to participate.Spirit of Bermuda essentially a day out of the office.

Accountants, IT specialists and HR professionals were among the 19 people who who signed up to participate in a workshop facilitated by Denise Reviere, president and CEO of OD Solutions International Workshops, and the

The exercise was promoted as a way of fostering teamwork. I looked at it as a chance to spend a day on-board the

However the morning started badly.

The heavens opened as Mark and I made our way towards Dockyard and the forecast was much the same for the rest of the day.

Oh well, I figured, we'll get a little wet, but it still beats a day at the office.

As we neared the tall ship we could see people busy filling out forms on clipboards.

My first thought? What's this got to do with sailing or teamwork for that matter?

Well, it seems everything.

As it was later explained to us, the D.I.S.C. Assessment form that was keeping everyone so busy is a set of random questions designed to explore personality and behaviour in a specific environment.

In this instance, it was used as a tool to increase self-awareness, develop an appreciation for others and improve relationships at work.

Organsiers OD Solutions International Workshops and

Spirit of Bermuda crew believed that the sailing experience would further enhance cooperation, communication and trust among co-workers.

They also believed it a valuable tool for helping managers understand their employees better and improving managerial skills.

Before getting onto the

Spirit of Bermuda we were divided up into groups of four or five and our group was led to the main mast by watch leader Josh Emmerson, who taught us some basic sailing techniques.

We learned to tie off, how to hoist the sails aloft and pack the ropes. The teamwork seemed to come naturally.

Then followed a string of games which depended on teamwork for their success and at the end of the day, we had to guess the personality style of the fellow participants. As part of helium stick, we were asked to lift a broom handle and work together to lower it to the task.

Sure, it sounds like an easy task. I can assure you it was not, as when we tried to lower the broom handle all together, it continuously raised at the opposite end. That happened on a few occasions when one of our team members took charge, made a suggestion and together were able to lower the broom handle to the deck.

At lunchtime our D.I.S.C. Assessment results were revealed.

There followed a short talk on how to be more flexible with people at work, or generally in our lives, by recognising their strengths and weaknesses.

I learned that I am a High I and slightly lower D, so I am influential, trusting, optimistic, persuasive, talkative, impulsive and emotional and as a D, I am also decisive, a problem solver, risk taker and a self starter.

I now understand that I need people around me such as S people who exude steadiness and are good listeners, are team players, possessive, predictable, understanding and friendly, and the C personality styled person who are more compliant, accurate, analytical, conscientious, careful, fact-finders, precise and more systematic to balance me out.

More games followed.

The only way to describe Noah's Ark? is that it was similar to an egg and spoon race. We had to carry water in a ladle, catch a fish and do a host of other things twice.

The final game was called 'Feed Me'.

Most of us were blindfolded for the exercise which really was all about teamwork. The idea was to try and get a message down the line to the person who was hoping to be fed. The person at the head of the line would have to explain whether the person should lean right, left or forward in order to get the food.

Everyone reacted differently and I think it was here that the different personality types came shining through one woman reportedly didn't trust the Chinese whispers exercise and instead went to the feeder herself.

Before long we were lowering and packing the sails away and on our way back to Dockyard.

All in all, it was a fun way to spend a day learning new skills about myself and others and the lessons could be used both in a work or home environment.

My thoughts are that many companies, including ours, should do this workshop to better understand each other as teammates. working environment for all.

For individuals or whole teams,

Spirit of Bermuda offers a one-day team-building course, a two-day team-building course, and a two-day overnight team-building course.

The funds earned from the team-building initiative help support the

Spirit of Bermuda's youth development initiatives.

For more information telephone 333-1913 or e-mail info[AT]bermudasloop.org.