Antarctic Challenge™ | Teamwork & Leadership Training Activity

• Learn to brainstorm to decide what information is required
• Break a project into bite size chunks
• Establish the key factors around which to base plans
• Plan within given limits
• Manage time and resources
• Cooperate with others
• Collect and interpret data and information
• Review progress regularly
• Make a persuasive presentation for funds

Teams have a letter congratulating them on mounting an expedition to the South Pole. All the data they might need is held by the Trainer on a series of Datacards. This Databank is ‘open’ for 5 minutes at a time at 30 minute intervals.

Teams can access data by written request only and so start with a brainstorming session to identify what information they need. They gradually build up data (such as sledges, fuel costs, equipment costs and weather details etc.), plan a route and calculate the cost of their expedition. They then present to a group of ‘sponsors’ for the necessary funds.

A challenging team planning task that makes the training room look like Antarctic HQ full of charts, dates and lists.

This training activity now comes with short introductory and debrief videos. Play the Introductory video (lasting approx 5 mins) at the start to brief delegates on their task and then after the training game, play the Debrief video (lasting approx 7.5 mins) and when that is over, carry on with your own observations of how the activity went. Or simply use them to brief yourself on how to introduce and debrief the training activity with confidence.

We recommend this activity for use on a wide variety of courses including: teamwork training, project planning and leadership training.

1. Explain what the training activity is all about (with optional introductory video).
2. Divide the group into teams of 3-8. As there is a lot to do, you can have bigger teams than usual.
3. Issue the initial Letter to each team together with a data request slip. Explain that teams can have six questions and that the Databank opens in 20 minutes.
4. Stand by to receive data requests and issue those datacards that cover information teams have asked for.
5. Continue with at least three more data sessions where teams can collect information.
6. When teams are ready, ask them to prepare presentations to the sponsors.
7. Listen to presentations (sometimes senior managers play the part of the sponsors). Decide who to give the money to.
8. Conduct a Debrief (with optional Debrief Video) on the training activity including the solution and all the costings, and stress all the key learning points.

Full guidance supplied in the Trainer’s Notes.

• Trainer’s Notes
• Trainer's Introductory and Debrief PowerPoints
• Trainer's Introductory and Debrief Videos
• Team Briefs
• Data Request Forms
• Antarctic Maps
• Sets of 28 Datacards
• Trainer’s Reference Sheet
• Equipment Brochures
• Fuel Planning Kits
• Rulers
• Handout: Decisions Reached
• Sponsors' Questions
• Optional Team Self Assessment Form

This activity is for face-to-face training. It is supplied as a hard copy pack and the digital files are supplied via the Northgate Trainerhub.

This Northgate Training activity comes with a five-year licence for repeat use with up to 24 participants at a time, for use by Trainers based at one licence-holding site.

All Trainers physically based at the same office location can access the Northgate resources during the five-year term, including the digital resources supplied on the Trainerhub via your own site-specific Trainer Dashboard. If you have Trainers based at other locations, and/or remote workers, who would like to access and use the Northgate resources, we can advise further depending on your requirements.

For further information on our licence terms please view the Northgate Licence Agreement.