Mission Improbable™ | Communication & Teamwork Training Activity

Your teams must plan a way to get 200 eggs to a given destination, in hilly terrain! Walkie-talkies link you to a second team which has a similar (but not identical) objective. At some point your team will realise that their map contains vital information that you need (and vice versa).

To encourage co-operation between teams their Brief states that it is the two teams combined score that counts. But invariably teams miss this given objective, treating each other as rival teams!

In this updated version there are extra materials making it possible to have a second pair of teams running in parallel to the first set - so enough materials for four teams in all. One pair communicate with walkie-talkies, the second pair with written notes and face-to-face meetings.

• Seeing what interactions make an effective team
• Seeing the dangers in making assumptions
• Seeing the benefits of supporting other teams, and developing trust
• Seeing the need to share information freely when appropriate
• Seeing the need for a disciplined approach to communications

1. Introduce the activity: tie it in with your wider training programme.
2. Issue Team Briefs and maps.
3. Set up the walkie-talkies (and a meeting place and notepaper if you have two sets of teams).
4. Allow 60 minutes for teams to try and accomplish their objectives.
5. Observe teams in action.
6. Lead a Debrief on the issues raised and relate the learning back to how they can be usefully applied in the workplace.

Full guidance supplied in the Trainer’s Notes.

• Trainer's Notes
• Trainer's Ref - Sketch Map with Routes Marked
• Sketch Maps
• Team A & B Briefing Sheets
• Post-it Notes
• OS Maps
• Walkie-Talkies & Batteries

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.