Corporate team building

What are companies doing to make staff get along better and work more efficiently as a team?

Neil and Sophie discuss the growing industry of corporate team building – from zombie bootcamps to horse training for executives.

Neil and Sophie discuss the growing industry of corporate team building – from zombie bootcamps to horse training for executives.

Neil and Sophie discuss the growing industry of corporate team building – from zombie bootcamps to horse training for executives.

involving or associated with a corporation. ​relating to a ​large ​company: corporate ​finance, corporate ​executives

All ​adults take corporate ​responsibility for the ​upbringing of the tribe's ​children.

someone in a high ​position, ​especially in ​business, who makes ​decisions and puts them into ​action. executives -a ​group of ​people who ​run a ​business or an ​organization

What did Chairman Mao introduce in China in1951 as a compulsory activity for workers and was reintroduced by the government a few years ago?

cerebral = intellectual or 'brainy'

bootcamp = a short course of hard physical training

cerebral = ​demanding or ​involving ​careful ​thinking and ​mental ​effort ​rather than ​feelings:

intimidating something that makes you feel nervous

a ​thick, ​clear, ​liquid ​substance, ​especially one used on the ​hair or ​body

If two or more ​people gel, they ​form a good ​relationship or ​become ​friends: The ​team really gelled during the first few ​games of the ​season.

shake a leg = get moving

used to ​tell someone to ​hurry or ​act more ​quickly: Come on, Nick, shake a ​leg or we'll never be ​ready in ​time

Sophie – did you go on the corporate awayday last week?

And apparently, some companies in the UK are offering their employees activities such as... Hunger Games-style combat days where teams must work together to 'kill' as many of the opposing team as possible.

a ​fight, ​especially during a ​war: Many people died in this combat.

There was ​fierce combat between the two ​sides.

The ​film ​explores the combat between good and ​evil.

There're also Zombie boot camps where military instructors train you on how to fight zombies – that's dead people who have come back to life.

I'll stick with callisthenics, thanks.

to ​continue ​trying hard to do something ​difficult: You'll never ​learn to ​play the ​piano if you're not going to ​stick at it.

whilst English lessons might sound like hard work, ukulele lessons are apparently catching on.

to ​become ​fashionable or ​popular: I ​wonder if the ​game will ​ever ​catch on with ​young ​people?

Top businessmen Bill Gates and Warren Buffett both do it, and stressed-out city workers are following their lead.

it's quite a fulfilling thing really. It's not competitive – it's quite easy to do and a bit less intimidating than a guitar...

So it transcends all of those cultural boundaries – it transcends age, gender, religion, tradition etc.

This film transcended everyone's expectations.

And in an organization where you really need groups of people to gel, who come from backgrounds which have no common norms, you can teach that most efficiently with a horse.

To gel with someone means to connect or get on well with someone.

Well, you're right on the button! Well done there, Sophie!

exactly ​correct: She was ​right on the button when she said I'd ​regret ​moving out.

alisthenics are used at schools as a warm up for physical education classes, during sports day activities, and by some companies as a way of building morale and a sense of group unity, as well as to raise energy levels and encourage good health.

the ​state of being ​joined together or in ​agreement: ​European ​political and ​economic unity

Now shake a leg – or in other words – get moving – and tell us the words we learned today, Sophie.