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The Blind Cafe - Team Building In The Dark®

( 10 - 40 + persons )

In this module, your team will go through a journey together for several hours in a complete pitch dark room. It will be dark, very very dark. Participants will not even be able to see their own hands in front of their faces. They will be guided from the light, into the darkness and back to the light. Team Building In The Dark® is aimed to challenge participants to develop relationships, improve the dynamics of a group and help strengthen the sense of identity of those within the group.

Growth and discovery comes from being in a situation where a person does not know what to do, so they have to reach deep down inside and improvise, create and innovate how to communicate and work together! Teams are built and strengthened only after going through ordeals together, where they are involved in a shared challenging experience. This is a key ingredient in building working teams and relationships.

The Blind Cafe - Team Building In The Dark® program curriculum is as follows:

  • Pre-Assessment
  • Ice Breaker In The Light
  • Journey Into The Darkness
  • The Breaking of Bread
  • Group Dynamics & Team Building In The Dark
  • The Art of Active Listening: Being Present
  • Back To The Light
  • Debrief: Back To The Darkness

Pre - Assessment

We will work with your lead staff to design a Team Building In The Dark event that aligns with your companies values and desired outcomes.

Ice Breaker In The Light

First we will start off with a reception in the lighted lobby area where the participants will have an Ice Breaker In The Light, before they enter the darkness. This is where we give participants the ground rules and prepare them for their darkness experience.

Into The Darkness

Then the guests are lead into the pitch dark by our professionally trained legally blind staff. Participants will have to work together to find their seats at their tables and get situated in the dark. The facilitator will challenge the participants by bringing attention to spacial awareness and navigation skills for being in the darkness.

The Breaking of Bread

If there is a food component, the food will already been served family style on the table before the guests are brought into the darkness. There will be 6 - 8 person tables. The participants will be challenged to work together to literally break bread and pass food to one another without their sight. They will learn how to listen to each other and how to 'ask' for what they need, as their usual visual conditioning and non-verbal social skills are not available in the darkness.

Group Dynamics & Team Building In The Dark

Our blind staff will then facilitates a group experience in the dark, challenging the guests to listen and work together as a team, as they are led through team building exercises. Participants will learn to create an environment for sharing ideas and building relationships that are essential for team building. Through interactive games and group exercises, participants will develop essential skills such as trust, confidence, teamwork and problem solving together as they work together to navigate their new world in the dark.

The Art of Active Listening: Being Present

We now come together in the dark for a special and meaningful listening experience using sound and music to bring everyone to embody mindful awareness and experience presence.

Back To The Light

Finally, it's time to work as a group to get back to the light. Participants will be challenged to find their way back into the light by working together as a team.

Debrief: Back To The Darkness

After participants have had a chance to adjust back to vision again, we will hold a discussion where they will share their experiences, challenges and insights. We'll identify takes a ways and lessons that could be brought back to the work place and to life in general.

 

 

Logistics

  • Time:  3 - 4 hours in length / can be designed to fit your companies schedule and time frame. We offer both daytime and evening events. The event can be held around a dinner or lunch time or late afternoon.
  • Number of Participants: 20 - 40 + persons
  • Event Space: The event can be held at an on-site or off-site location such as a conference room or an alternative rental space, specifically chosen for it’s ability to be blackened out and accommodate the number of guests desired. We may have a designated venue space in your city or our Blind Cafe staff can help find an appropriate venue space for the event.
  • Food / Beverage Options: The event can be held with or without a food component. The client is responsible for the catering costs of the event.
  • Creating The Darkness: Our darkness team will create the darkness several hours before the participants arrive. If done on-site, we will need access to the space 2 - 4 hours before the program begins.
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