A Guest Post by Julie Gilbert

Julie Gilbert contacted me about doing a guest post.  Here is her article.  Thanks Julie.  

Fishing- A Bonding Exercise?

If you’re hosting a corporate event or day out with your employees this year, have you considered taking your team fishing? Corporate events are all about team-building, and fishing is a great outdoor event that can be enjoyable for all members of any team, whilst also promoting a little friendly competition! Fishing is a cost effective sport and well worth the money for the banter and fun that would be had on the water. It definitely makes a change from many other corporate events your team may have been to in the past, and it can be suitable for people with a wide range of fishing experience from novice to expert! With the right weather conditions, a day of fishing could be a very unique, enjoyable and interesting way to help your team bond!

Corporate Packages

The Orvis Company offers fly fishing trips in many parts of the United States along with trips to Europe, South America, and Africa.  They can help your dreams come true.  Many fishing companies offer corporate packages specifically tailored to your requirements. The Great River Fishing company in British Columbia arranges a day of fishing led by professional and experienced guides and jet boats to speed off down the river in. Start and end times, as well as the length of the trip, are all very flexible so can be easily arranged to suit your event and all fishing equipment is supplied. Lunch and refreshments are provided for a small cost and prices and quotes are available on request. Deep Sea Fishing Charters located in Miami Beach offers a similar package with a custom built trip to suit your targets and overall aims for the experience. Again they include all the fishing tackle you will need, the day is led by professionals who will teach you how to catch the biggest and best fish and they also supply food at an extra cost. They offer trips for over 20 people per boat, so plenty of room if you have a larger team! They are based 10 minutes away from the Gulf Stream where they do all of their fishing.

Friendly Competition

There is always going to be plenty of natural competition in today’s corporate world and this event could be no exception! Creating an element of some healthy competition between members of your team can give people who don’t usually mix a reason to spend time with each other! At the same time it can also continue to build and improve relationships with people they already know. There is also ample opportunity for valuable one to one ‘face time’ and the excitement of the sport and setting is ideal for honing working and personal relationships. Competitions and tournaments can be arranged between small groups, or if there is a large team, perhaps two or three teams could be spread between a couple of boats! The day could then culminate in a ‘Catch of the Day’ award, with a small prize given to the winner of the competition. Hopefully everybody will leave having caught fish to be proud of, but for this award there can only be one winner!

Learn A New Skill

One of the additional benefits to a fishing team building day is members of your team who had previously not had experience in this sport learning the rudiments of a new skill! The excitement and satisfaction of catching your own fish is a great feeling and infectious within a group, encouraging interaction with all members of the team throughout the day. For beginners, the importance of encouragement and support from fellow team members is crucial to building their confidence in their new skills. This is another way that your team will be able to improve their relationships with each other, and is something that is transferable directly to your work place environment.

A Bonding Exercise

Of course, it isn’t only corporate teams that can reap the benefits of a fun day of fishing. Fishing can be a great bonding sport, as it brings like-minded people together and is a great chance for families and friends to swap stories, techniques and experiences in a relaxed, natural environment. Being outside on the river encourages activity and a healthier way of living, as does eating the fish you catch, which are high in protein and low in fat. Fishing is a fulfilling activity for many people, as it can be quite a meditative sport at times but it can then suddenly become an exciting trip out with your friends, and it really is something that can be enjoyed at any age.