0830 - 1230, Friday 23 October 2009
Cost: $85 (Limited numbers)

Since 1994, Simon Thiessen has become one of Australia’s most prominent and successful public speakers through his company The Real Learning Experience. Simon’s motivational and inspirational presentations are one that audiences relate to, as they are based on the story of someone just like themselves. This remarkable physical and sustainable transformation in Simon’s life has been brought about by applying the same principles to achieve success that he teaches participants. These principles have not only changed his life but also the lives of others. “I believe that it is essential for participants to leave our sessions feeling not only inspired to change, grow and strive but also to come away with workable strategies to help them transform their good intentions into actions.”

EXPEDITION
Expedition is an innovative and competitive simulation where participant teams scale the highest mountain in the Americas. It challenges groups to become high performing teams, first creating a vision, then working together through adversity to reach the summit and return safely.

EXPEDITION will help participants:

• realise that even with limited resources small teams can accomplish incredible things
• experience, discuss and understand the importance of the five key factors of teamwork
• create and understand the nature and importance of the ‘big picture’
• comprehend the nature of teamwork - working under stress and being both strategic and flexible
• understand the importance of integrating input from all perspectives and team members, then communicating decisions to all the team before taking action
• identify the most important issues and actions teams
  need to focus on back on the job.

Participants begin their EXPEDITION at base camp in the foothills of Argentina. They meet their guide, and receive their passports and identities for the climb. After brief introductions, participants are ready to face the upcoming, chilling challenge, ascend to the summit, and return home safely. How will the team make decisions under severe time pressures? Who will assume a leadership role when team members cannot agree on a course of action? How do you cope successfully with limited resources?

The 10-day fast-paced fun trek provides a metaphor for many of the important issues that participants face daily in their real world. Participants leave the program with a better understanding of the characteristics and behaviours of a high performing team. The program is based on a real climb of Aconcagua by a group of breast cancer survivors.

Many of those who attended the Victorian AAPM Staff Development Day enjoyed Simon’s Lasseters Reef session.

As with all great missions, the debrief is essential. In this part of the program, we discuss the strategies each team used, the impact those strategies had, and the ways you can use these new understandings to be more productive in the workplace. You will gain a lot of insights into the way you approach projects and tasks, and will be able to use these back in the workplace to create even more outstanding results.