Task Force

Yes, I will also say a few words about the Problem-Solving Task Force assignment. I don't mean to jump on the bandwagon, I just think it's a unique assignment and will provide us with useful skills for the future. It was interesting to be assigned to a different group, mostly because we have grown used to each other (as members of Boiler Volunteers) and know each other's communication styles and other nuances of the group and there is an established level of comfort with each other. However, our task force group had some new members, and we were missing some from the Boiler Volunteers, so some adjustments were needed. Under normal circumstances, this would probably happen over a period of time, say a week or two, but in this f aux crisis situation, everything came together so much more quickly. I just think it's interesting how quickly people become acquainted with each other in high-stakes situations.
A great example of this would be my experience this past summer as a high ropes challenge course facilitator. Normally it takes a group of new acquaintances awhile to adjust to one another and become comfortable with one another. With no past experiences to refer to, it's hard for them to have free-flowing conversations and there is usually a strong sense of personal space and very limited personal contact. However, when said group is sent thirty feet into the air with sling lines and harnesses holding them there as they walk across a steel cable, this touch barrier is broken almost immediately and participants are a lot more willing to get close with one another and help each other across. This is why these activities are usually used as teambuilding activities; they push people outside of that comfort level and speed along the "getting to know you" process.

-Ellen Rohlfing