corporate training outline
Time in nature has been shown to be very beneficial to corporations, both big and small. We know that at work we are using our directed attention, called the "executive functioning" part of the brain. But for our executive functioning to work well, it needs a "soft fascination" break, a chance to turn off and re-boot. Studies have proven that nature offers the best dosage to restore our attention and functioning. A training involving a forest therapy walk is a perfect way to bring your team together, and give your collective brain a break so as to work more efficiently, creatively and cohesively.
We know that at work staff often experience:
Clemens Arvay, in his book, The Biophilia Effect, writes about the need for such a break:
"Directed attention costs us energy and can be exhausting. Since we have to actively maintain it, it wears us out and can lead to fatigue and stress. This then leads to a dip in our attention, and it costs us even more energy to sustain it (p.54-55)." A dose of forest therapy enables an involuntary, effortless return or restoration of directed attention and executive functioning. A trained guide can ensure that time in nature does not lead to rumination on problems, but toward restoration and creative solutions.
Purpose of Training Workshops: team-building, wellness/mental health for staff, enhanced mental performance in areas such as: creativity, cognitive tasks, concentration, memory and attention. Forest Therapy has also been shown to lower feelings of depression, anxiety, stress, aggression and fatigue, boosting a sense of cohesiveness, collaboration and resilience on your team.
Sessions:
Depending on the size of staff, the training could be completed in a single afternoon, or a full day, or, if several guided forest bathing groups are needed, NNFT could return for multiple sessions. The guided forest bathing would require a minimum of 60 minutes if a suitable natural setting is located close to the workplace. An optimal forest bathing session for this purpose would last 120 minutes.
We know that at work staff often experience:
- feeling overly stressed or "burned out"
- a dip in team morale with tensions and conflict among staff
- feeling stuck on a problem that a solution eludes
Clemens Arvay, in his book, The Biophilia Effect, writes about the need for such a break:
"Directed attention costs us energy and can be exhausting. Since we have to actively maintain it, it wears us out and can lead to fatigue and stress. This then leads to a dip in our attention, and it costs us even more energy to sustain it (p.54-55)." A dose of forest therapy enables an involuntary, effortless return or restoration of directed attention and executive functioning. A trained guide can ensure that time in nature does not lead to rumination on problems, but toward restoration and creative solutions.
Purpose of Training Workshops: team-building, wellness/mental health for staff, enhanced mental performance in areas such as: creativity, cognitive tasks, concentration, memory and attention. Forest Therapy has also been shown to lower feelings of depression, anxiety, stress, aggression and fatigue, boosting a sense of cohesiveness, collaboration and resilience on your team.
Sessions:
- presentation: overview (background, research basis, what to expect)
- experience: based on number of participants, and limits of the setting and time-frame, small groups will be guided in forest bathing
- workplace impact: a facilitated session using the boosted creative capacity of participants and lowered stress to tackle an issue or challenge employees are facing
- self-guiding materials: participants will be given materials on how to develop a practice of forest bathing, both individually and in small groups
Depending on the size of staff, the training could be completed in a single afternoon, or a full day, or, if several guided forest bathing groups are needed, NNFT could return for multiple sessions. The guided forest bathing would require a minimum of 60 minutes if a suitable natural setting is located close to the workplace. An optimal forest bathing session for this purpose would last 120 minutes.