Apples or oranges, they’re both wonderful, but different of course. I recently worked with two corporate groups as a facilitator for our musical team building program.
One group came to us at the end of three days of intense meetings and they were looking for a fun, collaborative way to draw their time together to a close. By the time we started brainstorming and writing their company song, the beer and cocktails were in hand. We wrote a wonderful song about their combined corporate identity and experience, an explanation of what they do so well. Part of my role as facilitator was containing the laughter and refreshments so we could get from point A to point B. These clients had a wonderful time and they have the song to prove it.
The second group I recently worked with had a completely different set of goals. This was a mid-day team building program meant to help a small group better understand their company’s mission and hierarchy, to reinforce team interaction and flow, and to assess the participants’ roles and enthusiasm for their work. We wrote a wonderful song which enabled them to tell their story and map out the hierarchy of the company’s structure through music and lyric. Even with “serious” goals, we had a lot of laughs, did a lot of bonding, got to understand each other a little bit better and created an impactful and positive experience.
Some days it’s an apple, sometimes on orange, but it’s always great. I enjoy this as much as the clients I work with, because it’s always new, always exciting, unexpected and satisfying.
Team Building Through The Art of Songwriting, why haven’t you tried it yet?
Billy Kirsch