Blog Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Drum Cafe North America

Corporate social responsibility has been defined in numerous ways. Typically when people are searching for corporate responsibility programs they bump into words such as “Sustainability”; “Customer Relationship Management”; “Corporate Governance” and “Ethics”, to name a few.

Forbes has defined it as a type of international private business self-regulation that aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature or by engage in or support volunteering or ethically-oriented practices.

Susan McPherson has said that a company’s approach to impact is a reflection of that company’s values — and the values of its customers, employees and (increasingly) investors. It’s a shift that has been accelerated by the current political climate, in which companies have had to publicly stand up — both individually and collaboratively — for values like inclusion, empathy and environmental preservation in the face of questionable policy decisions. The result? Responsibility, humanity and impact are now more entrenched than ever in the corporate sector — and I am confident that this is not a passing trend.

At Drum Café North America, soon to be re-branded “THE RHYTHM AGENDA”, we have created a program that helps companies GIVE BACK to communities in need of the ability to “Humanize through Harmony”. The Rhythm Agenda will be offering a range of such programs that fit directly with the companies core values.

Our First – Team-Can-Jam-Cajon, recently contracted in by the IT division at Dropbox was a HUGE success. See for yourselves.

Bring us into one of your company divisions and BE a PART of the SOLUTION.

Let’s humanize through harmony.

“Diversity” and “inclusion” are two of the top buzzwords in many organizations as part of an initiative to broaden horizons and create a more supportive and positive corporate culture and environment.

“Diversity and Inclusion” means so much more than having multiple ethnicities, nationalities, and languages present within an organization – while representing the different tribes of the world certainly is one aspect of diversity, the key element to the inclusion part of the equation is recognizing the benefits of having unique perspectives and input to pull from. The organization that acknowledges having differing opinions, voices, and styles as an asset will be more effective at vetting ideas and strategies than a company too fearful to deviate from the norm. Transform your organization and make your team more effective with these simple steps:

Re-define diversity. In today’s rapidly changing and interconnected world, it’s important to realize that the concept of diversity in the workplace extends beyond the traditional sense of gender, socio-economic background, race, and age–having a smorgasbord of ideas, skill sets, languages, ideas, and styles is very important to an organization. Not every person’s wheelhouse should or needs to be the same; in fact, it’s better if there are a variety of different strengths, adaptable to the endless possibilities of situations and challenges that may arise at any given moment.
Be self-aware. Think honestly of what is informing any negative preconceptions or assumptions of others–more likely than not it is individual fear and vulnerability. The first step to embracing diversity and becoming a more inclusive and supportive organization is for each member to overcome those fears by recognizing their importance within the team, and then making the conscious choice to be open rather afraid of newness and difference.
Champion change. Change and flux within an organization are often perceived as negative, when they should be viewed as agents of positive transformation—an opportunity for personal and collective growth. Innovation does not thrive in environments that support sameness and groupthink. Innovation is born from a respectful exchange of ideas among individuals whose contributions are informed by their unique experiences and backgrounds.

The final and most important characteristic of being a diverse and inclusive team is celebrating and showing appreciation and respect for the differences that make your group unique. This is the ingredient that will elevate your organization to the next level and allow you to truly work together without walls. The Drum Cafe North America team often references the word UBUNTU, meaning, “I am because you are,” and it perfectly embodies this concept. UBUNTU honors the beauty of difference and shows gratitude for others’ contributions and the part they play in shaping our own experience.

If you are ready to break down the barriers that may be hindering your team, incorporate UBUNTU into your company philosophy and champion the change you wish to see in your organization. Fast forward to February 2020 where we will be celebrating Black History Month—it’s the perfect time to kick things off with one of Drum Cafe North America’s custom Diversity and Inclusion programs.

The power of drumming to reinforce a message is rooted in the non-verbal, experiential, immersive journey taken by each drumming participant. The barriers of language and culture are by-passed and the ancient physical human form is embraced, awakening the senses so often dulled by modern workstation life. At our team building events, just passing out the percussion instruments sparks a sense of wonder and play. But then, of course, the real learning begins.

Here are Drum Cafe North America’s 3 Benefits of Drumming as a Team Building Solution:

Fosters a sense of community and belonging

In this way, we use drumming and rhythm as a means to create bonds between us, to build trust incrementally and to demonstrate kinesthetically, that every member of every team or division has a unique contribution to make in achieving overall success. All our corporate and educational programming is designed to spark unity and engagement – to enhance and harness the POWER of ONE team.

Increases & encourages awareness/ active listening

Each participant is given their own distinct rhythm – their own voice. Performed separately at first, each group declares themselves, distinguishing the tone and groove of their sound. The sounds are all so different and the challenge is to create both sonic and rhythmic harmony.

Ears are fully engaged. Deep listening is required to enter the exchange of balanced play that creates true complementary integration. The room vibrates within minutes. Anyone who doubted that they could fully participate in a complex system of collaboration was persuaded otherwise. Making music together encourages us to be sensitive and intuitive of all “voices” around us.

Decreases stress

Many of our clients bring our programs in because they recognize that stress is a shared burden. They understand that stress reduces our ability to work effectively with other people and thus affects productivity. But even beyond impacting productivity, stress breeds imbalance. And when there’s an imbalance, progress is severely compromised.

Drum Café North America’s programs might just last an hour or two each time we visit, but what’s remarkable about drumming is its uncanny ability to stay with us long after we play. Again, it goes back to our bodies as resonators, deeply connecting to the drum itself and to the sound of many people drumming together.

For more information on the team building programs we offer, contact us here!

With the holiday season in full swing, we know how many moving parts exist behind the corporate scene. To many people, the holiday season brings profound joy and happiness, while others perceive it as a highly stressful and somewhat lonely couple of weeks.

A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING DCNA December Blog

Whether you’re in the office or sitting at home, we know this time of year is filled with deadlines, Q4 targets, holiday parties, decorations, shopping trips, and a huge increase in distracted and unmotivated team members.

One of the most important action items during the holiday season is giving back to your people and celebrating a year well done. Most companies will throw the typical annual holiday party where they splurge on the best food, unlimited alcohol, jaw-dropping decor and of course, an incredible venue to showcase how much they value their people.

Other companies will show their gratitude through a small gift, maybe tickets to a game or perhaps, a card from the boss with some nice chocolates.

Either way, what you’re paying for isn’t a night to remember, it’s purely something to be talked about for weeks to come.

Why not gift your top-performing teams an experience? Rather than giving a traditional office gift this year, consider offering an experience with food, drinks and laughter combined with music, rhythm and drumming.

Your team will receive a thrilling event, and they will walk away with lifelong skills. It’s the opportunity to participate in something so much more meaningful this holiday season. Gift an experience of a lifetime rather than simply giving an item.

What’s more valuable to you, a night of drinking or a day full of memorable activities where you get to create memories and build stronger bonds with the people you see nearly every day?

Ignite the holiday spirit with Drum Cafe North America. Contact us to explore options that are highly-customizable and the right fit for you.

Asking a question is one of the simplest ways of learning. We ask questions to gain powerful insights, to problem solve, to deepen connections and understanding of one another and to discover or bring light to new things. We all learn, at a relatively young age, the importance of asking questions, but we don’t always learn how to ask them effectively.

Drum Cafe North America November Blog post - The Art of Effective Questioning

Asking the “right” question is truly an art and as a company that facilitates engaging and purposeful corporate messaging, asking our clients and their teams the right questions correlates to the effectiveness of our events. Think about what questions you ask in an interview, to a partner or a friend, and to your team. Are they purposeful? Do they force a specific answer?

Here are Drum Cafe North America’s tips on how to ask the right questions in the right way:

Find a balance between being friendly and being direct.

Think about what you want from that person’s answer. Most of us want an honest and meaningful response, so don’t phrase the question in a way that will cause defensiveness or force the answer you’re looking for.
Avoid Yes/No Questions.

Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to. If you can Google it, refrain from asking it.
After asking the question, be an active listener.

Nothing is worse than having the person asking the question following up with their own answer. Effective questioning is there to spark conversation, not to sway opinions. Gain insights and produce more effective teams.
One of the most important pieces of effective questioning is asking a follow-up question.

This is where you showcase your active listening skills. Make sure you understand their answer and ask a follow-up question to spark deeper conversation on that same topic.
Be Clear

Refrain from merging several questions together. Take the extra few minutes to ask clear and concise questions and this will lead to even clearer and more tailored responses.

At Drum Cafe North America we can work with your company and develop a program that will work with your team in specifically exploring and building effective questioning skills. In our programming not only do we offer strategies to improve productivity, but we also work on developing critical reasoning skills and effective questioning in order to arrive at the ultimate results your team is looking to achieve. Contact us to learn more about our programs and how we can assist you.

How to Approach your Next Sales Kick-Off Meeting the DCNA Way Think back to your last “all-hands” meeting or even, last quarter’s sales meeting. Was it impactful? Did it resonate with your attendees? Did you see a boost in morale?

We know and you know that these meetings can always be better. Take a minute to think about what was missing and what could be improved. Maybe it’s keeping better track of time or simply getting better catering. Sure, these things might add some value to the event, but how impactful and long-lasting will those investments be for your attendees and the overall outcomes for your event?

Here at Drum Cafe North America, we think BIG. We bring psychology, music, and science together to build out all of our iconic and invigorating programming. Attendees will soak in all of the messaging to stay well-aligned with company objectives and will come out more engaged, motivated and driven as ever to hit targets and strive for success.

Here are our 4 tips to having a killer Sales Kick-Off meeting!

Keep the agenda focused and timely. Nothing is worse than having an unproductive meeting that starts late and runs over. Stay on track and keep it moving. You only get a few all-hands meetings per year, make sure it’s one to remember by keeping it productive and engaging.
Open and close the event with a BANG! We stand by this. With more and more remote employees and ever growing teams, it’s hard to feel connected, build strong bonds amongst peers, and to keep everyone aligned and engaged. Make it easy for your people at these events- make sure they feel welcomed, acknowledged and pumped going into the event and leaving it. You’ll see the results in their work.
Always have a guest speaker. Guest and keynote speakers are some of the most memorable additions to any event. Take the time to research and invest in someone that will deliver positive and motivational messaging while staying aligned with the overall event theme. Remember, this person is selected to speak to your teams, always keep your people top of mind throughout the booking process.
Remember, this event is for your people. For every part of the agenda, you should be thinking about how it’s relevant to the audience and what takeaways you want the audience to gain from the messaging, activity or speaker. Planning an effective and memorable event takes a lot more than a catering list and a powerpoint.

Keep your employees off their phones and drive results with one of Drum Cafe North America’s fully engaging and highly impactful interactive rhythmic programs. Contact us to explore options that are fully-customizable and the right fit for you.

Our programs leverage the stunning power of rhythm to engage people quickly and emotionally, wherever

With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s time to start planning your end-of-year company party. Whether you’re hosting this annual celebration at an off-site venue or keeping it onsite, you can ensure a great time had by all with Drum Cafe North America’s 4 Do’s to help you plan an extraordinary holiday party: Drum Cafe North America Crowd Mover Programs

Drum Cafe North America Crowd Mover Programs

Do Pick the Perfect Date – The most important element of a successful holiday party is your ATTENDEES. What’s a party without them? The majority of corporate holiday parties are held within the first two weeks of December, so we suggest booking for late November or early January when everyone is returning to work. Trust us, you will have plenty more venue options and your costs will be lower.
Do Kick Off Your Event with Electricity – We aren’t talking about lighting here. Entertainment should be a top priority to engage your attendees and create energy for the rest of the party. Don’t just think about having a DJ. Everyone does that! Rather, invest in high-quality engaging activities and performers to make this night one to remember. Consider kicking off your event with one of Drum Cafe North America’s Crowd Mover programs. Picture stilt walkers, Brazilian dancers, indoor aerial drummers…and more. Crowd Mover programs are electric!
Do Set Aside Time for Recognition – Spending time publicly appreciating your employees goes a long way and truly adds significant value to your festivities. Choose a few leaders from different divisions to speak on behalf of their department’s achievements and celebrate a productive year. Give a toast and set aside time for key leaders to speak to all of your attendees.
Do Something New – It’s easy to plan a party like last year’s, especially if your event team got great feedback. But it’s equally as important to get creative and bring an element of surprise to your guests. Instead of going traditional with the catering, consider renting a food truck (or 2, or 3). They take the orders and produce the food, and you can celebrate pretty much anywhere! Other creative ideas to boost employee engagement include developing a themed gift exchange, renting a photo booth or Instagram booth, or giving every employee a paid afternoon off! We think the last option is dynamite.

Whichever way you go, we believe you can ignite the holiday spirit with Drum Cafe North America. Contact us to explore options that are highly-customizable and the right fit for you.

Drum-Cafe-North-America-5-Ways-Prevent-Burnout-Workplace.jpg

The Mayo Clinic defines workplace burnout as “a state of physical, emotional or mental exhaustion combined with doubts about one’s competence and work value.” We’ve all felt pressure on the job to make deadlines, stay extra late to complete a project, or help a colleague in need, and all the while we feel even more tired and somewhat unengaged. Drum Cafe North America 5 Ways to Prevent Burnout in the Workplace

Drum Cafe North America 5 Ways to Prevent Burnout in the Workplace

How do we get past such feelings and get back our momentum? Working in a team is no different, and often the pressure feels more intense because we do not want to let our teammates down. It is not such a stretch to see how such experiences can lead employees down a path toward burnout. Taking the time to reflect and identify the factors that may correlate to workplace burnout in your organization is critical, but we tend to dismiss such activities for fear they take away from performing and accomplishing tasks. In reality, it only takes a few minutes to see if some of the following factors are noticeable and prevalent in your team: prolonged stress, unclear objectives, lack of recognition, lower engagement levels, missing days, etc. Chances are there are already employees on your team and in your workplace who are burned out – so, what action can you take now to help those employees? And, even more important, what can you do to prevent burnout? Drum Cafe North America is here to help, and we are sharing the following 5 ideas to help you SAVE your team from workplace burnout today. #1 Recharge & Add Activities Sometimes hitting the reset button is all you need to keep it moving. Add a fun and interesting activity during work hours to allow your team to socialize and bond. It could be as simple as a weekly event, such as a Walk It Wednesday or Foodfest Friday. Encourage everyone to participate. Taking that walk outside, or finding shared culinary interests through fun events not only gives your team members a real break, but allows them to connect and bond and just smile! We also suggest your corporate leadership facilitates discussions addressing hot topics like stress and fair workloads to remove the stigma surrounding such workplace issues. #2 Promote Balance Plan and encourage active participation in team-building and mindfulness activities to boost engagement, move employees away from their desks, and enhance a sense of community within your workplace. Such activities build trust, respect, and collaboration among your team members and empower them to feel a stronger sense of self and team. #3 Be Proactive With so many internal shifts happening in the workplace, it’s vital to stay ahead of the game. Take a look at your calendar. What targets do you need to hit? Are there any product launches coming up? What may be a challenge for your team or one that requires an extra push? See the challenges before they happen and prepare your team as they work toward success. #4 Instill Psychological Safety Create an environment of trust and sense of togetherness. Being mindful, exuding gratitude, and advocating health and wellness in the workplace will enhance your team’s productivity and efficiency. Feeling safe in the workplace provides your employees a foundation in which they can be empowered and secure in their creativity, knowledge, and performance. #5 Advocate for your Team Sometimes the best thing you can be for your team is its advocate. Take the time to identify your shared challenges and successes. You have the voice to share with other leaders as to what issues are prevalent and what can be done to address and resolve issues such as workplace burnout. Take a stance and advocate for your team members so they feel heard, appreciated, and respected. Recharged, engaged and productive employees provide the best foundation for any company, will shift attitudes, create long-lasting results, and contribute to the growth of your company. Drum Cafe North America and Blue Fire Leadership help guide your way with our highly-customizable solutions. Contact us to explore options that are right for you.

Summer is in full swing, and now is the time, more than ever, to improve productivity in the workplace. So many distractions or “noise” decrease engagement among and productivity in employees. Several of our clients’ pain points are in finding a solution to increase productivity, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution. For the month of July, we’d like to offer Drum Cafe North America’s 3 Strategies to Improve Productivity. Drum Cafe North America 3 Strategies to Improve Productivity

Drum Cafe North America 3 Strategies to Improve Productivity

When team members feel happy, appreciated and valued, managers and leadership teams, see the shift in productivity in performance and work. With the focus on hitting the numbers and ramping up product offerings, managers often lose sight of what’s right in front of them: an essential piece of their company– their employees. There are several initiatives and efforts that can be rolled out at any company, big or small, to improve company culture, foster healthy and positive work relationships, and ultimately, improve productivity. Strategy #1: Pave the Way for Employee Success Onboarding makes or breaks a new hire’s journey and perception of the company. As a member of the leadership team, not investing in the right tools and programs from the onset of a new hire’s career at your company can shift a promising employee, a high-functioning productive team member, to one that may not be so engaged and productive. At Drum Cafe North America we make the onboarding process highly engaging and memorable, making new hires excited about their new team and company. Strategy #2: Internally Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance It is vital that leadership teams promote a healthy work-life balance from within. Sometimes we get caught up in the day-to-day operations of the business and forget that our employees are PEOPLE, with families, personal obstacles, and other goals outside of their career. We know how much money and effort is put into recruiting top talent. We understand the need to find and hire the best. But what happens when there is employee burnout and they’re not the “best” anymore? Such burnout is real and more relevant than ever. Wellness and engagement programs decrease stress, improve team morale, and increase productivity. You can have 1 engaged and productive team member and 100 disengaged and unproductive employees. Who do you think will make the biggest contribution to your company? If people are stressed, it’s a loss for everyone and a detriment to your company’s growth. The aftereffects surface quickly and heavily, so remember to take the time to address the needs and wellness of your employees. Strategy #3: Invest in Your Employees Many managers have a misconception that improving their employees’ skill sets is too costly and may cause employees to look at outside employment opportunities. But, in reality, when managers choose to improve their employees’ skill levels, they are actually adding value to their company. It should, therefore, be viewed as a smart investment. The more you contribute to and support your employees’ professional development, the more you will retain them. You are strengthening the people you already have, and who wouldn’t want that? Keeping them from growth is what will drive them away, so make sure you are investing in and growing your people! Engaged and productive employees provide the best foundation to any company, will shift attitudes, create long-lasting results, and contribute to the growth of your company. Drum Cafe North America and Blue Fire Leadership can help guide your way with our highly customizable solutions that fit your company. Contact us to explore options.

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