Drumming up big business

The roar reverberates around the conference hall like the sound of army battalion going into battle. Beat after beat reveals the drummers are engrossed in an activity that they are deeply passionate about.

They are employees from a Scottish civil service department who are bashing the living daylights out of African drums as part of a team-building exercise.

Drumming Up Business is an enterprise set up by (Chief) Suleman Chebe to boost motivation, morale and teambuilding in the workplace. The activity is by no means another gimmick aimed at breathing life into a workforce. Far from it. Founded in Glasgow three years ago, Drumming Up Business runs drumming sessions across Scotland and the UK. The workshops, which last three hours or up to half a day, are conducted at workplaces or outside venues. They can be described as innovative with a capital ‘I’. The inspiration came from Chebe’s roots in his native Ghana.

Aside from the teambuilding and motivational benefits, the sessions are considered an ideal solution for combating stress. Chebe believes drumming is a flexible and cost effective way of dealing with employee stress, one of the biggest forms of workplace absenteeism. According to the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD), stress accounts for 60% of the 6.5m working days lost in Britain, costing £13bn a year to UK industry.

With 350 drums at his disposal, Chebe is no stranger to boosting morale and energy amongst employees. Drumming sessions, he says, are ideal for breaking the ice between new members of staff, opening and closing conferences, corporate away-days, or internal teambuilding.

Employees from HBOS, Social Firms Scotland, North Lanarkshire Council, Unicef and the NHS are just a few who have given the drums a thorough thrashing. The benefits of hammering drums in fast and simple beats are not difficult see in the team of employees from the civil service department: Male accountants beam with joy, IT staff look awe-struck, while female admin workers shriek with laughter. The rapid and exuberant drumming sessions delivered by Chebe and his three-man team is contagious.

“One, two…to-geth-er,” he cries, encouraging the employees to chant after him. “We, will, we will, rock you,” they chant back, clapping their hands between beating the drums. But they need no encouragement. All 80 members of staff are putting their hearts and souls into the drumming as if their jobs or even lives depended on it.

From suited executives who make high level decisions – right across to receptionists, the sessions are an effective way of breaking down barriers. Similar to singing from the same song sheet, all employees hit identical drumbeats. Chebe explains: “I have adapted the drum beats so they are simple to pick-up – but they get faster to reach a crescendo. We’re not teaching people how to drum, we’re teaching people how to have fun!”

Get creative at Maften Hall Motivational training and team building can take many forms. The conventional way to ‘bond’ your team is usually on a golf or assault course, or on rivers and rafts. Not everyone’s cup of tea...

The award-winning hotel Matfen Hall based near Newcastle (a member of Classic British Hotels), has launched two new corporate team building packages, aimed largely at female executives. Called ‘Team Building through Art’ and ‘Team Building through Well Being’, these unique courses are designed to develop an understanding of different team roles and personalities; improve relationships and synergies between people.

The Art of Well Being is a full day team building programme, comprising a half day of pampering and a half day participating in a wellbeing workshop.

‘Team Building through Art’, run by artist Jeannie Blaxall, is a creative exercise to inspire people to work together as a team and to show what they can achieve individually. On the half-day course course members colour sheets of black and white paper using three shades. Each person is encouraged to use their own individual style.

Allison Cuthbertson, reservationist at Matfen Hall, was amazed when she took part:

“All I knew was we had an afternoon of team building. I had no idea that when all our squares were placed together, we had formed a collective picture of our hotel owners, Sir Hugh and Lady Blackett! We came away on a real high and with a huge sense of achievement.”

Expotel Incentive Solutions

Employees can participate in a wide range of corporate activities as part of rewarding top performing staff, building teams, launching new products or entertaining clients.

Expotel Incentive Solutions, overseen by manager Selina Grocott delivers a wide variety of cost effective, corporate incentives to employers both in the UK and overseas. Such ground-breaking corporate activities include Wadi and desert safari; clay pigeon shooting in Moroccan Palace; and even helicopter tours of New York.

“We run corporate events in the UK and overseas activities for more ambitious organisations,” explains Selina. “Depending on client requirements, we can run corporate events to suit a business’ exact needs. From our London head office, we also offer consultancy services to advise clients on the most suitable events.”

Expotel Incentive Solutions is able arrange extras such as accommodation, transport and alternate locations for dining and activities. It caters for large multinational companies right across to SME organisations wanting to take advantage of the exciting corporate activities. “For most people the events develop strong team building skills,” says Selina. “The activities give people a strong sense of achievement. We always work the events so they are fun!”

Would you like Expotel to arrange fun incentive events for your company?

Just dial the team on 020 7604 2723 or log onto www.expotel.com for more information.