Motivation & Team Building With Music

We have a theory that music can influence your mood, which in turn can influence your actions and the outcome of those actions. Music can inspire you to think differently; it can evoke emotions or thoughts, and promote creativity. On an individual level, music can give you the motivation to get up and get something done, or take charge – and on a collaborative level, it can make team building more effective.

So check us out every Monday for our song of the week – we know you could use that extra little push on a Monday morning, anyway!

“Better Days” – OneRepublic 

Our song choice to start off the Music Monday series is the recent OneRepublic hit “Better Days.” The song was released in April 2020 and is an optimistic track during dark times. The lyrics say “Oh, I know that they’ll be better days/Oh, that sunshine ’bout to come my way. May we never ever shed another tear for today/’Cause oh, I know that they’ll be better days.” The song aims to give listeners a sense of hope for the uncertain future.

OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, guitarist Zach Filkins, guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellist Brent Kutzle, drummer Eddie Fisher, and keyboardist Brian Willett. They have had many hit songs since the start of their band in 2002, including the Grammy Nominated song “Apologize.”

See full #MusicMondays playlist>

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New Employee Orientation Ideas

Does the investment and effort put into a new employee orientation program outweigh the costs of losing new hires at your company? We think so! Recruiting itself takes a lot of time and money. Don’t drop the ball in the home stretch by losing your new employees.

5 reasons why your new employee orientation will fail:

1. Your activities are boring!
Trivia, Jeopardy, and “fun facts” about your employees…these games get old after a while. You need to spice them up! Besides, it’s much more satisfying (and productive) to see your new employees completely engaged in activities you’re providing.

2. There are no incentives for participating.
There’s no sentiment in taking part in activities or paying attention to the program. Who doesn’t like a free lunch? If you aren’t offering any snacks, lunches or prizes to reward your new hires, you’re not showing appreciation. Odds are they’ll be tuned out during your presentations.

3. Information overload!
It’s important for your employees to understand everything there is to know about your company and get to know every department. But, how many PowerPoint presentations can you go through in one day before they start snoring?

4. There is no follow up down the road.
You don’t want your orientation program to be instantly forgettable, do you? If you have no reunion with the new hires, it’s likely that most of the information you’ve provided to your employees during the program won’t be retained. Besides, you might learn something new, too.

5. The programs you choose are irrelevant.
The orientation sessions you put your groups through don’t speak to the foundations of the company. Of course, you’ll want your new employees to realize the importance of your company’s goals and mission. You can make these points more memorable by implementing them into activities for your orientation group…not just printing out the company’s mission statement on coffee mugs for everyone.

Use team building to boost your new employee orientation:

Team building programs can be customized however you’d like in order to fit into your company’s new employee orientation program, and relate directly to the culture at your office. Depending on the nature of your company, different programs may work for you better than others. Does your company thrive on competition, or do you focus on collaboration? Do you put a strong emphasis on charity? Maybe your employees just REALLY love food…(who doesn’t?).

For the competitors: Outrageous Games!

Teams compete head-to-head in ten wacky, wild, non-athletic relay races. All of the games are designed to build team strength, facilitate communication and develop problem-solving skills using a challenge by choice model.

For the collaborators: Chain Reaction!

An energetic and strategic event, Chain Reaction is full of mind-bending challenges that will result in a strong feeling of success and accomplishment for your teams.

For the philanthropists: Charitable Team Building

Our charitable team building events are the perfect way to bring your company together for a great cause, and have a blast while doing it!

For the foodies: Culinary Team Building

Bring your appetite and positive attitude to our variety of different culinary team building events. Our programs provide fun and effective ways to bring your teams closer through meal preparation, cooking and dining together.

The post Avoid New Employee BORE-ientation appeared first on TeamBonding.

I spent my first few weeks learning the ropes of the company – how everything operates, who to ask questions to regarding different areas of the role, how to use the different tools that the company utilizes.

I started off with some of the simpler stuff – writing blog posts, editing documents, composing thank you notes – and once I got the hang of it, I was given much more responsibility and independence in my role. It wasn’t long until I truly felt like I was a part of the team.

Some of my favorite memories at team bonding were our Friday summer lunches – every Friday, David brought in amazing food for us to eat during our lunch break outside at the picnic tables behind the office.

It was such a great way to enjoy the sunshine and the company of my friends at work while feeling like we got to spend some time on a mini getaway from the office.

I have truly enjoyed my time here, and learned valuable sales and marketing skills while at TeamBonding, and because of that I am forever grateful. So, TeamBonding; THANK YOU.

High quality groups and individuals play a major role in TeamBonding’s ability to deliver the best team building programs available anywhere, so we’re always on the lookout for those rare and delightful people who fall effortlessly into the best and brightest category. Lauren, our Sales and Marketing Coordinator, is one of those individuals. Unfortunately, she couldn’t stay forever!

The post Goodbye, TeamBonding appeared first on TeamBonding.

The Drunk
The person who threw back a few too many during the cocktail hour is now going to be made mercilessly fun of in the office come Monday morning. If your party is on a weeknight, this person will be trudging into the office the next morning trying to be discreet about the massive hangover he or she woke up with. Make sure this isn’t you! There is a time and a place for throwing back one too many drinks, and it might not be the best time to do it in the company of your coworkers. The way you conduct yourself outside of work will say a lot to your coworkers about your character. However, if it’s your boss who’s the drunk one, you might want to make the most of the moment and ask for a raise during this time. (Kidding).

The Wild Card
Every day at work, this person sits quietly at their desk and goes about his or her day without any surprises. But take them out of the office environment, and it’s like meeting a whole new person! The mystery has been unlocked and getting this person out of the comfort of the 9-5 routine has opened up your eyes to who they really are. Chatty, fun and interesting, this person will really come out of their shell once they have a drink or two and are starting to feel more relaxed. Our tip? Get to know this person! They’re probably a great coworker to have, and you might gain a new friend once you’ve seen them outside of the office.

The Life of the Party
This person is probably the coworker in your office who talks the loudest, gathers everybody together for lunch breaks, and organizes the office lottery pools. They’re outgoing and friendly, and a natural leader at work. Out of the office environment, they’re just the same (minus the workload). They’ll be at the bar ordering shots for everybody, or making their rounds in the room to make sure they’ve talked to each and every person. You’ll probably even spot them chatting up the boss with an arm around his or her shoulder. Our suggestion is to tag along with this person if you’re looking for a good way to be introduced to new people at the company, or if you just want to have a good time at the party.

Which of the four choices best describes you?

Need help with planning holiday activities? Start by making them charitable and then download our e-Book for tips and tricks!

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We’re honored that BGCLC and TeamBonding were able to work together to donate brand new bikes that were built with love by a large group of employees at a Chicago company to the kids at the club. We hope to work with Boys and Girls Club of Lake County many more times in the future!

For more information about the Boys and Girls Club of Lake County, check out their website here.

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Give TEAMProv a try with your group and be amazed at what you’re capable of.

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“Better Days” by Citizen King

A one-hit-wonder in its finest, “Better Days” was the most popular song by Citizen King in the late 1990s. We like it because of its clever lyrics and the catchy instrumentals. The lyrics list a series of unfortunate events only to be followed at the end of each segment by “I ain’t got much to lose”. It reminds us that no matter how bad things get or how down you might be, there’s always going to be someone who has it worse – and there’s always going to be a way to make it better. One of the best ways to improve your outlook when life gets you down is with music, and this is why we love “Better Days”! Listen to this pick me up song and remember that there’s always a solution to everything.

See full #MusicMondays playlist>

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