“ A brilliant method to engage everyone, reinforced what can be achieved with a team with differing strengths and abilities”

APG had the pleasure of once again working with Coach Jill Arkell from The Ripple Effect Teams on a fantastic team building workshop. We picked up our drumsticks and drummed along with professional musician and touring drummer Cat Hunter to help further connect our team and build trust.

Through finding our own beat and listening along to others we broke down the 5 levels of Lencioni’s Dysfunctions of a Team. We discussed vulnerability-based trust, turning destructive conflict into creative conflict, buy-in, accountability and a focus on results.

Jill and Cat have put together an excellent program which focuses on non-verbal communication through the metaphor of drumming. We used our bodies, drum pads and drumsticks to realise everyone’s strength as both an individual and as a team member.

Throughout the workshop the team made connections between the beat and our daily processes as a company.  The workshop culminated with each team member being given a different drumming aspect of a song and we came together, using the drum pads, to drum along with a chosen song. We acknowledged each role as unique but also being accountable for helping the team as a whole. If one person dropped out, the song wouldn’t feel the same. On the flip side, we noted that if one person dropped out or wasn’t able to keep up, we still had the rest of the team there to back them up.

Following the workshop, we reflected on how we felt as a team and some key take-aways. A common theme that was brought up was how connected everyone felt throughout the entire exercise. Some team members talked about how they always associated the business with a sports team, but now music has brought on a different aspect.

The Drumming up Trust workshop made a very clear link between drumming and our company. No matter what role you play, as long as we as a team have the connection and trust, we can come together and there’s no limit to what we can do.