Drumming for Business and Corporate Team Building

Drumming and communication go hand in hand. From the roots of Djembe drumming as a way for tribes in Africa to communicate across long distances to the celebration within these tribes and communities through the magic of drums, a drum has been used as a way for like-minded people to establish a method to grow together and forge important interpersonal bonds.

In today’s corporate-run world, the ability for people to connect on a personal level is often made more difficult due to the demands placed upon them from work and other life obligations. Furthermore, the continual reliance on computers and technology for communication has created a divide between the actual communication needed by humans at home, in the community and especially at work. Because of this communication void, corporations and businesses have noted a lack of productivity and teamwork that negatively impacts the overall flow of the business. Team building is an essential part of business, giving people a social and emotional component to careers filled with e-mails, text messages, cubicles and commutes.

Drumming brings people together and establishes a method for communication that goes beyond the text on a screen. This ancient form of collaboration demonstrates that not one person is more important than any others, and that the sum of all parts is what makes the greatest rhythms possible. These exercises, commonly occurring during corporate retreats, workshops and conferences, not only give people the ability to break out of the daily hustle with stress-relieving drumming, but incite a goal-oriented focus of the participants to work together in a non-confrontational, creative and harmonious manner.

The end goal of many team-building drum events is to illustrate that each member has a part to play in the overall success of the business or organization. These drum circles allow members to creatively express their own role in the culmination of the music, while still illustrating that others are just as valuable, no matter the instrument, job, skills or qualifications. All members work together; all members must rely on each other to fulfill the rhythm’s fullest potential.

As businesses and corporations struggle to compete and continue to rely on teams of employees to facilitate goals, team building exercises like drumming and corporate drum circles are being used to foster an environment of cooperation and communication. These events are not only beneficial to the company or organization, but also give employees a creative, stress-reducing activity that can have lasting benefits for the business and its employees.