This article is so spot on as to what it takes to be an extraordinary team. To get to the point of “extraordinary,” collaboration and clear communication are must. That’s where we come in through the universal language of rhythm and drumming. http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/7-habits-of-extraordinary-teams.html

Although some of us are more social than others, networking always requires extroverted behavior, a relentlessly positive attitude and really being present and at your complete best. I’d love to hear from you and find out what networking means to you and how you integrate the concept of collaboration into your business. What we share becomes conversation for inspiration! http://drumcafewest.com/news/2012/06/the-art-of-networking/

Look who we spotted at one of our events. Could this be the secret to +Richard Branson success?

Look who we spotted at one of our events. Could this be the secret to +Richard Branson success?

DrumCafeWest's photostream

DrumCafeWest's photostream on Flickr.

Team Building Program of the year with special activity from The Drum Cafe - sdnace.org/meetingin...

Did you know that the drum is actually a drug for the brain? Scientific research confirms that drumming doubles alpha brain wave activity, dramatically reducing stress. Drumming also creates new neural pathways in the brain, effectively embedding positive messaging delivered throughout a drumming session. And the best part is – there are no side effects from this drug. Sweet!

New Blog Post: Huh? What Did You Say? - Communication – it can be a blessing and a curse.  Have you ever heard a par... http://ow.ly/1kl5Ou

New Blog Post: Dance like no one is watching - The other night as I was preparing dinner for myself and a few friend... http://ow.ly/1kdezH

Dance like no one is watching: Our bodies are designed for movement. http://ow.ly/bjB6F When the movement is inspired and propelled by rhythm and song our soul spontaneously integrates with our body and mind and we find ourselves feeling incredibly fueled with a joyous fire. http://ow.ly/bjB6F

Take a pause from your day and synch up with the rhythm of life…

“Life has a rhythm, it’s constantly moving. The word for rhythm in the Malinke tribes is FOLI. It is a word that encompasses so much more than drumming, dancing or sound. It’s found in every part of daily life. In this 10 minute film you not only hear and feel rhythm but you see it. It’s an extraordinary blend of image and sound that feeds the senses and reminds us all how essential rhythm is.” http://ow.ly/bhiNW

New Blog Post: “Its like asparagus” - If someone would have told me that I’d relate drumming to asparagus, I’d have ... http://ow.ly/1k7pbI

Have you heard about this?  Percussionist Mickey Hart of the legendary Grateful Dead actually measured vibrational patterns of the Golden GateBridge for its recent 75^th anniversary party celebration, then created a model of the bridge and played it like an instrument!  Hart was quoted in a press release stating "The Golden Gate Bridge vibrates from its toes, to its thighs, to its torso and crown and we have created a musical soundscape based on the real sounds of the bridge."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/blogs/gear-up/grateful-deads-mickey-hart-sonifies-the-golden-gate-bridge-20120525

"Its like asparagus" This is the story overcoming two very different but similar fears. What has been your experience? http://ow.ly/beJIm

Drum Cafe is with the @SEIU 25th International Convention for the social justice movement of union workrs in creating a new sense of... http://ow.ly/aShIS

Authentic Leadership - what a concept! “Leaders should determine the culture of their organizations – not the other way around.” http://ow.ly/b5LQv

An Inspiring Day at @PBWC event. http://ow.ly/b0t0D

New Blog Post: How have you overcome failure and turned the lessons into a success story? http://ow.ly/b0lzU

We are here at the 2012 Special Olympic Montana having a blast. @SOMTorg. Inspiration is clear. It truly helps lift the barriers of personal fear & motivate the spirit & mind to body. http://ow.ly/aSgha

New Blog Post: The Echo of the Mother’s Heartbeat - Have you ever experienced a Pow Wow? Not the business meeting or... http://ow.ly/1jFC2m

Happy Friday friends. New Blog posted for this MothersDay weekend. Please comment and share. Enjoy your weekend ahead. http://ow.ly/aQKKI

Inspirational: Photo http://ow.ly/1jDHMo

New Blog Post: "The Mystery of Motivation" - What medium have you used to release the motivation already inside you?

Inspirational: Photo http://ow.ly/1jzvdo

New Blog Post: How to break down barriers without a jackhammer http://ow.ly/1jrXzl

Inspirational: M. Borgardt - M. Borgardt http://ow.ly/1jh2Ra

Inspirational: Photo http://ow.ly/1jcTWS

speaks to DrumCafe's philosophy:"The traditional question was: how do you create the conditions that will motivate people?" Deci says. "We ask ourselves: how do you create the conditions which encourage people to motivate themselves?" http://ow.ly/axZao

Inspirational: Underneathevery thought,every feeling,every sensationand every movement is unconditional... http://ow.ly/1jaVyG

New blog post on "Drumming For Health" - http://ow.ly/az29q - Group drumming has been shown to not only reduce anxiety but also boost the immune system, lower stress, and improve one’s overall mood and sense of well-being.

Inspirational: Video http://ow.ly/1j6xah

Inspirational: Photo http://ow.ly/1j4fHO

Inspirational: Photo http://ow.ly/1j1WkM

Inspirational: Looks like Zuma. - Looks like Zuma. http://ow.ly/1iYAa7

Inspirational: Photo http://ow.ly/1iV641

Drum Up Your Best UBUNTU Story Win a beautiful hand-carved West African Djembe Drum valued over $300. http://ow.ly/a7aOs

An inspirational message from my favorite author: "Living the Love Affair between Body and Soul." Any way I write it, it all boils down to this- accepting, embracing, loving (and yes, in some moments, enduring) this human life with all of its challenges and joys, births and deaths- choosing to be here fully. Where else would we be? Oh, that's a different chapter- titled something like "Your Body- Don't Leave Home Without It" or "The Cost of Out-of-Body Living." Let's be here- it's where the heart is. Really :-)

Drum Up Your Best Ubuntu Story!

Drum Up Your Best UBUNTU Story! Win a beautiful hand-carved West African Djembe Drum valued over $300. Enter now below:

Best Ubuntu Story

DRUM CAFE WEST is celebrating a 10 year birthday - April Newsletter

10 Years, OVER 4000 Clients, MORE THAN 50,000 Participants...and Still Counting.

We are marking this incredible milestone with many exciting things, such as the launch of our re‐energized newsletter and our new website, as well as the start of a promotional program to celebrate this year with a bang. Read our special edition newsletter with more details of what happened, what's now, and what's to come.

DRUM CAFE WEST

EXCITING NEWS for US and You!. - http://ow.ly/a5yT7 Happy 10th Birthday to @DrumCafeWest. We have so many things planned for the rest of year. To start, a contest kick off sharing your BEST Ubuntu story.

Here's your chance to WIN a REAL African Djembe Drum? Valued $300. See details here: Share with others too: eventplanning http://ow.ly/a48EE

New post on our Blog. "A Message from the Road" - This indelible journey has allowed me to interact, connect and stand on stages with some of the most talented souls on the planet... http://ow.ly/a48uL

New drumstick video of our Interactive Program: You will need to enter code to view: Code: a1b2c3d4e5 http://ow.ly/a10ws

What is Ubuntu? An African Ethic, in simple terms means I am who I am because of those around me. Bishop Desmond Tutu further explained Ubuntu: “…speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.” http://ow.ly/9UYkA http://ow.ly/9UYAd

Drum Cafe West wants to hear from you. If you were to ask us something, what would it be? We are here to listen and answer ALL of your questions.

"Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. And, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star than the atoms in your right hand. It really is the most poetic thing I know about the universe: You are all stardust." ~ Lawrence Krauss To see more visit: http://ow.ly/9PExW

New testimonial video about Drum Cafe West: http://ow.ly/9PCGR Deana Cross from HD Supply company attending the Drum Cafe West booth in at the Exhibitor 2012 event shares her own personal experience when Drum Cafe West came to their First Timer CTSM orientation.

http://drumcafewest.com - Drum Cafe West attends the Exhibitor2012 event in Las Vegas, NV with many attendees who stop by to share about Drum Cafe.
http://ow.ly/9PCBK

New video from the Exhibitor2012 event. http://ow.ly/9PCpg Its great to hear when people say they wished Drum Cafe West was throughout the whole event. That says allot of the energy and rhythm of bringing diverse people together in harmony.

Exhibitor 2012 Las Vegas event

HD Supply Company / Drum Cafe West experience

What some educators have said about their experience with the Drum Cafe West: http://ow.ly/9BBx6 "I would like to personally thank each one of you for turning around the important initiatives, mission, goals and vision of C.B.I.S.D. during the last two days of professional development. The Drum Cafe has been an extremely valuable instrument for our district to establish the same bass note, the pulse, of our organization." Sena Yates, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Columbia Brazoria

Tiffany Nixon from Kinaxis stops by our booth at the Exhibitor 2012 to say hello. Follow us on facebook: http://ping.fm/oUt1C - http://ow.ly/9tsrK

A great TeamBuilding Solution for Educators: See how Faculty and Educators have used Drum Cafe West in the past. http://ow.ly/9BBdL

Gig for home street Bank for their presidents club meeting.

Youth Programs: "Drum Cafe West was one of the most exciting programs we have ever had in the Pasadena Independent School District. Many of our schools plan to bring Drum Café to their campuses for teacher and student programs." http://ow.ly/9BAWk

One of the biggest highlights for Drum Cafe West was performing for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday in London. http://ow.ly/9BAFL

Download Drum Cafe West's Newsletter: Stay connected to the latest news, blogs, and events. http://ow.ly/9BAlr

Connect, Discover and Shine. From the Professional Business Women of California event, these women continue to inspire me. http://ow.ly/9Bzrh

Drum Cafe West will be attending the ISES in Los Angeles. http://ow.ly/9Bz0p

“The Art of Living: Connecting your life’s work to work you do every day”

Drum Cafe West will be attending the ISES event in Los Angeles. Will you be there too? 

Join ISES LA for an Educational Luncheon with John Klymshyn, featuring Lawry's famous cuisine, catered by Executive Chef Walter Eckstein.
The luncheon is scheduled for March 28, 2012, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Lawry's The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills.

Klymshyn, "The BusinessGenerator," has expertise in training and coaching top performing professionals in Sales and Sales Management. He is a sought-after speaker, invited tospeak at over 45 events annually, and is known for being both funny and informative. His professional selling career includes holding positions as recruiter,a corporate sales trainer, a sales manager, a regional manager, and production sales person. He published his first book, Move the Sale Forward, in 2003, andsince then has written two additional books and has published over 120 articles in magazine and trade papers that cover sales, business development and communication skills and management.

Southwest Airlines, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Virgin and many others know WHO WE ARE…do you? http://ow.ly/9y3au

http://ow.ly/9tsZN - Tiffany Nixon from Kinaxis stops by our booth to say hello at the Exhibitor 2012 Trade Show. Follow us on facebook: http://ping.fm/NPW5u

http://ow.ly/9tr5n - Testimonial from Exhibitor 2012 attendee. Drum Cafe West is at the Exhibitor 2012 in Las Vegas at booth 2024. It is such a huge success meeting all these wonderful people networking. Here we are talking with is Gail Hernandez from Omicron Electronics

Testimonial from Exhibitor 2012 attendee

Drum Cafe West is at the Exhibitor 2012 in Las Vegas at booth 2024. It is such a huge success meeting all these wonderful people networking. Here we are talking with is Gail Hernandez from Omicron Electronics

New Blog post on "The Beat of Tomorrow" - How Drum Cafe West kicked off @Intel Global Marketing Summit http://ow.ly/9qwxC

How does your organization cope with chaos and change? The best of the best companies are doing good things by providing employees w/ very cushy workplaces w/ amazing perks Like Google! http://ow.ly/97Mhv

I just finished an event here in san francisco for Stryker Neurovascular. I can't always see everyone's faces in the audience from the stage - lots of lights shining in my eyes - so I always judge the success of an event based on the number of job offers I receive after an event is done. Today was another one of those days. Stryker was having their global conference at the Westin Saint Francis in San Francisco, and Drum Cafe West opened this conference with magical rhythms, music and 350 people drumming in unison. We marshaled sales and Marketing people from the US, South and Central America, APAC including China and Japan, and EMEA including Western Europe around one common purpose - to dominate the acute stroke care market.

Stryker is a Fortune 500 company and one of the world’s leading medical technology companies. They employ 20 000 employees worldwide, operate in over 89 countries and have achieved 7.3 billion in sales revenue. One of the woman came up to me afterwards to tell me that she had experienced Drum Cafe in the UK and loved us.

Another partnership win - Stryker and Drum Cafe West. I want to thank my team, Craig, Aboubacar and Dramane for a beautiful performance.

Regards

Natalie Spiro

Join Drum Cafe West's Inner Circle. We will connect with you periodically about news, promotions, & other jazzy bits! http://ow.ly/8Wiye

How do YOU cope with all this chaos? http://ow.ly/8WhaX

Drum Cafe West at Affymetrix San Diego, CA

Drum Cafe brings power, passion and energy to conference kickoff’s, team building or experiential learning relating music and rhythm | Drum Cafe West

Drum Cafe brings power, passion and energy to conference kickoff’s, team building or experiential learning relating music and rhythm | Drum Cafe West

Drum Cafe Entertainment for yout Christmas party and seasonal celebration entertainment | Drum Cafe West

Drum Cafe Entertainment for yout Christmas party and seasonal celebration entertainment | Drum Cafe West

Score One for Collaboration!

So, it’s time for your organization’s 2012 kick-off. Your objective is to unite andenergize the team to launch a new product into the market, exceed their budget last year, and cut back on costs. How are you going to infuse this level of unity and energy into them? Hmmm, so many competitive activities to choose from! Hang on a minute … “competitive”?? Your objective is to unite andenergize your team, so why on earth would you foster a competition amongst them—whether it’s in the name of fun or not?

You are not alone when it comes to this. I worked for (and know of) many companies that made competitive-type activities part of their annual kick-offs, conferences and the likes—under the impression it would create unity. And, yes, they honestly were very fun!  But they didn’t unite the organization as a team, rather they divided the organization into teams—counterproductive, to say the least. We all went back to our offices basically the same individuals with the same perspectives as before—albeit some of us touting ribbons for being the “winner”. We talked a bit about the day and laughed about the antics, but that quickly wore off and here we were again—the same people, the same organization. Where’s the ROI in that?

As most of us know, the New England Patriots and the New York Giants meet in SuperBowl XLVI this Sunday. Aside from the indulgent food, drinks and harmless betting, there are things we in the corporate world can learn from watching these over-achieving sportsmen. They are all a part of a unified, energized, and goal-oriented team. Their coach has the extremely difficult job to ensure the team of this, as well as ensure that they win against their competitors—not dissimilar to the professional world. So, when you’re throwing back those bacon-wrapped-dates and hotdogs, take a mental note to really think about how these incredible teams make it to the apex of American football—subsequently making history.

Shifting people’s individual and organizational spirit to achieve greatness in their professional and personal lives happens through collaborative activities that deeply connect people, finding the pulse of the organization and creating harmony through it. Successful teams are united, not divided. Collaboration is key. Drumming together around a common goal is definitely one highly productive way to achieve this. So, maybe you will find Drum Cafe facilitating the next Patriots or Giants strategy meeting!

In Joy and Rhythm,

Natalie Spiro

One of the main goals of effective advertising is creating an emotional link between customer and product. http://ow.ly/8GGPR Some of the most memorable advertising campaigns rely on music to create this link; after all, music can make us feel the gamut of emotions from happy to sad or excitement to boredom. Drumming is one of the most significant aspects of musical composition. It helps to set the tone and attract the senses.

Imagine the power of the entire audience rumbling applause on their drums. http://ow.ly/8GFQA Celebrating success and congratulating somebody for a job well done are great ways of motivating team members.

Testimonial from Director of Campus Ministry, Notre Dame High School - "I cannot express the deep gratitude I have for you and all your wonderful drum people. They were the consummate professionals and delivered an excellent program. Today, it was amazing to hear the diverse members of staff and faculty approach myself and the other members of Ministry gush over the drum experienced. They commented on how they would never forget that experience and how life changing it was. You were so gracious to work with us to deliver a message that was coherent and inspiring. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" http://ow.ly/8GJ4y

A Drum Cafe session is a powerful way to open or close conferences.To revitalize & re-focus participants between presentations or before speeches or awards. http://ow.ly/8GFnv - At the beginning of a conference, people are coming from different areas within an organization and sometimes from different parts of the world. The Drum Cafe corporate team building and entertainment facilitators get these gatherings off to a great start, by creating an energy which in turn creates a bonding and a breaking down of barriers.

At the end of a conference, it is important for the attendees to leave with memorable impressions, a sense of accomplishment and a sense of having had a good time. Having the Drum Cafe close your conference, fulfills these objectives and allows people to leave with memorable impressions of a sense of bonding and a great time.

In the middle of the day. During the course of any conference there comes a point, where attendees' energy levels drop off. Nothing like a Drum Cafe “pick em up” in the middle of the conference to get delegates back on track.

An inside look at the Drum Cafe Leadership philosophy and approach. http://ow.ly/8GFch - There are lots more leadership challenges in today's corporations, but at the heart of this is one predominant difference between companies that are growing in leaps & bounds and those who are not:

What does Yoga have to do with Leadership? http://ow.ly/8GESt

An inside look at the Drum Cafe Leadership philosophy and approach. http://ow.ly/8GFch - There are lots more leadership challenges in today's corporations, but at the heart of this is one predominant difference between companies that are growing in leaps & bounds and those who are not:

Norte Dame could feel the drum as a powerful conduit for their faith. The drumming began and in they entered. http://ow.ly/8GEKG - One hundred or so, faith-filled educators ready to groove!

http://ow.ly/8qBMS - A Drum Cafe session is a powerful way to open or close conferences.To revitalize and re-focus participants between presentations or before speeches or awards. Drum Cafe is also a great option as a keynote address.

The basis of Spirited Economics™ is that employee spirit is a largely untapped quantifiable corporate financial asset. The Spirited Economics™ programs teach leaders, managers, and teams the six specific behavior and communication skills that will maximize this incredible, highly underutilized financial asset that exists in every company. http://ow.ly/8qBHG

The Drum Cafe has several core programs, depending on client’s needs.
We completely customize each and every event specifically to you or your clients needs. http://ow.ly/8qBht

In order to succeed in today’s market, leaders need exceptional abilities to mobilize the spirit of their teams to accomplish their business goals and deliver sustainable growth. Yesterday’s leadership skills are no longer enough. http://ow.ly/8qByp

TeamBuilding events that can be used for Communication, Diversity and Energizers. http://ow.ly/8qBkz

Engaging and Interactive:
Audience participation doesn’t get any better than this! Every attendee – 5 or 5,000 – will get a drum to play! The drum is a tool like no other – it has the ability to provoke emotion, create raw energy and promote high spirits!

Strike the right cord with an Interactive Keynote. “Music is the vernacular of the human soul.” http://ow.ly/8qBwW

Relevant and Meaningful Content:
Every Drum Cafe team building program is customized to support our clients’ specific business and meeting objectives. http://ow.ly/8qAUk

KIDS Program and education

Drum Cafe West Virgin America Airlines Sessions

Drum Cafe Boomwhackers

Drum Cafe Deutschland Boomwhacker Events

What is Drum Cafe West - Leaders in Energizing Organizational Spirit

Yahoo Taiwan Drum Cafe Event

Check out the Drum Cafe photos from the Yahoo event!

Comment and Share! The Drum Cafe West, powerful and entertaining interactive drumming http://ow.ly/1gDrgX

Happy New Year! May 2012 be a turn-around year for everyone!

I’m thankful for many things in my life; and I’m especially thankful for the work that I get to do and the people that I connect with. The events that I facilitate and the clients that I meet are forever amazing and energizing to me. I facilitated an incredible conference event for BP at the end of the year that I’d like to share with you.

BP is one of the world’s leading oil and gas companies; employing 80,000 people across the globe. Exploration and Production employs about 18000 people and is active in 29 countries. So many “tribes” came together as one BP community at the conference; it was a definite challenge to unite such a diverse and geographically dispersed group. But I’m excited to say that Drum Cafe’s powerful keynote interactive program helped them marshal their resources, energy, skills and passion as one percussive team so they could truly push the boundaries today, toward creating tomorrow’s breakthroughs.

I was able to talk at length with one of the “jazzed” attendees Shahid Javed, Chief Procurement Officer, BP-North America Gas. He shared his perspective on how the experience affected him and his peers. Here is a short excerpt …

“…the transformation is the fact that we are different teams, we have to work together, you can work together and create harmony. This was the message that people took back to their teams and to their desks. That's kind of being open minded on how they approached their work, approached their problems, how to collaborate more with their peers. It's that kind of transformation that I saw happening. … there were elements of leadership in that session where I could take back and say, ‘You know what? Even in my world and my role as a leader, how do I lead this varied different teams and sets of groups so they harmonize and work together?’”

My favorite program that we do is the keynote interactive. It has all the power of the interactive drumming and—through collaboration with very talented visionaries in the organization—I completely customize the keynote portion to the company’s objectives. I get to delve really deep into the business culture and tap into the true pulse of the company and its people. It really jazzes me! So, when someone like Shahid says “…pretty much every person said it exceeded what they expected from the session,” I do that celebratory-shimmy-dance in my own head (and sometimes across the room). Yes!!!

In Joy and Rhythm,

Natalie Spiro

If you like this post, please comment and share: Google Finds Their Global Groove with Drum Cafe - http://ow.ly/8k1E8

Corporate Team Building Events and Activities

“Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions.

People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit.”