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The Monk and the Tiger

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 by Dave Blum The other day, I was re-reading one of my favorite inspirational books, Sylvia Boorstein’s short and pithy “It’s Easier Than You Think“, and came across this parable: “A monk was being chased by a tiger toward the edge of a cliff. He leaps…

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Getting in the Flow

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Monday, December 1, 2008 by Dave Blum A few years back, I attended a NASAGA conference session led by Bernie DeKoven. He spoke to us about the elusive quality of “flow”, a term much-popularized by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. According to DeKoven, the “flow” state is that feeling of being “in the zone”, when we feel…

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Things We Do

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Saturday, November 29, 2008 by Dave Blum For those of you who haven’t yet made it to my website, Dr. Clue is the company I founded in 1995. Our six featured team building activities serve clients in the following ways: 1) Our puzzle-based Treasure Hunts allow participants to navigate around a given…

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Favorite Treasure Hunt Movies

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Saturday, November 29, 2008 by Dave Blum When looking for new scavenger hunt ideas and treasure hunt ideas, I often turn to the movies for inspiration. As described in an earlier blog, scavenger hunts are defined as the search for objects on a scavenger hunt list. Treasure hunts, by contrast, are a…

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Five Ways to Use Clues in “The Real World”

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Wednesday, November 26, 2008 by Dave Blum We live in a clue and puzzle culture, thanks in large part to the amazing popularity of The Amazing Race, National Treasure, The DaVinci Code and similar TV shows and movies. The entertainment media has clearly latched onto treasure hunt clues and scavenger…

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Shifting the Pardigm on Zero Sum Games

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Tuesday, November 25, 2008 by Dave Blum My wife, Jen, and I were playing the card game, Bohnanza, Saturday night, and there I was losing — badly. I believe the technical term is “getting whomped.” The fact that Jen was routing me at a card game is not entirely earth shattering; she’s a…

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“Business”…shhhh

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Monday, November 24, 2008 by Dave Blum Should we talk about business when conducting off-sites? During a treasure hunt last week at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, I was confronted with this very same question. The client, Baxa Corporation, was preparing for an upcoming product launch; their offsite at the…

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What’s going on here?

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Friday, November 21, 2008 by Dave Blum I first saw the technique used in 2004, at a Dr. Clue hunt in Sacramento, CA. The facilitator was Christine McHugh, a Dr. Clue veteran. At the time, the group was vehemently discussing the treasure hunt clues after the first stage of their program,…

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My Favorite Hunt Locations

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Wednesday, November 19, 2008 by Dave Blum In my last entry, I suggested that a great hunt location is: 1) Relatively flat in terrain 2) Large enough to get lost in 3) Packed with historic signage and public art I would also add that the hunt area should ideally possess the indefinable quality…

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Top three ideas for scouting a treasure hunt

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008 by Dave Blum There are no rules for scouting out a treasure hunt location, but there are certainly some “recommended guidelines”. My three top suggestions would be: 1) Choose an interesting, walkable location without too many hills. –Walking (as opposed to driving) hunts allow you to see…

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Michele Calope

BMS

JobTrain was seeking a new and exciting method of fundraising for our nonprofit, as well as exposing more individuals and organizations to the work that we do. We needed to find a new and unique way to engage new supporters to JobTrain, in particular a younger demographic. Hosting this team building event seemed like a great way to address both goals. Dr. Clue’s enthusiasm over the event matched well with the enthusiasm we were hoping to derive from the active younger demographic.

Dr. Clue was able to work with our organization, and its specific needs, to tailor a fun community-building event for our guests. He goes above and beyond to ensure that: 1) He fully understands your wants and 2) He fulfills them in a professional, friendly and approachable manner. Dr. Clue took time and care in understanding the unique mission and goals of our event and organization. It was a “thought partner” in refining the details of the event.

All of our guests were fully engaged in the event and had a fantastic time. The variety of clues, clue styles and difficulty level allowed for all participants to be included and feel accomplished. Our Dr. Clue facilitator was very engaging and inspiring, especially in his closing activity with the whole group!

Our guests enjoyed an amazing morning of teambuilding with their own peers, got a chance to meet other community members and made connections with other organizations at this multi-company event. This Treasure Hunt model allowed guests to release their inner child while solving puzzles like a modern Indiana Jones….what’s not to love?! Everyone enjoyed the challenge, the thinking and working together, the fun environment and the uniqueness of the event.

Dr. Clue’s Treasure Hunt allowed new organizations, and the individuals who work at those organizations, to become more familiar with JobTrain’s goals, work and community. We are excited about the new connects that were forged, and are looking forward to another Treasure Hunt, soon! Dr. Clue gave us a window into the possibilities of creating an event centered around on team building and uniting community activities. We are looking to build on this year’s event and grow for next year!

Kunal Kirti

Dr. Reddy’s Lab

Great learning the elements of team building with fun activity and enjoying the surroundings. You get to know the strength of individuals in a different setting, especially outside of work.

Mark Barnes

Trelleborg

I loved piecing together the clues and searching the historic town. Learned a lot more about the people around me.

Heather Morrison

Carolinas Healthcare

What I loved about the treasure hunt was the tour of Charlotte and seeing new places.

Wonderful experience and great team building.

Hugh Hunter

BioMarin

Dear Dave,

Dropping you a quick note to let you know how well-received The Dr. Clue Hunt at Universal Studios was. As you know, we have a team comprised of varied ages, personality types and physical statures. And, as advertised, the Hunt was a good fit for All. The comments I heard from our delegates were as such: “fun; just the right lengt;, challenging but not impossible; a great way to get to know your fellow associates. “

People definitely enjoyed this – and it helped further our “teaming”. As advised, The Hunt required a true team effort and utilizing every member’s skill set to solve the puzzles.

Thanks again! I would not hesitate to utilize your Dr. Clue services in the future when opportunity arises, as well as recommend to others.

George Kuniholm

BioMarin

Excellent Program; Fun, outdoors, plus learning.

Rachel Fortier

Procure4

We had a fantastic time on the scavenger hunt. It was a big hit with our team and by far one of the best team building events we’ve had.

Thank you so much for the enjoyable day!

Pauline Gehnrich

Peninsula Regional Medical Center

Our department (the Education Dept.) here at the Medical Center was VERY pleased with the event. They say it was the BEST teambuilding activity they have every done. And that is saying a lot – since this is what we do (doing workshops/activities, etc) – they can be rather critical.

Stephanie Loughran

Sun-Netscape Alliance

Awesome! We really had a blast and it was an incredible team building event. It really brings out everyone’s specific talents.

The Monk and the Tiger

Getting in the Flow

Things We Do

Favorite Treasure Hunt Movies

Five Ways to Use Clues in “The Real World”

Shifting the Pardigm on Zero Sum Games

“Business”…shhhh

What’s going on here?

My Favorite Hunt Locations

Top three ideas for scouting a treasure hunt

Michele Calope

Kunal Kirti

Mark Barnes

Heather Morrison

Hugh Hunter

George Kuniholm

Rachel Fortier

Pauline Gehnrich

Stephanie Loughran

Introducing our new REMOTE-TEAM
“Virtual” Treasure Hunt

100% on Zoom. Puzzles, clues, creative challenges and more!

Introducing our new REMOTE-TEAM “Virtual” Treasure Hunt

100% on Zoom. Puzzles, clues, creative challenges and more!

Introducing our new REMOTE-TEAM
“Virtual” Treasure Hunt