Seeing the Situation Clearly

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Friday, May 8, 2009 by Dave Blum Where were you back in the fall of 1987? Me, I was 24 years old, nearing the end of my 2-year ESL teaching gig in Japan, and afraid that I was going a little bit crazy.  Standing up in front of class everyday,…

The Art of Story Telling: Set the Scene

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Thursday, May 7, 2009 by Dave Blum My favorite movie reviewer is a guy named James Berardinelli, who writes at http://www.reelviews.net/movies.php. In a current review, he wrote: “It has been argued that for characters to be three-dimensional, they must have a past, a present, and a future, not to mention…

Scavenger Hunts without Adrenaline

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Tuesday, May 5, 2009 by Dave Blum Although my business is creating business team building games and corporate scavenger hunts, my wife, Jen, and I have a private passion for treasure hunts as well.   One of our most cherished traditions — on a date roughly equidistant between our two birthdays — is to hold…

Business Team building Games: Should We Award Prizes?

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Monday, May 4, 2009 by Dave Blum It seems like whenever I’m talking on the phone with prospective client about my company’s corporate scavenger hunts, the same question inevitably arises: “Should we give prizes and awards?” I think the better question should be: “Should we encourage or dis-encourage the release…

Managing Conflict: Feeling Emotions in Your Body

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Friday, May 1, 2009 by Dave Blum There’s an icebreaker I like in a book called “The Conflict and Communication Activity Book”, by Bill Withers and Keami D. Lewis.  The game is called “Energy Jump” and it works like this: Tell the group that you want them to jump up…

Troubles in Teambuilding: Why Team Members Cheat

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Thursday, April 30, 2009 by Dave Blum Some time back, while leading a corporate scavenger hunt in Ventura, CA,  I was required to put up a sign on a wall, down along the beach-side promenade. No big deal.  Treasure hunt clues often require the placing of a sign of some…

Team building online–Smart Mobs

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009 by Dave Blum In case you somehow missed it, I want to urge you to go out to your nearest newstand and pick up a copy of this month’s Wired Magazine.  It’s called “The Mystery Issue” and includes article after article about puzzles, magic, clues, codes–you name…

Trust and Teambuilding–Who has your back?

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Monday, April 27, 2009 by Dave Blum I watch a lot of sci-fi, and inevitably there’s a scene where the hero, preparing to rush into a laser fight, turns to his right-hand man (or woman, or droid) and says, “You cover me”.  Think Han Solo and Chewbacca. This seems, to me, to be…

Trust and Teambuilding–Who has your back?

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Monday, April 27, 2009 by Dave Blum I watch a lot of sci-fi, and inevitably there’s a scene where the hero, preparing to rush into a laser fight, turns to his right-hand man (or woman, or droid) and says, “You cover me”.  Think Han Solo and Chewbacca. This seems, to me, to be…