Pick Your Song

Yesterday morning, we got in tune with ourselves to pick our song.

Nancy: From ancient Mayan circle chants (that may or may not be true) to the modern industrial sounds of Skrillex and dubstep, music plays an integral part of any culture or society. I always keep a little saying in the back of my head, "Looking at someone's music player is like looking into a little piece of their soul," and true to that, I did have one friend who was very shy and refused to let me see her iPod when I asked her if I could take a look. So for my morning presentation, I decided to have us all play a little game called "Pick Your Song." It involves a bit of critical thinking and creativity, but also helps you understand the people on your team (or in your company) a little better.

The game itself is simple enough. You have a bunch of statements or questions ("Name your favorite ice cream flavor" or "What's the weather like today?") and you hand them out randomly to the people in your group. They all get a few minutes to think of a song that responds to the statement or question. For example: "What's your favorite mode of transportation?" "Yellow Submarine, by The Beatles." And then we go around in a circle and share our questions and answers. It's a nice way of seeing what other people's music tastes are and also the explanations that they give to song if the title doesn't exactly answer the statement or question. One colleague received the question, "Who is your best friend?" and she responded with "Don't Stop Believing, by Journey" because the song reminds her of her best friends and they always sing and enjoy that song together. The best part was that this game really displayed one of our core values, which is seeking creative solutions. We constantly have to find creative solutions for our questions, and in this case, we had to use song titles in order to get there.

So great exercise to get our brains moving and hopefully thinking of that song gave everyone a pleasant little thrill to start off the day!

Excerpts from the game:

• Favorite Time of Day  -  AM to PM (Christine Milan)
• Best Advice You Can Give  -  Lose Yourself (Eminem)
• My Motto  - Why Should I Worry(from Oliver & Company)
• Thought of the Day - What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)