How to Use Dance Lessons to Build a Corporate Team

Every business runs on creativity. Your staff needs to know that you value that and want to nurture it. Choose a creative way to address everyone's needs as a team. You can use dance lessons to build a corporate team that is far more than the sum of its parts. Your staff members need to rely on each other to get the job done. Bring them together through dance.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Participation of staff
• Consensus of upper management
• Sense of fun

Build Your Team In-House

1. Do it yourself. Set up in-house dance lessons for all or a portion of your staff. Get the necessary okays, budget and timeframe.

2. Bolster team sentiment from within. Have a couple of managers or staff members learn a dance form using lessons or DVDs such as "Ballroom Dancing Made Easy" at Amazon (see Resources below). Then have them teach the rest of the group in one or more casual-dress sessions.

3. Get an outside opinion. Bring in a dance instructor from a local dance studio to teach your staff basic country, swing, hip hop or ballroom dances.

Outsource the Team Building

4. Use dance lessons in your corporate retreat agenda. Team members will look forward to a lesson every day in which they learn and have fun together. Choose ballroom, Latin, line or couples styles.

5. Create a theme team. Build a country and western corporate weekend. Visit a guest ranch and take line dancing lessons. Pass out copies of the Amazon DVD "A Quick Start Guide to Line Dancing" a couple of weeks before the event so that your employees have time to practice (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Dance is a great unifier. People naturally want to have things in common. Sharing visible successes and failures in a fun and supportive atmosphere lets them bond in a no-pressure situation.
• One chance to build a team is great, but multiple occasions are what form strong ties. Consider a series of lessons or annual corporate retreats.
• Those who can't or don't wish to dance can easily have input. Every class can use assistants, and every production needs a stage manager.
• If you have a number of sensitive employees, consider line or hip-hop dances for singles rather than partners dances such as the waltz or rumba.
• If any participants feel dizzy or faint while dancing, ask them to take a break.

Resources

• Waltz, foxtrot and tango on DVD
• Hip hop for beginners on DVD
• Country line dancing DVD