The young software designer from India looked across our circle of drummers at his colleague from northern Europe, grinned broadly and exclaimed, “I loved the part you were playing, so I copied it. It was so very easy for me to play!”

The other fellow looked surprised, laughed and said, “I thought I copied it from you!”

This exchange happend during my Observations & Comments session that was part of a drumming program I did in the 1980’s for a young software company... later to become one of the world’s largest. 

I had been brought in to do an icebreaking and teambuilding  program for a group of software engineers from Asia, Europe, India and North America who would be working on a project together. They all spoke fluent English, however the organizers knew that the different work styles and cultural expectations among team members might slow down their process.
 
Their goal was for me to help them quickly create a group culture of communication and cooperation that transcended their deeply ingrained cultural differences.

In addition to the instruments I always provide for these programs, I also brought in percussion instruments that were found in the home cultures of all the participants.  In this way I demonstrated,  in an immediate, down-to-earth way, the universal, cross-cultual connections that already existed among the group members.  I then explained how drumming and rhythm-play has been used worldwide for thousands of years to enhance communication skills and to reinforce community bonds, goals and values.

After a brief introduction to some basic skills for playing the percussion instruments, I facilitated the group's creation of their own unique rhythm.  As we played together, I  helped them to learn how to recognize and support each other's talents and personalites.
 
Together, we built pattern upon pattern as we went on a rhythm journey. By the end of the 90-minute session, broken into three segments, the participants had created their own unique culture, values, process and support system... their own Group Groove.
 
Some of the other revelations that they shared during our C & O segments included:

“When I stopped tryng to make something up, and just listened to the rhythm, it was easy to find something to play!”
“If I got off the rhythm, I was able to get back on when I listened to what others were playing!”
“I would lose the rhythm when I played too many notes, but I would find it again when I kept my part simple and just played with everyone else!”

Group drumming, when done in a focused, purposeful way, is such a great builder of communication skills because both activities have the same core principles and require the same core skills.  These include:

-actively listening to other group members with open ears, open minds and open hearts
-expressing ourselves clearly with positive intentions
-responding to what other people contribute, not to our own inner conversations
-leaving space for other people to contribute
-willingly engaging together to share our ideas, questions and Spirits!

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The following is an excerpt from an interview with one of my clients, Robert Kramer, the President of Visionary Strategic Consulting. Judy Plummer, of Liquid Communications Group, did the interview:

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"I was a participant in one of Jim Greiner's programs at the Center for Creative Leadership - the premier institute for leadership. It was one of the most extradordinary experiences I've ever had! I teach leaders, and I wanted to expose my clients to Jim. Leaders need to be in tune with the pulse beats of their people, bring them together and work with them to develop synchronization and a rhythm.

Jim's program caused a transformation to take place. He imparts great wisdom to others, and provides an experience that has meaning and worth. Several years later, my clients are still talking about Jim's program. It had a searing impact on mind and spirit. 

After the first program, we flew Jim out to Denver (for a national conference of the group). I got accolades for recommending him! I haven't found anybody else who even comes close to Jim."

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Thank you Robert... I could not have described Leadership better myself!

The pulse of the group, it’s rhythm, is the fundamental way in which the group members do their individual jobs, as well as how they interact with each other on both a daily basis and when responding to challenges.

Effective group leaders know the rhythms of their people and of the group... what their strengths and weaknesses are, and what to expect from them. With this knowledge, and with the realization of the importance of this knowledge, leaders are able to reinforce positive habits (rhythms) and help their group members to change bad habits into good habits.  Group leaders are like orchestra conductors who bring all the separate instruments together to make beautiful music!

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The following is an excerpt from an interview about my corporate drum programs that Making Music Magazine did with me for their feature "In The Company Of Drums".

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"Greiner has had his fair share of challenges when organizing circles. ... the versatility of drums enables him to turn them into memorable teaching moments. 

'The restaurant chain Chipotle once asked me to do a team-building, motivational program for 160 managers,' says Greiner. The program took place in a room above an upscale hotel restaurant that was serving a late lunch. The hotel Sales & Catering manager was concerned that we might disturb the restaurant patrons with our drumming.'

So Greiner turned to a low-volume version of his drum program, using 10-inch frame drums and maracas. 

'I used the low-volume requirement as a practical way to show how the Chipotle managers could train their staffs to deal with fast-paced operations while maintaining an atmosphere of tranquility for their patrons.', stated Mr. Greiner.

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The fast-paced tempo of our contemporary professional lives often requires that we be able to quickly adapt to challenges, such as the last-minute concern of this meeting planner. When we have solid group rhythms in place, fundamental processes that we reinforce on a daily basis, we are able to quickly and effectively overcome these challenges.

The fundamentals of my corporate drumming programs never change. They include the universal nature of creating and reinforcing productive life rhythms that are based on the real-world life skills of communicating, cooperating and celebrating. I then adapt these fundamentals to serve the goals and themes of each of the groups with which I work.

Successful sports teams are often describes as being “in a groove” together. This Groove allows the team to instantly adapt to, and take advantage of, the fluid, quickly-changing nature of each game.

This Groove does not come about by accident; it is the result of the consistent, purposeful repetition of the core principles and skills of the activity, and of the group, every day.

This is true of any group, whether it be a corporate group any place worldwide, a village in Africa, or a family!

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The term Drum Circle can often mean different things to different people.

Short answer... a gathering of people who are playing percussion instruments for recreation, personal enrichment and/or group bonding.

Playing percussion instruments is one of humanity's universal communal activities. Group drumming is an outgrowth of our innate drive to collaborate with, and to entrain with, other people... and it's a lot of fun!

I should make clear that I consider Drum Circles to be just one type of rhythm-based activity that I use in my work specifically with some types of public community celebrations. I refer to my work with using percussion instruments for corporate team-building, ice-breaking and celebrating as Rhthym-Based Activities, rather than Drum Circles because the term Drum Circles has come to mean a completely free-form session to many practitioners.

While free-form Drum Circles can be a lot of fun, effective corporate activities should be designed to serve the goals and needs of each specific group in a focused, fun and accessible way.

Drum Circles do have their roots in the many drumming styles and traditions that have spread worldwide from, and by, the peoples of Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil and other drumming cultures. I personally believe very strongly that it is important to acknowledge and honor the peoples and their traditions who have originated the instruments we use in Drum Circles and other rhythm-based activities.

When I conduct my own interactive rhythm-based activities, whether they be for corporate, community, school, therapeutic or private groups, I introduce each instrument with a short history and a brief demonstration of some fundamental playing techniques. This shows respect for the people who originated the instruments, helps the participants to play together and reinforces the realization that they are part of the rich, age-old, worldwide tradition of community drumming.