251 - Harmonizing Teams: Collective Song-Writing as a Workshop Tool with Sam McNeill

We all speak the language of music. It’s life’s medicine, a beautiful escape when we need one, and it feeds our soul in ways that feel, somehow, inexplicable.

But there is of course method to the magic. Musician, vocalist, singer, and songwriter Sam McNeill has been singing all his life – from the Sydney Opera House, to the heavyweight headquarters of Spotify - he now works as a musical facilitator for SongDivision, bonding teams all over the world through the science of music.

In their songwriting workshops, deep reflections take place, honesty emerges in the lyrics, and teams are given a new voice to creatively express values and reveal the unspoken.

Press play and treat your ears to this fascinating episode with Sam as he shares his personal experiences as a performer, offering a unique platform for us to examine the intersection of music and facilitation. 

You’ll learn:

• Why songwriting is a powerful tool for teams to express themselves, encourage discussion and strengthen bonds
• How music can remove hierarchy, putting employees on a level playing field in a workshop setting
• The science behind music: how activating the prefrontal cortex can enhance creativity and set the scene for fruitful collaboration
• Why failure is a better outcome than impartiality, offering us learnings for improvement
• The parallels that lie between an artist’s performance and that of a facilitator
• Why a lack of clarity around what success looks like in a workshop can cause failure
• How musical genres can help teams or organisations to better define themselves

Don’t miss the next episode: subscribe to the show with your favourite podcast player.

Links:

Watch the video recording of this episode on YouTube.

The episode with Rich Goidel we referred to on the show.

Connect to Sam McNeill:

LinkedIn

SongDivision

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👉 What happens when being “professional” gets in the way of being human? My new podcast Unprofessionalism explores the rules we’re taught to follow at work, and what happens when we break them. Listen here: https://unprofessionalism.buzzsprout.com/  👈