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Sophie: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English.
I'm Sophie.

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Neil: And I'm Neil. Sophie, did you go on
the corporate awayday last week?

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Sophie: Yes... you didn't miss anything.

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A team building guru lectured us on how to
work more effectively with each other.

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We gave some presentations, had a few drinks after.

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Neil: Right. OK. An awayday is a day that employees spend together away from their usual workplace.

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And a guru is an expert in something.

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So did this guru teach you anything new, Sophie?

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Sophie: No... not really.

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Neil: Shame. I was hoping for some tips on
how to work more effectively with my co-presenter.

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Sophie: I think we work very effectively already, Neil.

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Now, today's show is about team building or
encouraging employees to work well together

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as a team by getting them to engage in different
types of activities.

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Neil: And apparently, some companies in the
UK are offering their employees activities

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such as... Hunger Games-style combat days

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where teams must work together to 'kill' as many of the opposing team as possible.

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Have you seen the Hunger Games movies, Sophie?

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Sophie: Yes.

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Neil: There're also Zombie boot camps where
military instructors train you on how to fight

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zombies – that's dead people who have come
back to life.

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For the more cerebral or brainy amongst us,
there are crime investigations modelled on

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popular TV dramas like Sherlock Holmes.

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Sophie: Well, I'm not sure about the Zombie
boot camp

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a boot camp is a short course of hard physical training

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but the Sherlock Holmes awayday sounds like fun.

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Neil: I'd definitely go for the Zombie experience.

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Though I'm not sure how it connects with most
people's working lives.

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Violence, death, the living dead.

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Sophie: Good point.

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Neil: So let's move on and have today's quiz
question.

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What did Chairman Mao introduce in China in1951
as a compulsory activity for workers

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and was reintroduced by the government a few years ago?

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Was it...
a) calisthenics?

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b) calligraphy?
Or c) English language lessons?

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Sophie: Calisthenics, by the way, is a type
of gentle physical exercise...

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Neil: ... and calligraphy, by the way, is
the art of writing by hand with a special brush.

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Sophie: Well, I'm going for a) calisthenics.

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Neil: Not English language lessons, Sophie?

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Sophie: No. I'll stick with callisthenics,
thanks.

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Neil: OK. Well, we'll find out later if you're
right or not.

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Now, whilst English lessons might sound like
hard work,

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ukulele lessons are apparently catching on.

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A ukulele is a musical instrument.

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Top businessmen Bill Gates and Warren Buffett
both do it,

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and stressed-out city workers are following their lead.

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Here in the UK, a number of companies have
been holding ukulele team building sessions.

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Sophie: That sounds amazing.

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And is there anything about the ukulele in particular that leaves people feeling better after they've played it?

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Neil: Let's hear more about this from Lorraine
Bow, who teaches people to play the instrument.

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But listen with attention because she spoke
on the phone and the line wasn't great.

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Lorraine Bow : Well, I guess it's just the
fact that you know people don't often sing

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in their everyday lives and it's the fact
that you can play and sing

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play a musical instrument within an hour

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it's quite a... you know... it's quite a fulfilling thing really.

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It's not competitive – it's quite easy
to do and a bit less intimidating than a guitar...

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Sophie: Lorraine, the ukulele teacher, also
says her classes aren't competitive or intimidating...

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Neil: ... which means something that makes
you feel nervous.

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Sophie: Now, before we hear the answer to
today's quiz question,

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let's hear about a company in Abu Dhabi

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where leadership is taught through horse training.

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Basically, you have to go in the yard with
a horse

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and persuade it that you're the boss by using body language.

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Here's Kelly Eide, co-founder of the company,
explaining why she thinks this approach works.

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Kelly Eide: The horses don't care if your
hair is purple, if you're a man or a woman,

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if you're old or young, if you are... what
religion.

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So it transcends all of those cultural boundaries

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it transcends age, gender, religion, tradition etc.

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so that's a perfect fit.

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And in an organization where you really need
groups of people to gel,

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who come from backgrounds

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which have no common norms, you can teach
that most efficiently with a horse.

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Neil: To gel with someone means to connect
or get on well with someone.

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So you try and get the horse to do what you
want using body language.

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And the horse feels instinctively whether
or not you are a natural leader

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because it doesn't recognize cultural differences, hair
colour and age.

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Sophie: Probably easier said than done.

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Neil: Indeed. Now remember I asked: What did
Chairman Mao introduce in China in1951

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as a compulsory activity for workers and was
reintroduced by the government a few years ago?

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Was it... a) calisthenics? b) calligraphy?
Or c) English language lessons?

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Sophie: I said a) calisthenics.

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Neil: Well, you're right on the button! Well
done there, Sophie!

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Calisthenics are used at schools as a warm
up for physical education classes,

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during sports day activities, and by some companies
as a way of building morale

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and a sense of group unity, as well as to raise energy levels and encourage good health.

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Now shake a leg or in other words – get moving – and tell us the words we learned today.

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Sophie: They are:

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awayday

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guru

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team building

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cerebral

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bootcamp

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callisthenics

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calligraphy

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synchronise

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intimidating

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gel

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shake a leg

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Neil: Well, that's the end of this 6 Minute
English.

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We hope you enjoyed it. And don't forget to
join us again soon!

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Both: Bye.