The Power of Fun

Have you ever thought about what a powerful tool fun is?  I have.  The adage, "All work and no play make's Jack a dull boy" is right on the money.

Since 1987, I've been in the business of fun for fun's sake and fun with an educational twist.  I design do-it-yourself murder mystery dinner party games, team building activities and scavenger hunts.  Their foundation is built on fun.  Why? Because I've seen its power in action.  I've seen personalities change for the better, I've seen grieving people laugh for the first time in months, I've seen people get a real kick out of learning because they're having so much fun in the moment, I've seen people tap into creativity then didn't even know they had, I've seen camaraderie emerge from the most uptight and stressful groups.  It's amazing and it's inspiring.  It's why I love my job.

And for all those corporate managers and human resource directors out there, look at the power of shows like Sesame Street, which have mastered the art of making learning fun.  You know how much a child will learn and retain if the subject matter is presented in a fun and interesting manner.  It's no different for adults. By offering a creative alternative to traditional training using my team building murder mystery and scavenger hunt kits that are not only interactive and entertaining but also educational, your employees subliminally learn valuable lessons in teamwork while they’re having fun.

Need examples of what I mean by the POWER of fun? Here you go:

I once produced an interactive murder mystery for a group of people I frankly was afraid of. They were all event planners who had seen it all and done it all. They had a "you can't impress me" attitude that was very intimidating to an entertainer like me. This was my audience. Through the power of fun, we broke 'em. The group had such a great time and were so involved no one left the dinner meeting early - unheard of in this organization. My worst critics forgot about being critical and were throwing themselves into the mystery with wild abandon. The usual cliques of people disappeared, the barriers came down and everyone was talking and laughing with everyone else. These people with the "you can't impress me" attitude gave us a standing ovation when all was said and done. They experienced the power of fun firsthand and the organization's program coordinator was a hero for finally making a monthly meeting something worth talking about.

I still remember the man who attended one of my murder mystery weekends back in the early days of my company. I remember I played an insane gal named Mary Jane who couldn't understand the fun in being a proper Victorian lady because showing off her pantaloons always brought her so much attention. Throughout the weekend, this man laughed until the tears streamed down his face. When we concluded the mystery, he told me that his son had died a few months back and he had been grieving his loss so much that nothing else carried much importance in his life. His wife made him come to this weekend and he said it was the best thing she could have done for him because we made him laugh and we eased his pain by letting him step out of life for a short while to enter into our world of fantasy, intrigue and fun. This grieving father experienced the power of fun.

And one last example for you: we performed a 3-day custom tailored mystery for a large computer manufacturing company's annual conference. We set up an elaborate spy theme that tied in with their company and the theme of the conference that was very "X-Files" in nature and we opened the conference with an FBI raid. That got their attention. Then, each morning and throughout the day at random times, we presented a scene, complete with clues and evidence and had 2 FBI agents question the audience about what they knew or suspected. We had 'em hooked and attendance, even at those very early morning meetings was almost at 100%. We peaked their curiosity, we gave them something to think about and we did it in a humorous and exciting way. By adding the element of play to their long day of meetings, they were more alert, more receptive and in better moods. They were also so involved with the mystery that they actually assigned family members at home to research clues at the Library of Congress and on the Internet. After the show was over, I received mysterious emails from the alleged villain of our mystery - an mystery-loving employee actually set up an email account for this character and continued the storyline even though we wrapped it all up at the conference. He told me he was so excited about solving the mystery he couldn't sleep - his imagination was on fire. The company's vice president who hired Haley Productions was naturally thrilled with the way the mystery made his conference and key message more memorable - through the power of fun.

We also have lots of stories about people - kids and adults alike - who have experienced the power of fun with our scavenger hunts. Need more inspiration? Read some of their testimonials.

Haley Productions' do it yourself scavenger hunts, mystery games and team bonding activities change people because we're masters in the art of playing - our games use fun as their foundation.  Through the foundation of fun comes inspired creativity and imagination.  No matter what is going on with the world, in your company or with life in general, setting aside some play time to make it all go away for a while is invaluable, imperative and nourishing for the mind, body and soul.  Try it.  Experience the POWER of fun.

© 2009.  Susan Haley.  All rights reserved.

510-235-0118/800-293-3302
Email

Click here for another great article on this subject: Parade Magazine: Let's Play. Why it’s important to put the world on hold and just have fun.