Companies fortunate enough to remain in business today are now beginning to see a problem with virtual meetings — they’re just not all that engaging.

What began optimistically as a means to keep us connected is becoming a daily reminder of just how distanced we are. Sadly, online virtual meetings are feeling lifeless as we struggle to adapt to the new abnormal.

But, SongDivision is now helping to keep your workplace engaged thanks to years of doing just that.

“We’ve been getting corporate workplaces to write songs since 2003, and we’ve been doing virtual songwriting programs for about three years,” says CEO and Founder of SongDivision, Andy Sharpe.

These online live sessions were essentially a side gig for SongDivision, with most of their operations being with fortune-500 companies in physical spaces.

But things have changed recently, and when they do the best course of action is to ride with it.

SongDivision. Image: Supplied

“When all this hit a month ago, we started doing Virtual Happy Hours for charities that we’re involved with,” says Andy. “And then we started doing just public ones for the community.”

A Virtual Happy Hour is an hour-long songwriting party hosted by one of SongDivision’s musician-MCs who have worked with international music superstars.

Within the midst of all this frivolity, Andy and his SongDivision team discovered something startling.

“The novelty of just getting on Zoom and having a chat has kind of worn off,” says Andy.

“Most of our clients are fortune-500s around the world, and they’re calling us saying that they’re a month into it and a lot of their teams are starting to lose engagement.

“So they’re looking to do something that is more than just check-in and have a chat.”

According to Andy, generating true engagement comes down to a stimulation of the senses and creating an absorbing environment. SongDivision achieves this through their virtual musical get-togethers.

“When experienced with others, music is proven to heighten positive emotions and strengthen social bonds,” says Andy. “Because much of this experience depends on sound and sight, these same benefits translate seamlessly into the virtual space.

“Doing it online gives the chance for the extroverts to show off and strut their stuff if they want to, but the introverts can still interact via the chatbox.

“It’s proving to work for all types.”

And best of all, SongDivision’s musicians are all renowned rock stars who perform regularly with artists like Cher, Drake, Katy Perry and more. There’s nothing quite like jamming with your coworkers to enliven your spirits and make work fun again. And the expert musicians are the icing on the cake!

But, more importantly, this initiative helps break through the echo-chamber that most of us are currently in. Or as Andy puts it:

“Say a younger person says ‘I love Taylor Swift’ and then an older guy goes ‘ugh, my daughter loves Taylor Swift, but I’ve never quite got her’ and then they have a conversation about it. They have built that connection outside of work.

“And when they take that back into the workplace, their relationship is stronger, so they work better together, which means creativity and efficiency is stronger.”

Want to know more about the virtual meetings and events you can start with your working from home colleagues? Head to SongDivision for more information.