This is an acronym that we love at Grand Dynamics International. It was first coined by the great Karl Rohnke, and it stands for exactly what it appears to – Functional Understanding Not Necessary. Karl Rohnke, for those who don’t know, is the man who pretty much invented the field of Experiential Education, and was one of the founding fathers of both Project Adventure and High Five Adventure. He’s also written enough books on the topic to fill an entire library.

Karl’s best friend just happens to be Adrian Kissler, who runs On Course, Inc., a ropes course that is less than an hour away from the GDI Western States office. Adrian just happens to also be longtime friends with Holly Baade, GDI’s Creative Director. And he and Karl just happen to run a week-long workshop of training, adventure, and yes, FUNN, at On Course every year for a week in August.

And that is how I, Stephanie Sibille, got to spend a week hanging out with Karl Rohnke and Adrian Kissler.

The event, known as The Centurion, is sort of an underground event that people travel far and wide to attend, but due to the intimate, familial nature, I hadn’t heard about it before I moved to California. All I knew was that there would be climbing, there would be a food fight, there would be an opportunity to jump into a bucket of ice water, and there would be Karl and Adrian. According to Tim and Holly, it was absolutely IMPERATIVE that I attend. Okay!

One of the things that makes GDI so unique is the company’s consistent desire and vision to surround ourselves with experts in various industries. We recognize that our great work is a result of these peoples’ pioneering efforts – and no single person is more representative of Experiential Training and Development than Karl Rohnke. I knew that I would be in great company.

That being said, I wasn’t so sure about the food fight.

So I arrived on the first morning fully outfitted for our opening event, the F(itness)A(nd)T(ouch) Decathlon. I didn’t know what, exactly, this entailed, but I had packed, among other things, clothing for four seasons (who knows what summer in the Sierras will bring?), swimming goggles, and a racing bike that was probably worth more than my car. Well, twenty minutes later I was bike sprinting up a massive hill, and an hour later I was hitting marshmallows across a field with a badminton racket. And so began The Centurion.

It’s a week, and an event, that is nearly impossible to encapsulate into a single blog post. Our “schedule” was a blank white board, and much of our day consisted of playing and co-creating new games on the ranch. Here is what I can summarize: We jumped into buckets of ice water, raced up the 81 stair steps at On Course, climbed trees 100 feet in the air, and fed our blindfolded partners lunch one day – by hand. Why? Because we could.

The culminating event, the “Cobb War” (basically a giant food fight) was preceded with an arts and crafts session where our hands were the paintbrushes and our bodies were the canvases. Here is the final result:

But the true highlight was sitting and listening to Karl’s insights. No one has been facilitating groups as long as he has, and the chaos and silliness of the week were held together by his veil of wisdom. He never spoke directly of his expertise, but the insightful gems always came out when the time was right. It was like being in the presence of a sage. A sage who happened to enjoy spraying tempura paint on his colleagues.

I left inspired by the droplets from Karl’s infinite pool of wisdom, and inspired to have a little more FUNN. I’ve even recreated a taste of his advice here:

Enjoy, and thank you, Karl and Adrian, for an amazing week!

Stephanie Sibille
GDI Program Specialist

Ever wonder what it’s like to participate in a GDI event? Then check out some highlights from our Amazing Race Adventure, one of our most popular programs!

Here’s what some people have said about our Amazing Race Adventure!

“In June of this year our team participated in a team building program with Grand Dynamics. It was a wonderful experience for everyone. We found the program to be thorough and beneficial. Not only did we communicate better as a whole but we worked creatively together to find good solutions. The team leaders were excellent, very professional yet a lot of fun. We are looking forward to using Grand Dynamics in the future.” – Alan Finnegan, General Manager

“Very well crafted and unique. Very challenging with great life lessons. Great way to utilize out-of-the-box thinking for strategic business practices.” HomeBanc Teaming with GPS Participant

“The Grand Dynamics facilitators are very passionate individuals! They are experienced, energetic and focused trainers. I’d love to have them as coaches on a regular basis!” Helena Prieto, Rare Hospitality Int’l Inc.

I’ve put together a video detailing last year’s program highlights! Enjoy, and we’ll see you in Jackson Hole!

Stephanie Sibille
Program Specialist

Imagine working in a well-respected, stable job that you have always enjoyed. Overnight, your profession – and your entire industry – gets turned upside-down as it is suddenly subject to public scrutiny from every conceivable press source in the country. The entire validity – and value – of your career is suddenly questioned by everyone from major newspapers to the U.S. government.

With our recent economic recession, that is exactly what happened in the Meetings and Events industry.

Now, for ordinary individuals, this may mean giving up instantaneously, finding another job, or perhaps lashing out in uncontrollable anger. Spending resources on a professional conference probably wouldn’t even enter into consideration. However, the 2,500 industry professionals who attended last July’s Meeting Professionals International (MPI) World Education Congress are far from ordinary. Grand Dynamics team members Tim Walther and Stephanie Sibille had the privilege of meeting many of these extraordinary individuals at the event in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The theme for this year’s Congress of “When we meet, we change the world,” permeated the air of the Salt Palace, where the event was held, and was taken to heart by every attendee. These people were not simply here to fulfill a personal agenda – they came armed and ready to fight back and show the rest of the world how meetings DO change the world.

The event began by reviewing human history. The Opening General Session referred to meetings ranging from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Kyoto Protocol to Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech to the series of events that elected Barack Obama to presidency. Without a doubt, each of these events has had an extraordinary impact on our world today, and drawing this kind of parallel within the industry is exactly the breath of fresh air that was needed. In a matter of hours, the entire industry was reframed in a way that is universally meaningful, shifting from a series of extravagant parties to some of the most significant events in world history.

With this foundation laid, the entire focus of the Congress was around adaptability. Each educational session was packed with incredible resources and tools on how to work within the current circumstances, rather than simply accepting the new status quo. Common themes included employee engagement, social media tools, return on investment (ROI), and new leadership models. With this kind of knowledge exchange, there is no doubt that everyone left with fresh, useful information that can be applied right away!

It didn’t stop there. The 2,500 attendees were so determined to redefine their profession that a petition was created – in the form of a massive banner – that allowed every individual to share their opinions on WHY their work was so valuable. This petition, or “The Wall,” as it was called, served as a forum for people to express themselves. More than that, it was subsequently sent to Congress (the U.S. Congress, not the World Education Congress!) as a collective effort to frame the industry in the way that it deserves to be recognized.

What truly made this event a success was not the content, but how seamlessly the people attending actually embodied what it was that they were trying to convey. The people at this conference were not there just to talk about how meetings were changing the world – they were actually USING this meeting to change the world. It was the passion with which the attendees embraced their cause that made this event, and all those who participated, truly extraordinary.

It is clear that with our current economic situation, the need for relationship building is more important than ever. As the only Teambuilding provider at the congress, the Grand Dynamics team did an extraordinary job of contributing to educational sessions, sharing our unique industry knowledge, and connecting with an amazing and diverse group of industry professionals that will remain friends and allies. It is clear that our role is crucial, and we look forward to acting as the leading information resource for Teambuilding in the meeting and event industry and expanding our involvement with MPI.

So, by definition, we did help to change the world.

Stephanie Sibille
Program Specialist

Last month, Tim and I had the opportunity to attend MPI’s World Education Congress. There are plenty of insights and key learnings to share, but for now, we’ll let our video speak for itself. Enjoy!

Stephanie Sibille

Program Specialist