Hello August! The team of Cebu Teambuilding Facilitators Network goes to Hidden Valley Wave Pool Resort on August 12, 2017. They were to facilitate a training program for Access E-Talk. Access E-Talk is an Online English School. They teach English lessons to Asian and European students.

It was a rainy day for a team building seminar. So we stayed indoors for the duration of the training. The wet and humid weather did not dampen our spirits. The participants of Access E-Talk were brimming with energy to start a day of learning, relationship enhancement and team development.

Hidden Valley Training Center

Many organizations reward the hard work of their employees in different ways, Some dole out gift checks. Others throw a lavish party. Once in a while, employees get promotions. Some receive bonuses. What about a vacation?





Surely, a vacation is a great way to disconnect from the daily stresses of work. Or when done with colleagues as a team bonding experience, it can recharge one's appetite for the work that they do. Seeing that is but one of the joys a facilitator can have that money can't buy.


One of the most memorable experiences I had was back in 2014 with an organization that has since folded up. Where that team building event was held certainly played a huge role to make it memorable.

That April event was held at the Bellevue Resort in Panglao Island, Bohol, Philippines. And everyone definitely had a good time. Reminiscing that experience, let me share to organizations how they can pamper their hard working employees at Bellevue Resort in Bohol.

Vitamin Sea 

OutsourceSG is a business process outsourcing firm in Cebu City. Their main office in in Singapore. They offer outsourced voice, non-voice, and admin support to their business clients.

OutsourceSG had their team building program on 6 July 2014. They tapped the services of Cebu Teambuilding Facilitators Network to do their team building program. The event happened at the Estaca Bay Garden Conference Resort in Compostela, Cebu.

OutsourceSG team building event 2014

Cebu Teambuilding Facilitators Network (CTFN) conducted the team building seminar of Protect Marine Deck and Engine Officers Philippines Inc. last 19-20 August 2017. The training was done in Protect Marine’s training center. The center is located in Carcar City, Cebu.

The training was planned by CTFN affiliate Thesa Lusica. Marty Sentina. was the lead facilitator

It was an awesome experience as we prepared our materials in their expansive training center. The training aimed to break communication barriers and increase the morale of the group. However, we were cheerfully greeted by the wonderful participants of Protect Marine.

Protect Marine staff

"If you hire people just because they can do a job, they'll work for your money. But if you hire people who believe in what you believe, they'll work for you with blood, sweat and tears" - Simon Sinek

I've always felt thankful for organizations who deem their people as an investment rather regarding them as dead beat or worse, just another expense in their operations. In the ever changing dynamics of companies and organizations, for one, Teradyne has managed to have that as part of their culture: planting seeds of positive change in their workforce. 

As a team building facilitator, I have observed and learned a great deal about teams and teammates over the last years being in the corporate environment. And one of the powerful insights that I often share at such events is how to create team unity. 

Building a cohesive team requires you to connect people to two very important things: 

First, you have to connect them to each other. And second, you have to connect them to a compelling common goal…

Helping Teradyne to build a cohesive team

I remember reading a proverb in Africa; "An army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by a sheep." Leadership as defined by the dictionary is: "the action of leading a group of people or an organization." And as such, the boys and I were at it once again in handling a leadership seminar for the Regional Business Unit Managers of Jollibee Mindanao. This happened last 28 July 2017 at Genesis Valley, Cabangahan, Consolacion, Cebu, Philippines.

As part of the standard procedure for facilitating, we were there at least 12 hours before the designated time to setup this big event. With me were among the best and brightest from the Cebu Team Building Facilitators Network: Nathaniel Juan Arong, the Deputy Operations Manager for Cebu Team Building Facilitators Network, and other affiliate facilitators for the group; Nicolo Nasol and Marc Julius Rizada.

To start the day it was part of the program flow to learn basic tai chi to release negative energy and to absorb positive energy around the forested areas of Genesis Valley. We then progressed into an activity for leadership which was Hover Board, an activity involving teamwork but in this case we focused more on leadership followed by a lecture on leadership styles. We then had a colorful activity called minefield which followed a lecture about Hershey & Blanchard's situational leadership theory.

Message relay is a widely used activity not only in team building events. It is popular even in parties.

This particular post is dedicated to a variation of the message relay. We call it the Body Language Message Relay.

Body Language Message Relay is a variation of the message relay wherein participants use only parts of their bodies to relay the word, phrase, sentence or paragraph given. This is different than the usual whispering of the original activity.

Petron 2014

Space hover boards is a team building activity that test team's and individuals level of creativity and initiative. It simply involves getting a team from point A to point B with the given parameters.

We recreated this instruction set for space hover boards for our blog readers. Enjoy!

July marks the start of the second half of the year. Activity tapered off a little bit as expected with the rainy season coming in and classes starting. Nevertheless, there are significant CTFN activities in July 2017.

The Cebu Teambuilding Facilitators Network is looking at expanding its manpower pool. In July 2017, CTFN welcomed its first batch of interns. 7 interns were admitted into the CTFN Internship and Mentoring Program or IMP. They are:

1. Cherubim Mae Traya
2. Gay Mataganas
3. Jeres Soledad
4. Andrew Kagakit
5. Quennie Nikki Paring
6. Mary Francesca Baynas
7. Kriza Alexa Mae Rule

One of the biggest players in the Philippine fast food market has tapped the services of the Cebu Teambuilding Facilitators Network to conduct its team building event. The Mindanao Regional Business Unit of Jollibee tapped CTFN facilitators to do their July 27 team building event at Genesis Valley Resort in Consolacion, Cebu, Philippines.

See: Jollibee Taps CTFN Services

One of the clients that the Cebu Teambuilding Facilitators Network did a program for in February 2014 was Treadtel Tires. Treadtel Tires is a Mandaue City-based wholesale tire distribution company that sources its products from around Asia, particularly from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand. It was founded in the year 2000.

Their February 2014 team building event was held at the San Remigio Beach Club in Sitio Baybay, Barangay Tambongon, San Remigio, Cebu, Philippines. CTFN founder Thadz Engaling was accompanied by affiliate Kevin Johnrey Sosas to facilitate the event. It was a fun event that centered on learning sessions about team dynamics, improving team cooperation, achievement motivation, and action planning.

Here are a few images from that event: