Let’s get synergetic!!!!

Corporate bingo is a widely discussed but rarely played version of the classic number bingo. It can be played by any demographic (provided market research has been conducted and all players are literate) in any corporate or scholastic setting. The game has no maximum number of players but is unlikely to be enjoyable for fewer than eight people. Corporate bingo requires few materials and a touch of guile.

How to play

In case you missed the memo, players must first reach synergy on a suitable meeting, event, function or seminar to conduct the game. Some questions to ask while establishing the best possible setting for the game include: Will the content of the discussion contain enough "buzz" words? and, are players unlikely to be called upon for serious input during the discussion? Good settings include: large organisational meetings where there are few speakers compared with audience members, meetings regarding the global financial crisis and its effect on the organisation and seminars about organisational change and development.

Once a setting has been agreed upon, players must establish a game posse to ensure that there are enough non-players present to utilise during game play. Depending on the nature of the game setting, a good player/non-player split is 3:7.

Developing game boards

Before the game can be sunsetted, the development of game boards must be completed by cob. To begin with, it is useful to gather players together to brainstorm a list of generic buzz words for the game boards. The list can be utilised multiple times and should therefore be relatively extensive.

Once a list of generic terms has been cultivated, players should develop a context specific list which contains terms and statements that are likely to be thrown around in their organisation.

This list will now be used to generate player specific game boards. Players must agree on how many words from both the generic list and the context specific list should be included on each game board. There is an added option to include bonus words. Bonus words are essentially words and statements which are a mix of two buzz words or not really a word at all. For example, incentivisation or agreeance. These words count towards three generic or context specific words.

Prior to the game setting, players must select an agreed number of words from each category to generate a game board. No player should have an identical board to any other player.

Game Time

All players should arrive early to the game setting to ensure there is time before non-players arrive to feel the familiar comfort generated by being one of the cool kids. Once non-players arrive, it's important for players to behave as they normally do in the game setting. The game begins once the first official word is spoken.

How to win

Winning corporate bingo is as simple as winning classic number bingo, the winner must hear every word on their game board. The first player to shout "BINGO" or a pre-agreed, less conspicuous statement such as, "Is everyone OK for water?", wins.

Corporate bingo can be a dangerous game with potentially unforseen consequences. Players must establish if the game was to be discovered by non-players, would they have the power and influence to damage players’ careers? Additionally, the risk of pre-agreed "winner" statements such as the one above is that a non-player may actually request water, at which point the winner rapidly loses that sweet victory glow. Players must also be aware that over-playing may result in a total lack of corporate awareness. Addicted players have been known to receive notice of employment termination whilst shouting: "Is everyone ok for water?". Enjoy responsibly.