The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling
I keep six honest serving-men
They taught me all I knew;
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea,
I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me,
I give them all a rest.
I let them rest from nine till five,
For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea,
For they are hungry men.
But different folk have different views;
I know a person small¯
She keeps ten million serving-men,
Who get no rest at all!
She sends'em abroad on her own affairs,
From the second she opens her eyes¯
One million Hows, two million Wheres,
And seven million Whys!
This poem is 'The Event Organiser's Poem' because What, Why, When, How, Where and Who are the key questions you need to ask when you start to organise a team building event or any sort of event. It's catchy, so memorise the first four lines and you'll always have a useful checklist when you're handed a new project.
