ABOUT SPEED OF LAUGHTER PROGRAMS

Years ago, John Sweeney and the comedy theatre he owns, the Brave New Workshop (BNW), began sharing the skills and behaviors of improvisational theatre with companies worldwide. Since then, John has become a well-known speaker and trainer, the Speed of Laughter programs and book were borne, and our clients include some of the best and brightest business minds in the world. Now the BNW team provides a variety of speaking, training and internal messaging services based on a 50-year long practice of the art form of improvisation and continues to inspire people to dive into the world of innovation without fear or hesitation. In addition to the Speed of Laughter speaking and training services, the BNW stays true to our comedic roots and provides corporate entertainment including live scripted comedy, improvisational performances, video vignettes and campaigns, emcee services and "classic" BNW sketches.

How Improvisation is Bridged to Business

The goal of our improvisational corporate training has always been to add to the skill set of the participants as a way for them to increase their productivity in the workplace; not to teach them how to be funny or perform improv. To ensure that our training bridges the art of improv to business, we are ruthless in our level of investigation and understanding of our clients’ industry, business, culture and current obstacles. Based on our preparation and improvisational skillset, we are able to deliver a highly customized experience and are consistently told by workshop participants that they leave our sessions with new insights, energy, and motivation.

Creating an Experience That Fosters Creative Safety

In addition to our nimbleness -- and thanks to our improvisational credo and comedy background --Sweeney and team create a safe and productive environment where participants immerse themselves in the basics of improvisation as applied to their workplace and practice skills to re-ignite their creative spark. By creating this safe environment, we are uniquely able to instill an excitement for the process of innovation, motivating participants to keep an open mind and maintain a high level of engagement in the moment, throughout the session, and in the months to come.

Structure and Method

Sweeney and team generally facilitate a half- or full-day customized training workshop, focusing on how our 8 Secrets can help build an innovative corporate culture. As mentioned previously, the BNW takes a consultative approach to all speeches and training workshops. Sweeney and his colleagues will request company representatives to complete a detailed questionnaire and participate in several interviews prior to the actual speaking or training event so that each workshop is custom designed to address the goals and needs of the group.

Training workshops generally consist of the following structural components:

• Introduction to the Brave New Workshop’s 8 Secrets. Sweeney cites business case studies drawn from his own experience training and presenting to more than 100 groups each year. He also establishes a common language and a set of behavioral norms for the training workshop. As only Sweeney can do, he humorously sets the tone for enthusiastic collaboration and attendee participation.
• Interactive group exercises are led by Sweeney and/or Brave New Workshop trainers, which reinforce relevant messages and actively engage the group in the process of learning. Exercises are then discussed with and between participants to connect and apply the skills learned to the broader business issues at hand.
• Interludes of improvisation and/or scripted material, performed by Brave New Workshop actor/trainers take place throughout the training workshop to actively demonstrate the specific behaviors and messages of the 8 Secrets and to keep the training atmosphere light-hearted and energized.
• Optional high-octane brainstorming session are oftentimes conducted. In this case, Sweeney introduces the group to the Brave New Workshop Funnel Process and leads a brainstorming session to address the client-specific business challenge. A Brave New Workshop or client representative will take notes, profected on a large screen to help spark additional ideas. We find that our clients appreciate having these lists for their practical use during and after the training session to serve as a proud reminder of how prolifically innovative the group actually is.

Deliverables/Take Aways

Our clients tell us that after experiencing our workshops it is almost impossible to view human innovation and their workplaces the same way and to return to the old innovation inhibiting habits. The most common "AHA" moment is the realization that innovation is linked to a set of behaviors, not only a process. Other reasons for transformation and forward momentum are:

• A new vocabulary and point of view to help participants evaluate their own communication behaviors.
• A common goal and shared commitment to fostering innovation on an ongoing basis and delivering innovative solutions to tasks and problems.
• Specific exercises participants can utilize in their smaller teams to practice and reinforce workshop points and jump start every meeting and brainstorming session.
• Tools for actively nurturing a positive, “yes, and” culture in teams and in the organization in general.
• A benchmark experience to guide future discussions and decisions.
• Heightened group trust and confidence in each other, helping participants go through challenging projects and processes to come.
• A renewed sense of passion for developing personal and team innovative capacity and for the workplace in general.

Topics

Though customized for the client, some of our most oft-requested topics include:

• focus, engagement and productivity in an environment of change and chaos
• sales for the non-sales person 
• idea generation
• innovation and creativity
• team building
• leadership and management
• communication
• workplace culture and motivation

 Detailed information about each of the topics can be found here.