Common 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

Focus, Engagement and Productivity in an Environment of Change and Chaos

After hearing from numerous clients how individuals and teams are reacting to the current business climate of uncertainty and rapid change, John developed a program designed to help them battle the prevalent non-productive behaviors and attitudes. As improvisers we work in an environment of uncertainty and change all the time and have learned to embrace it and maximize it. This program demonstrates the behaviors and skills improvisers use to stay productive; and helps participants practice being comfortable with change, communicating intentionally, and taking ownership of for their part of the bigger picture. By embracing the improvisational point of view, participants have a chance to transform the way they view their workplace and significantly decrease the stress and fear associated with change.

Common Learning Points include:
1) Viewing change as fuel rather than an obstacle or challenge
2) Increasing productivity in the midst of chaos
3) The importance of direct and intentional communication in stressful environments
4) Taking responsibility for what you CAN control
5) Maintaining your confidence and point of view despite what is going on around you

Sales for the non-sales person

We have heard a million times that the “sales process” is hard, awkward and uncomfortable. If there is something people hate more than the process, it is the salespeople and if they hate something more than the salespeople, it is sales training. We started with the question: how can we simplify the “sales process” and make it less scary and more fun so that a non-sales person can understand it, enjoy it and own it. For us as improvisers a “sale” is nothing more than a scene: an authentic interaction between two people with two different points of view who find a resolution to a problem by listening to each other and building on each other’s points of view. To translate that to non-improv terms, it is a conversation with the goal of finding a solution for your customer’s need. This program is designed to teach participants how to stay true to their authentic style, declare their point of view and sincere desire to help, stay present and listen actively, and tell great stories aligned with the need of the client.

John gives additional tips and tools to decrease the awkwardness of the “sales” interaction and process and facilitates a discussion of best practices. They rhythm of the workshop is laugh, practice, learn, repeat. John applies improvisational skills to basic sales processes such as:

1) Build confidence in your own style and use your strengths to improve interactions and create a strong foundation for long term relationships
2) Ask the question, “How can I help?”
3) Listen, really listen, to what your customer needs
4) Share true and authentic stories about the value of your service, product or company and apply them to the need you heard

Idea generation

John believes everyone has unlimited creativity locked inside them and when successfully tapped will lead to more and better ideas. Using improvisational theatre exercises uniquely refined for ideation, and his own energy, humor and insight, John’s sessions have been described as “fantastic, brilliant, and inspiring.” After explaining the elements of a “creatively-safe” environment and establishing one, John will ask volunteers to come up on stage with him. Much to the delight of audience members, he then leads participants through several exercises that clearly demonstrate the 8 Secrets to successful brainstorming. Each exercise is followed by an open discussion between all attendees - those that physically participated and those that observed. The learning points have immediate impact and are further reinforced by the entertaining, uncommon experience they all spontaneously share.

Learning Objectives & Outcomes:

1) Attendees will increase the number and quality of ideas they generate by exploring best practices such as recognizing the value of change, accepting all ideas and rewarding themselves and others for risk-taking.
2) Attendees will learn how to see beyond “the expected or accepted” to re-energize their most creative self and energize others around them.
3) Attendees will actively witness how specific qualities contribute to, and distract from, their own ability, and the ability of others, to instinctively embrace innovation, creativity, and ideation.

Innovation and creativity

In this workshop, John bridges the gap between improvisation and creative innovation to workplace application. Using the 8 Secrets as outlined in his first book, Innovation at the Speed of Laughter, as the basis for developing new improvisation-based skills and behaviors, John shows participants how they can use their own sense of trust, truth, and acceptance to improve natural creativity and boost innovation. Like improvisation, true innovation can only exist when ideas and actions flow freely without judgment – this unique workshop shows participants how to make that happen for themselves, teams and the workplace. Using a trademarked blend of content and experiential learning, John leads attendees through interactive exercises that are visually startling and entertaining yet actively demonstrate key learning points such as:

1) Learn how all ideas can be perceived as gifts.
2) Understand how "yes, and" is the foundation for innovation and collaboration.
3) Defer judgment across all boundaries for the initial stages of idea generation.
4) Practice perceiving change as fuel, even when change brings challenges.
5) Increase comfort level with, and acceptance of, ideas that initially seem unusable.
6) Reward employees or teammates for ALL innovation (good, bad, ugly, old news or cutting edge).
7) Welcome input that is contradictory to personal point-of-view.
8) Learn to send messages appropriate to the style, pace and characteristics most acceptable to all individuals on the team.

Team building

Core to improvisation is the ability of several people to share space in time with different points of view and create something from nothing, together. When this process is successful, the product they produce is rich and diverse and oftentimes, hilarious, authentic, and undeniably impactful. It is more than just the combination of the parts; it is a new and robust solution that has been affected by all group members. And it is infinitely more interesting than any one group member’s point of view!

Using improvisation to create better, more innovative teams is highly interactive, punctuated by discussion and questions arising from each improv-based exercise. Because participants are fully engaged throughout the workshop (movement of the body, challenge of the mind, trust of the heart, and expression of the soul), they will experience, learn and retain the information on many different levels. Many attendees are on their feet for most of the seminar, participating in various improv-based games and exercises, and are also asked to respond critically and creatively to their experience. In this way, they learn as much from their own observations and discoveries, as from the exercises themselves.

In this workshop, participants:

1) Learn how to immediately accept diverse points of view as valid.
2) Understand the value behind additional perspectives applied to a single topic.
3) Practice the skill of moving forward without having complete agreement or compromise from our team members.
4) Learn to actively listen and accept all ideas as gifts
5) Declare your own point of view, confidently and often

Leadership and management

We’ve found that great leaders understand how important it is to establish a culture that empowers, encourages and rewards people for being “their best selves.” In this workshop, John helps leaders create an innovative culture - one that instills the expectation from employees that all ideas will be met with an initial positive reaction rather than disagreement or judgment. As improvisers, it is necessary for us to create, on stage, a workplace that is completely, innovatively, and creatively safe. John demonstrates how quickly and easily it is to create a similar mindset in the workplace. As a result, leaders we work with tend to increase the number of ideas their teams produce, and consequently, the quality of the product or service.

In approaching leadership through the principles of improvisation, John’s training also focuses on creating a “statusless” environment to organically help individuals find their most innovative, creative and productive selves. Leaders learn specific skills to help foster a consistently innovative and improvisational culture for their teams. In addition, leaders examine their own behavior and identify how they can improve their personal leadership skills through the eyes of an improviser.

Common Learning Points:

1) Learn how all ideas of those they lead can be perceived as gifts
2) Understand how “yes, and” is the foundation for incredible idea generation, teamwork and leadership
3) Learn to defer judgment across all boundaries for the initial stages of idea creation and feedback sessions
4) Create an internal reward system for innovation, risk-taking, and solution generation
5) Increase comfort level and acceptance of all types of team member styles and points of view
6) Practice welcoming and moving forward with input that is contradictory to a personal point-of-view
7) Learn to send messages appropriate to the style, pace and characteristic