Team building is one of those current buzzwords (buzzphrases?) that gets bandied about by HR people in companies composed of more than one human being, for those of you who don't know. The concept is that, by doing "stuff" that helps your team learn to interact better, both with each other and with your customers and clients, your employees will become more productive, more pleasant to be around and better looking. Or, you know, at least a couple of those things.
Improv comedy is a great way to accomplish these goals, because at its heart improv is about trusting, listening to, agreeing with and supporting each other. If your employees can master these skills, pretty much any human interactions they undertake will be enhanced. Many of the interactions they have with non-humans will also improve, as illustrated by the well-known fact that improv people walk their dogs more often than non-improv people.
Held2gether taught an awesome improv comedy corporate workshop this week, helping an insurance company train agents in selling techniques. We spent several hours over a 2-day period teaching the agents improv skills designed, among other things, to help them overcome potential buyers' defenses to their sales pitches. Besides having loads of fun, the agents learned a lot about how listening can tremendously boost sales.
Listening. Sounds simple, right? Well, it is and it isn't. But like most other skills, listening can be learned. And playing improv games is a fun and effective way to do it! If you have any questions about how Held2gether can help your company, or if you'd like to schedule your own team building or other corporate or group workshop, check out Held2gether.com or send us an email at darren@held2gether.com.
