The Dream Team

By Sonnjea Blackwell

While I spent many of the past 24 hours basking in the unseasonably warm sunshine at the Embarcadero in San Francisco, drinking several of something called a French Bulldog and eating food that was so good I almost didn't come home, Mr. Held2gether himself, Darren Held, was hard at work leading a Held2gether Corporate Workshop in Denver, Colorado.

Yes, besides being masters of improvisation, we are also quite the jet-setters around here.

Anyway. Darren was working with a national insurance company, helping train agents to be more spontaneous and more comfortable in their interactions with customers. Some research we've come across (this is actually real research, not Sonnjea-believes-it-so-it-must-be-true research) indicates that sales people who work from scripts convert significantly fewer potential buyers than those who are able to (gasp!) actually listen to their customers and react appropriately.

And no, we at Held2gether are NOT experts in sales. That's not our job. Our job is to help people - sales or otherwise - listen and respond and think quickly on their feet. How these skills apply in each particular workplace varies widely, but what is universal is that these skills do in fact apply in every workplace.

Do you need to help your group/team/office/family bond? Work better together? Communicate without shouting? Do you need to boost morale before things deteriorate into a scene from The Godfather? Do you need to increase sales or productivity? Would you love it if everybody loved to come to work... and actually showed up most of the time?

We have Group Workshops for every type and size of group with every conceivable goal. From a generic out-of-the-box workshop to a fully customized training session, we can help you build your own personal Dream Team. Our website has more information on an improv workshop for your group, or you can email Darren for a detailed quote.

So Much Fun, So Little Time!

By Sonnjea Blackwell

Wow, sometimes we get overwhelmed with all the great stuff happening in our world and we just have to share it or we'll explode. Exploding is messy and not productive, so we strive to avoid it whenever possible.

So I guess we better share... First off, tonight at Old World Huntington Beach, our good friends The Corporate Recess Players are doing their monthly-ish improv show, featuring none other than our own fearless leader, Darren Held. This is a great opportunity for all you Held2gether students to see your teacher in action and count the number of times he asks questions! $15 a person, 8 p.m., Old World.

Then on Sunday, we have the 1/2-day Intro to Improv Workshop in my 'hood, Bixby Knolls. There are a couple spaces left, so hurry up and register at the website if you've been on the fence. $40 a person, noon - 4 p.m., EXPO Theatre.

And it's already that time of the month again (no, not that time of the month; I don't share everything) - it's time for Held2gether's signature show, Last Laugh Saturday next Saturday night at Hot Java! As Delilah says, get a sitter and fill your flask cuz this one's always a doozy! FREE, 8 p.m. March 26, Hot Java.

Intro to Improv Workshop

Does "intensive" sound too intense? How 'bout "boot camp" - too regimented? Well then, you're in luck because we have a very un-regimented, totally un-intense Intro to Improv Workshop coming up in Long Beach in a little over a week.

"Workshop" is cool, right? It implies a little work, sure, but in an informal, safe and definitely not intense way. Which is what happens at our Intro Workshops, so it's convenient that we named them that way!

These workshops are designed for very specific people, namely:

1. People who don't have time to commit to a 6-week class
2. People who aren't sure improv is for them
3. People who like to dip their toe in the water before jumping all the way in and getting their hair wet
4. People who live in the 'hood and want to keep up on what's happening at EXPO
5. People who have nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon
6. Or, um, you
   

This is a great opportunity to try out some improv exercises and games without the pressure of committing to a full-length class. It really is designed for everybody - some of the people who have taken the workshop have been graduating college students honing their communication skills for job interviews, moms who feel like they've totally forgotten how to have a conversation with grown-ups and folks who have seen H2G perform and thought, "Well, hell, I can do that." You know what? They're right! Everyone can do improv.

Of course, not everyone gets to kiss Delilah. C'mon, people, I have to draw the line somewhere. Register at Held2gether.com.