Well, it's true. That's because many businesses recognize the benefits improv can bring to their bottom line. No, seriously. As fun as improv is and as silly and frivolous as it may seem on the surface, improv offers profound psychological benefits that help people in the workplace, um, work better in that place.
I yammer on all the time about the for life aspect of improv, and when you utilize those for life skills at work you find yourself working better as a team, listening to others' ideas more receptively, being more willing to share your own ideas, finding creative solutions to problems and innovating entirely new products, processes or procedures. I work alone in my house, but still I'm pretty sure creative solutions and new, improved ways of working are important in any successful endeavor.
Of course, if it's just you who has the improv skills, it's going to be more difficult - though not impossible - to effect change in the overall organization. But by bringing ongoing improv training to your business, your entire team begins to move in the same direction. For those of you who have taken an H2G class, you understand how closely bonded you become with your classmates after just six 2-hour sessions... and those are people you didn't know from Adam and had nothing in common with before improv class.
Imagine the camaraderie you'd feel after a few sessions with people you work with every day! The first session, there might be some trust issues and maybe a little baggage to work through, but the magical thing about improv is that it forces you (in the gentlest, most unforceful way) to be in the moment and play to your partners' strengths while building your own... with trust as the natural by-product!
The structure of corporate workshops is different from improv classes, but the material covered and the skills taught are the same - except with the added element of demonstrating how these skills apply to the work environment. No matter what your service, product or thing is, improv training can help your organization do it better. Comment below if you have any questions, or email us for more information.
By Sonnjea Blackwell
