improv means business tm creativity, communication, & collaboration in the workplace

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Improv Means BusinessTM

Creativity, Communication, & Collaboration

in The WorkplaceJim Tosone

SIM Fairfield-Westchester ChapterJanuary 15, 2009

ImprovMeansBusiness.comjim@tosoneassociates.com

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

What is Improv?

• Set of Exercises or Games

• Originally Developed for Child Actors

• Basis for Sketch Comedy

– The Second City, SCTV

– Who’s Line Is It Anyway?

– Curb Your Enthusiasm

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Why is it Useful in Business?

• Real-time Nature of Games Fosters Creativity

• Creation of Dialog Fosters Communication

• Group Games Foster Collaboration & Teamwork

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Improv Games

• Mirror

• Dr. Know-It-All

• ABC

• Rewind

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Mirror

Focus• Exact imitation of partner’s movements

Directions• Pair up• Stand facing each other• Lock eyes• Make slow hand, arm, face movements

Goal• Seamlessly transfer the lead back & forth

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Dr. Know-It-All

Focus• Three people perform as one brain

Directions• Three people line up as Dr. Know-It-All• We ask questions• Dr. Know-It-All answers one word at a time in sequence

until complete sentence or thought

Goal• Work together as if one

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

ABC

Focus• Creating within constraints

Direction• Two-person scene (character & situation)• Dialog occurs in alphabetical order

Goal• Create an coherent & imaginative story

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Rewind

Focus

• Generating alternatives

Direction

• Two-person scene (character & situation)

• When I ring bell, replace line just said with a completely different one (but not just the opposite)

Goal

• Improve on an initial idea

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Applying Improv Games Situationally

Creativity Communication

Collaboration

Brainstorming

Client Consults

New Teams

Mirror

ABC

Rewind

Dr. Know-It-All

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Principles of Improv

• Initiate Ideas

• Acknowledge/Accept Ideas

• Build on Ideas

• Stay in the Moment

• Make MistakesYes And!

I

© 2009 Tosone Associates LLC

Improv Means BusinessTM

Creativity, Communication, & Collaboration

in The WorkplaceJim Tosone

ImprovMeansBusiness.comjim@tosoneassociates.com