Blog
Stop Celebrating Failure
We often hear that we should “celebrate failure” to encourage experimentation. But what if focusing on failure is actually distracting us from what helps people and teams learn? This article explores how play, curiosity and attention to what works can create safer environments for meaningful adaptation.
Play Without the Failure Fetish
What if AI hasn’t been teaching us that failure is the key to learning? Modern reinforcement learning shows that intelligence develops through exploration, feedback and recognising what works. This article explores why play, not failure, may be the more powerful model for both artificial and human learning.
Before Messi scores
The moments that matter most are often shaped long before they happen. This article explores how thoughtful workshop design, leadership and facilitation create the conditions for better conversations, stronger collaboration and more meaningful outcomes.
Stay Out of the Spotlight – Cut those Metacomments
Great facilitation isn’t about being the centre of attention – it’s about creating the space for others to engage, contribute and thrive. Discover how facilitator presence, self-awareness and intentional communication can help you step out of the spotlight and create more meaningful, impactful group experiences.
The Art of Co-Facilitation – Trust, Timing, Teamwork
Great co-facilitation is about more than sharing the stage. It requires trust, communication and a clear understanding of when to lead and when to support. This article explores how strong facilitation partnerships create better experiences for everyone in the room.
One Foot in Calm, One in Action: The Nervous System of Improvisation
Improvisation is more than creativity or performance — it’s a way of staying calm, connected and responsive under pressure. Drawing on Polyvagal Theory, this article explores how improv helps us balance safety, energy and social connection in everyday life.
Crossing the Line – From Practice to Real Life
Applied Improvisation works best when facilitators understand the difference between practising a skill and discussing real workplace issues. This article explores how to manage that balance to create safer, more effective and more engaging learning experiences.
We have a plan and a decision, so everything will now be fine…
What if the problem isn’t a lack of control, but our attachment to it? Drawing on lessons from theatrical improv, this article explores the shift from trying to control outcomes to developing influence, adaptability and responsiveness in the moment.
Take a Moment to Decide
We often rush decisions just to escape uncertainty but that instinct can limit better outcomes. This article explores epoché, the practice of suspending judgement and how delaying commitment (without drifting) can lead to clearer thinking and smarter decisions.
AI literacy for Applied Improvisers
Applied improvisers face a choice: resist AI or engage with it. Developing practical AI literacy helps us understand its strengths, limits and risks, using it responsibly while keeping human judgement, presence and meaning-making at the centre of our work.
To Demo or Not to Demo? That Is the Question
Facilitators must choose how to demo activities: themselves, a volunteer, or through instruction. Each shapes learning differently, with benefits and risks. The key is matching approach to purpose, group readiness and outcome.
How to be AI-literate
Being AI literate means using it for clarity, planning and synthesis, while recognising its limits. It’s about understanding strengths and risks, and keeping human judgement, responsibility and decision-making central.
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