The most famous saying in improvisation is “Yes…and”. Re-imagined as ‘Accept and Build’, this improvisational skill can deliver positive results for you in both your business and personal life.
The ‘Yes.. and’ at the heart of improvisation represents the performers’ willingness to listen carefully, to accept what is offered within a scene and then to build on it in an appropriate way. Performers who do that certainly make the stage a better place. And the practice of Applied Improvisation transfers that same spontaneity and adaptability into non-theatrical settings, offering an approach that enables all of us to achieve more with less.
It turns out that we don’t always need the ‘No’ and the ‘But’ – especially in settings where the aims include creativity, exploration and innovation.
These settings start with personal life – enabling us to build confidence and rediscover our creativity, for example. Then they apply at team level – to increase good collaboration, better work with colleagues. And in organisations or communities as tools for innovation and positive change.
Improvisation helps us to change how we describe and think about our organisations – from a framework that positions them as rigid, mechanistic and predictable, to a more reality-reflecting landscape of complexity, adaptation and possibility. And we need the principles and skills of improvisation to equip ourselves for success and progress in this new environment.
Instead of detailed plans, we propose more emergent ways of working – knowing what you are aiming for and knowing what small steps to take in that direction. Then as time passes, you look again – now with fresh knowledge of what has happened most recently – and positioned in the moment to respond in the light of that new information.
Improv in 6 Acts – check for new dates here!
Over six weekly Monday evening sessions, you’ll learn the art of comedy improv through a series of fun and engaging exercises designed to build your skills and confidence.
The course is for anyone looking to develop their communication skills, on or off the stage. It’s suitable for all levels of experience. Beginners especially welcome.
