Your Benefit

• Accept uncertainty and ambiguity as the conditions in which you must live, learn and work.
• Adapt to circumstances beyond your control and respond with grace and confidence under even the most taxing circumstances.
• Apply the guiding philosophy of "Yes, And" to enhance your ability to live, lead, and collaborate effectively with others in service of a shared purpose.
• Develop stronger relationships that support and enable innovation, teamwork, and excellent interpersonal communication.

The Method

Applied Improvisation is the adaptation of improvisational theater principles and training techniques to improve responsiveness, communication, adaptability, and teamwork. Applied Improvisation (Improv for short) emphasizes cooperation between “scene members” instead of competition, a skill set that is increasingly important in an increasingly team-based workplace. It is both a process and a tool that involves fluency, spontaneity, unattachment, outward focus, listening, and the use of “mis-takes.” Improv skills take practice to master, however, the best part is that the practice is FUN!

“Yes, And…” Two simple and powerful words. In application, these two words are foundational to collaborative teamwork, creativity, and innovation. “Yes, And…” are words that you already know and are intuitive to apply. “Yes” tells the person speaking that you are listening and that you are suspending judgment. “And” shows you are contributing and that you will help to move the conversation forward. A commitment to “Yes, And…” is the basis of all improvisation as well as developing positive and productive relationships. 

“Yes, And…” does not mean submission or blind agreement. It is about managing resistance, ego, or worries. With “Yes, And…” you don’t have to act on every idea offered, but you do have to give every idea a chance to be acted on. This simple idea has amazing power and potency to improve interpersonal communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution.