An Impro workshop for your business or event will...
- Increase creative thought
- Improve communication skills
- Build a star team
- Develop confidence
in a powerful and effective way, that is also tremendous fun.
"Put people together in a way that will have them bouncing ideas off each other and
taking care of each other, and suddenly they are coming to you not with gripes and
problems, but solutions and great ideas"
Richard Branson, Business Stripped Bare
Why are some teams more productive and creative than others? What practices
and environments aid the creative process and strengthen the dynamics of a team?
The creative process is a delicate thing that is easy to halt or hinder. How often is
the first reponse you hear to an idea "but..."? Accepting and building on ideas
rather than stifling them at birth is a skill improvisers are masters at - when you are
living on the fly onstage, you have nowhere to hide and need to develop ideas to
their fullest.
Learn how to generate ideas from nothing and allow the creative process to flourish.
Become more creative - both as an individual and as part of a team. You'll experience
the impro rules and structures that encourage innovation and creativity - and become
aware of the blocks to the creative process (usually fear of making mistakes, and
being too judgemental too early in the creative process).
Improvisers require heightened levels of communication to successfully create
performances onstage. These skills can be used to improve your business, public
and personal communication too. Your physical and vocal style is the secret to
success. Let us improve your performance in meetings, presentations and all
interactions.
A star team always beats a team of stars and creating cohesive ideas, characters
and stories on stage requires a star team.
Improvisation is a great team builder. It fosters an environment allowing:
- Better communication and creativity
- Productive risk-taking
- Increased collaboration and trust
The ideal way to break the ice with new staff or integrate different teams is
through an impro session or two. The participants will not only be learning a
highly creative skill and having fun - they'll be getting to know each other and
working effectively together at lightning speed too.
The workshops are 99% practical.
The best way for learning to take place is not sitting in a lecture or seminar with
a pen and paper but actually getting up and "having a go".
Experiential learning is recognised as having a much greater impact than
theoretical learning and it's much more fun. In a SPROUT IDEAS workshop,
most of the work is in pairs and small groups.
SPROUT IDEAS workshops wil engage everyone from the first minute, so be
prepared to start immediately. After some exercises to warm up both mind and body
you'll be introduced to the principles and skills of improvisation. Our trainers will guide
the participants through various exercises that refine or develop a key impro skill - be
it spontaneity, listening, thinking on your feet etc. You'll learn the building blocks of
improvisation - highlighting how they may relate to your own situation.
Impro games and exercises are challenges to the way we communicate and create
together. The challenges are made harder by imposing rules to stretch us in new and
different...and fun ways. For example, some rules may force us to be more spontaneous,
or may limit our vocabulary, or may make heightened listening a premium. Doing an
impro workshop is a bit like visiting a gymnasium of machines designed to work your
thinking muscles.
And don't worry, we won't be telling you how to do your job - you are the experts - but
we'll introduce you to a transferable skill set that you'll be able to apply where you
feel appropriate.
You don't have to be funny - but you will have fun!
A common misconception is that you have to be a comedian or particularly witty to
succeed in improvisation. One of the first things we tell our participants is
"Don't try to be funny".
Unlike stand-up comedy, improvisation is not a solo activity. There will be laughter -
but it will be through the collective imagination creating something brand new.
The thought of doing an impro workshop can elicit many responses from...
"Oh wow - that sounds really exciting" to "Oh my God - I don't want to make a fool
of myself". Our tutors are well versed in creating a supportive environment allowing
everyone to enjoy themselves. Whether they begin the session enthusiastically, or as
a slightly worried rabbit caught in the headlights, everyone will soon be comfortable
enough to be able to have fun and start improvising.
It's up to you - we customise our sessions to suit the client and the time available.
However, the shortest session we'd recommend in which to address goals like
teambuilding and commmunication is a half day (3 to 4 hours). A whole day allows for
a more thorough exploration of what improvisation can offer.
Short sessions / ice breaker sessions
A one-hour to 90-minute improvisation session is a great ice-breaker. A short impro
session will leave the participants buzzing and focussed for what is to come. It can be
designed to kick start an event, provide a change of pace or provide an entertaining end.
This depends on the length of the session and the number of trainers required. We are
happy to discuss which programme would suit your business/event.
What kind of programme are you looking for? Give us a call and we can discuss what
sort of programme would suit your business or event.
Contact us to discuss your corporate comedy requirements, we're always happy
to help. Call us on 020 8923 2545 or email info@corporatecomedyevents.co.uk
Looking for our comedy shows or training events for the public?
Click here for shows | Click here for Courses in Improvisation
