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Laugh your way to
more creative, adaptive, and quicker thinking using improvisational
comedy techniques.
Left brain. Right
brain. Flexible brain.
You're in a meeting, a brain storm
session, giving a speech or presentation, working with a client,
pitching an idea, product or service. You want to be confident. You
also want to be agile enough to handle things that come at you out
of nowhere. Improving with Improv shows you new ways to sharpen your
mind; to be more focused on the "now" as well as being
more receptive to unexpected turns of events. And how to react more
effectively to those events.
Improving with Improv is a workshop
of discovery and increased self-awareness. It works to mirror some
of the basic difficulties you might encounter in the workplace.
Improving with Improv uses the techniques of improvisational comedy
to help with those difficulties. Improv, like life is unscripted so
you must stay mentally agile and focused no matter how absurd a
situation may seem, and play it straight. That's when the laughs and
creativity happen in the workshop and the quickness of mind comes
into play when applied in the "real" world.
Improving with Improv is not about
turning people into comedians. It doesn't matter if you think you're
funny or not. Improving with Improv is not a performance. Improving
with Improv is all about using the techniques of improv comedy to
allow each participant to explore their own mental process regarding
mental agility, reacting appropriately in a rapidly changing
dynamic, finding common ground to solve problems -- even with
differing opinions, and have successful, non-confrontational
personal interactions. In addition, Improving with Improv works as a
very valuable morale-building tool.
Improving with Improv is a fun and
supportive workshop that gives you new tools, whether in a group
setting, or in one-on-one coaching sessions, for keeping your mind
fresh and thinking creatively. All while helping you gain personal
confidence. Throughout the workshop time is taken to discuss each
exercise as it applies to the workplace, and to learn from those
insights.
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Improving with Improv, conducted by
Charlie Allenson is an experiential, personally interactive
learning/training workshop that uses the techniques of
improvisational comedy to sharpen minds, expand creative thinking,
enhance the ability to respond quickly and appropriately to the
unexpected and build better working relationships.
Improving with Improv is not about
being a comedian. It is about adaptive thinking. But you will laugh
while you learn.
Charlie Allenson shows you how to
explore your own thought processes to think faster in unfamiliar or
high pressure situations and how to respond more quickly to the
unexpected and be more supportive of others. This is accomplished
using the basic building blocks of improv comedy exercises.
Here is a short description of some
of the goal of these exercises:
- How to really listen to find
common ground and move toward a successful conclusion.
- How to disagree or add to a
thought without discounting what the other person has said. All
in a non-confrontational manner.
- How to get on the same page as
someone who you may have never worked with before and truly work
as a team.
- How to distill an entire concept
down to its essence using only 3 sentences.
- Non-linear thinking exercises that
help you view an issue from other points of view and stretch
your thinking to discover less obvious, but equally effective
solutions to that issue.
- Improvisational scene work:
building on what’s been learned in each of previous exercises,
participants use their new non-verbal, verbal, listening, mental
and support skills to perform humorous, but life-lesson,
work-oriented scenes.
This all adds up to thinking sharp
while looking sharp. So you and your company or organization benefit
from having people capable of making more valuable contributions in
their respective functions.
The workshop itself is very flexible.
It can be structured as a half-day, morning or afternoon event, it
can be done in shorter sessions over a number of days, and works on-
or off-site.
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"I want to let you know how much
we appreciated and valued your tremendous workshop today. It was
magical seeing the team building across 22 employees, Junior Officer
Leadership Program (JOLP) from 4 different military disciplines, and
Commercial Leadership Program (CLP) - energy sales trainees from at
least 6 different countries come together as one group. It was
definitely entertaining, insightful and made the translation between
improv comedy to today's business processes and practices. Thank
you, Charlie, for your leadership with this very special group of
employees. I look forward to future business with you with the rest
of my leadership program employees. Tremendous, exciting day!!"
-- Susan Schieren, Manager GE Military, Sales and Marketing
Leadership Programs
"Charlie Allenson presented
"Improving with Improv" at our firm to a group of
high-level managers and directors. His delivery of the material was
relaxed, informative, lively, fast-paced, and he brought a sense of
fun. The session allowed the participants to interact in an
unscripted format, working through exercises and challenges that
built on each other. By the end of the three hour session, which
flew by all too fast, the participants were able to interact with
one another freely, with confidence, and with heightened
self-expression. I experienced the sense of being fully present in
each situation, which allowed me to think clearly, and to be
comfortable with each person. The session was playful and
retainable, and my relationship with each person was deepened
through the process - the best team-building exercises that I have
experienced, accomplishing a level of relatedness that was easily
achieved. Charlie was always in control of each situation, and he
instilled a sense of trust and self-confidence in the group. In the
end, we were not performing or acting, we were listening and
creatively responding to each other with freedom and ease." --
Annette Friend, Director of Lateral Recruiting Lowenstein Sandler PC
“Charlie has a unique workshop
whereby he teaches communication skills by use of Improv techniques
that helps you comfortably veer off your script when necessary and
feel less threatened getting out of your comfort zone. He makes it
fun and relevant to workplace. Highly recommend it as a team
building and skill building exercise!” -- Nilufer Durak Managing
Director, Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Aon
"Mental and verbal agility are
key skills for managers, but I had never seen a training opportunity
that gave these traits a workout and coached them to improvement --
until I participated in "Improving with Improv" from
Charlie Allenson. Using improvisational comedy exercises, Mr.
Allenson sets up what seem like mental dodge ball games, and shows
managers how to focus on underlying group dynamics and respond
accurately but creatively on the fly. Who hasn’t wanted to be able
to do this consistently in meetings and conferences?" -- Susan
Kennedy Director, Human Resources amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS
Research
"Charlie Allenson's Improving
with Improv workshop delivers exactly what the name implies.
Charlie's easy-going manner and unique use of improv comedy
techniques helped me learn a great deal about my own mental and
observing processes. My eyes, ears and mind were opened to more
creative and quicker thinking, problem-solving from multiple angles,
being more open to other points of view and being a more supportive
and productive member of a team. It was fun and a very valuable
experience." --Lydia Moore-Riley, PHR, Lowenstein Sandler PC
"Charlie Allenson's Improving
with Improv workshop was not only a fun, team-building experience,
but offered many valuable metaphors for enhanced team performance
and communication in the workplace. He did an excellent job creating
a safe space for the group to try new things and have a great time.
We all hope to see him again soon!" -- Amanda Kowal-Kenyon SVP,
Director, Stromberg Consulting (a WPP Company)
"As an attorney, I found
Charlie's Improving with Improv particularly valuable in teaching me
how to stay sharp when dealing with unanticipated events." --
Karen Crupi, Partner, Heller Ehrman, LLP
"My colleagues and I can't stop
talking about your program, "Improving With Improv". The
exercises were very helpful in immediately establishing trust.
Within 10 minutes we were all much more aware of ourselves and
everyone around us. We also learned how to quickly sharpen our
listening skills. The best part is that even a few friendships were
born that night. You are really great at what you do!!!" --
June H. Dwyer, Senior Vice President Client Executive Practice Marsh
USA
"It was great fun and fun
learning! This is an activity you would want to consider for
teambuilding. Charlie Allenson uses very effective and engaging
techniques." -- Gloria Turner, New York-Presbyterian Hospital,
Center for Organizational and Leadership Effectiveness
“Charlie taught a course to 15
staff members using tips from improv comedy. Everyone enjoyed it,
they learned a lot and the group bonded with each other as a result
of the session. It was fun and informative. Thanks Charlie!” --
Diana Davenport Vice President, Administration The Commonwealth Fund
"Every pickle-assed corporation
and executive in America should take Charlie Allenson's Improving
with Improv." Deborah Schneider Executive Chef, Premier Foods
"Charlie Allenson's Improving
with Improv workshop gave me a completely positive eye- and
mind-opening experience." -- Jeffrey Howell, President, Los
Alamos National Laboratory Foundation
"When you're being run out of
town by a bunch of crazy people, march like you're leading a
parade." -- Charlie Allenson, CIO (Chief Improv Officer),
Improving with Improv, New York, NY
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