Are you tuned in or tuned out?

by | Nov 2, 2010 | Improvisation

In our August blog, I made some bold statements about the transformational nature of impov comedy.
Here’s a recap of what I said:
“In the nearly 20 years I’ve been working with groups, it is, without a doubt, most transformational team building experience I’ve ever witnessed. It’s much easier than ropes courses. It’s more immediately impactful than personality typing. It gets you out of your head and into the more creative parts of your brain—in an instant. Plus it just plain feels good to just plain laugh with your co-workers. And what could be better than laughing while advancing your business goals?”I also offered a simple exercise you can start using with your team today called “Yes, but …” or “Yes, and …”?.
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Are you as credible as you think? Probably not.

by | Oct 12, 2010 | Trusted advisorship

There are lots of ways to build trust with others (four, by our count) and Credibility is a big one. In our Trust Quotient research, Credibility shows up as second only to Reliability as the most favored way to build trust. (‘Most favored’ doesn’t mean ‘most effective,’ but that’s another blog, another day.)

This makes sense, given the emphasis that most business people naturally place on increasing trustworthiness by demonstrating credentials, experience, and know-how.

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Moments of truth, improvised

by | Sep 14, 2010 | Improvisation

Anyone who’s been in professional services for more than a week has probably encountered a tricky client situation or two. Some examples:

  • A prospective client asks you point blank, “What experience do you have in xyz industry?” and even though you saw that question coming, you didn’t think it would be quite so direct, and the honest answer is zero, zip, nada—only you’re afraid to say so because you think it’s a deal-breaker and you’ve got other relevant experience that surely they’ll want to hear about before summarily dismissing you!
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Improv-ing teamwork: “Yes, but …” or “Yes, and …”?

by | Aug 19, 2010 | Improvisation

In the nearly 20 years I’ve been working with groups, improv comedy is, without a doubt, the most transformational team building experience I’ve ever witnessed.
It’s much easier than ropes courses. It’s more immediately impactful than personality typing. It gets you out of your head and into the more creative parts of your brain—in an instant. Plus it just plain feels good to just plain laugh with your co-workers. And what could be better than laughing while advancing your business goals?
Read More...