I recently conducted one of my Communication Mastery improv workshops for a technology company. The business had specific goals to use the workshop to help build stronger employee relationships and to work together better.

I developed my workshops focusing on using improv to improve workplace culture and communication. The idea to take a group of co-workers out of the office and away from their computers to play physical games can sound wild, but hear me out, because the results are astounding.

Try these improv exercises with your team

The skills and lessons learned from improv are vast and essential to anyone dealing with other people in their lives - so everyone.

Count to 20

One exercise involves standing the group in a circle. With their eyes closed and heads down they are tasked with counting to 20. Sounds easy? Not quite, because each person who calls the next number randomly chooses to do it.

With eyes closed and nobody saying "one," the exercise can't proceed. Someone needs to muster up the courage to call the first number. Then someone else must call the next number and so on. The kicker is the number resets to one each time two people call the same number at once.

This exercise is a fun warm up. It teaches participants to work together as a team, to listen intently, and to be leaders by being courageous enough to call the next number. They must work together to get to 20 to succeed.

Improv is filled with these types of lessons. Teams become stronger by working together on different exercises customized to help them achieve their goals. I always poll my clients ahead of time, so I know their challenges and can customize my program to meet their goals.

The New Boss

One of my favorite activities is New Boss. Participants run through some warm-ups where they learn to speak together as one person. Two people are paired up to become a single person, the "new boss." Everyone else is an employee who can ask random questions. The new boss must mouth and speak their answers slowly and in stereo in order to sound coherent.

This exercise teaches listening skills because they must listen to the sounds of the words as they are spoken. They also have to learn to accept the other person's choice, because one single person may not be able to answer the question as they would have otherwise wanted to.

Improv teaches us to listen more effectively, to be team players, to be empathetic and accepting of our colleagues. It also allows us to have fun together. The laughter is my greatest reward as I teach teams how to improve communication with each other and externally.

Try improv games with your colleagues. I am certain your teams will learn new skills, improve the ones they already have, and ultimately have fun doing it. Here’s a quick look at some feedback I’ve received from my workshops.

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Picture a six-year-old boy standing on a stage in front of an audience. The school production is of Little Red Riding Hood. The little boy stands erect, his arms spread out on each side, facing stage left and stage right. He's wearing Buster Brown shoes, brown corduroy slacks, and a forest green colored turtleneck shirt.

At an earlier date, the boy was to play the woodsman, who would rescue Little Red Riding Hood in her moment of wolf-related terror. He had trouble paying attention in class and was considered the class clown. One too many antics led to his demotion from playing the courageous hero to becoming a background actor as a boring, old tree.

His direction was simple. The replacement woodsman would act as he was chopping the tree (played by the boy) when suddenly he would hear Little Red Riding Hood's screams for help. He would take one final swing of his ax into the tree, and run off stage to her rescue. The tree, would simple tilt to the left as if slightly cut from the ax. The lights would go to black and the scene would end. That was the only action the boy would have in the play.

The proud parents in the audience were enjoying the children in the performance that evening. Everything was going as planned until the scene with the tree and the woodsman. When the woodsman heard Red's cries for help, he swung his ax one final time, only something unexpected happened. The tree tilted forward instead of to its side. The boy, standing erect, fell forward to land flat on his chest in the center of the stage. He probably yelled, "Timber!" in his mind as he slammed down onto the stage. The audience roared together in a moment of absolute hysterical laughter. The only face in the audience not laughing was the angry teacher, who directed the performance. Her punishment of the class clown had backfired. The boy's improvised fallen tree scene stole the show.

That boy was me.

I have always had a love for comedy and performance. This is why I bring humor into my presentations and workshops. I've seen presentations on similar topics that I speak on which lacked humor and ended up being dry and dull. I always aim to get the audience laughing as I present, so we all have fun together.

Improving with Improv

Back when I lived in Toronto, I studied and graduated from The Second City's improv training program. If you're not familiar with improv, picture the TV show, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"

I went on to perform improv in Canada, England, Scotland, and Ireland. In fact, when I lived in Galway, Ireland, I founded an improv troupe. We performed every Thursday night at a local wine bar, and I also provided corporate improv training.

When Hubspot hired me to speak at their Inbound Conference a couple of years ago, I decided to create a new presentation entitled, "Improve with Improv". I've included the twelve-minute video below for your viewing pleasure. I wanted to share how I apply some of the key lessons from improv to my everyday life, so that others can too.

After Inbound, I was craving to perform improv again. So, I auditioned to join the Nashville Improv Company. To my happy surprise (and Heather's shock), I was accepted as a cast member! For the last year, I've been performing improv every month or so. It's been wonderful to tap back into a deep passion of mine.

My consultancy, Futureforth, is all about helping others learn how to use digital marketing for their businesses. What I didn't really consider until recently was the fact that what I do is all about communication. In fact, I did the famous Strengths Finder personality assessment and discovered my top strength is - communication (followed by consistency, woo, activator and harmony).

Being a solopreneur means working alone most days - not by choice, it's just how it is. My favorite moments are spent with my clients and audiences in-person. This got me thinking about how I could offer something new to help my clients improve their communication.

Light bulb moment. Improv!

There are countless articles about how improv training can help companies improve their communication, employee morale and retention, culture, listening and presentation skills, plus… it's a heck of a lot of fun to spend half a day (or a full day) away from your computer and playing with your colleagues.

If you want to improve your business, I have no doubt that improv will help. I want to prove this to you by coming to your office and providing your team with a fun-filled morning or afternoon of improv exercises. 

I'm calling this my Communication Reboot. Let's talk about how I can help you use improv to improve your business today. Hit contact and let's chat.

My mother was an actress in London back in the 1960s. In 1967, one-hundred years after Canada got it's independence from Britain, the British returned in the form of my mum. She met my dad that summer, decided to permanently move to Toronto, got married, and had two ginormous babies. Needless to say, she shelved her acting career. 

After retirement, my mum chose to get back into acting. She joined a retired actors group, and she has been performing in plays and musicals ever since. My eighty-year-old mother is a big reason why I started performing improv again. 

My history with improv began with training at Second City in Toronto. After graduation, I moved to Ireland, where I started an improv troupe. Together we performed weekly shows that I always looked forward to. When I moved back to Toronto, I tried to get another troupe together but my attempts failed. So I gave up on improv altogether. 

My Passion for Performance

One of my biggest pleasures is to speak at conferences and events. I love sharing stories with actionable advice that help people move forward in their businesses and careers. I also love to entertain. 

Last year, I was invited to do a presentation at Hubspot's Inbound, which is a marketing conference in Boston. I felt like I would be preaching to the converted if my presentation was yet another one about marketing. So, I decided to do my talk about the lessons I have learned from studying and performing improvisation. My presentation, Improve with Improv, also inspired my mini ebook of the same name.

I have always had a deep love for reading, writing, watching, and performing comedy. Last summer, I read Judd Apatow's Sick In The Head, which features his inspiring interviews with many of the most famous comedians out there. The guest's stories in his book made me crave improv.

As I was online, I noticed an open audition announcement from Nashville Improv. On a whim, I decided to go and give it a shot. I didn't tell Heather or any of my friends that I was doing it. Next thing I knew, I had a callback to return for a second audition. As it turned out, I was accepted as a cast member in the company. 

OMG, I'm in an improv troupe again!

Each Monday night, I get to enjoy rehearsing improv with an impressive cast of actors and comedians. The company directors, Lacie Madison and Michael Kearney, are not only incredibly gifted people, but they are clearly passionate about improv and Nashville's thriving comedy community. So far, we have performed live together twice and tonight, I get to do it again (at Zanies at 8 pm, you should come).

Your turn. Now start.

I got back into improv for a few main reasons.

• I wanted to tap into another creative medium.
• I needed to get outside of my comfort zone.
• With a dad with dementia, I understand the importance of strengthening my brain.
• I understand that life is too short not to enjoy what makes us happy. 

What passions have you shelved for whatever reason? Take a moment now and jot them down on a piece of paper. Review what you wrote. Which of these passions would be okay to tap back into? Don't do it as a business move, do it as a gift to yourself. Now jot down a few steps it will take for you to get started. Now start.

I had the great opportunity to reveal a new presentation at Hubspots' Inbound Conference last year. It was a thrill to attend and speak at such a stellar marketing conference with 13,000 attendees (not all at my session, Maron!). My presentation was a 12-minute (TEDx-style) talk about how my life has improved with improv. 

As I put my deck together, I realized the story was too good to just share with the amazing audience in Boston. The lessons I learned studying improv with Second City in Toronto, and performing regularly in a troupe in Ireland, helped me in so many ways. So I decided to write a short ebook.

Improve with Improv breaks down the three key lessons I learned from improv: acceptance, listening better and not to fear failure. My friend, Daniele Rossi, did the wonderful illustrations. Call it a coincidence, but he is now a recent graduate from Second City too. 

I sincerely hope you pick up a copy of Improve with Improv. It's a quick read with some valuable lessons inside. Let me know what you think of it, please. 

GRAB YOUR COPY NOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE WITH IMPROV. 

Many people don’t know this, but I’m a Second City Toronto graduate. I have performed improv comedy in Canada, UK and Ireland. In fact, I had an improv troupe for about a year when I lived in Galway, Ireland. I attribute my love for public speaking with everything I learned from performing improv.

Have you ever been to an improv comedy show? The performers use a few chairs and an empty stage, combined with recommendations from the audience to create believable, entertaining scenes. In just a moment they can take the crowd to a bistro in Paris, a butcher shop in Brooklyn, or a honky tonk in Nashville.

THE ART OF IMPROV IS A COMBINATION OF ACCEPTANCE OF AN OFFER, THE ABILITY TO TELL A STORY, STRONG LISTENING SKILLS, KNOWING WHEN TO END A SCENE, AND BEING A TEAM PLAYER.

In business we use improv everyday, but we don’t realize we do. Here are five examples of how improv skills are like business skills.

1. ACCEPTANCE OF AN OFFER OR “YES, AND”

The golden rule of improv is called, “Yes, and”. In order to keep a scene believable and moving forward we must accept the offers our co-performers and the audience give us.

If an actor is performing a scene and gives his partner an (invisible) apple and says, “Here is the apple you ordered, mam.” The audience would believe that the object she was now holding was an apple. However, if she replied, “No, that’s not an apple”, it would confuse the audience (and frustrate the other actor). Instead improv actors always use the “Yes, and” rule.

Now picture the same scene, but instead the second actor replies “Yes, and… I am going to use the seeds to grow an apple orchard.” The scene moves forward and you have won your audience’s attention.

In business we need to focus on accepting the offers from our clients and colleagues. If a customer asks us to deliver something we are not prepared to do. Instead of saying no you can say, “Yes, and I will have this to you by Friday” or “Yes, and I know just the graphic designer who can help with this project.”

2. THE ABILITY TO TELL A STORY

We are all storytellers, only some of us are better at it than others. You have to know your brand’s story. What is the story of your products and services? How were they created? Why? Who created them? These all make your business human and the stories resonate with your customers.

In improv the story is crucial. Without an interesting and entertaining story you’re scene is dead in the water. Your audience will get bored and run to the exit.

3. STRONG LISTENING SKILLS

You can bet that the best sales people are incredible listeners. They ask the right questions and carefully focus on what their customers and potential customers say. The best sales people are the ones who listen and provide the “Yes, and” when they reply. Here’s how I recommend you listen better.

In performing improv you listen to your fellow performers and look for opportunities to bring twists, turns and laughs into your scene. You also listen to determine when it’s time to throw in the towel and call it quits.

4. KNOWING WHEN TO END A SCENE

Not all businesses flourish, in fact most don’t succeed. You need to be focused on your goals and determine what is and is not working.

In improv the audience can sense the awkwardness of the performers when a scene needs to conclude. Great improv actors can improvise the ending that fits the scene perfectly. Lights dark, curtain down.

5. BEING A TEAM PLAYER

Smart companies ensure they hire the right people. Hiring goes beyond talents and experience, it’s also about culture. Will this candidate work well with my team?

Your improv troupe becomes a family. If you aren’t working well with your team members, the audience will see it and your performance will fail.

Now consider your own business and career. I bet you’re performing improv without even knowing it. Henry Rollins nailed it when he said, “For the last 30-plus years, I have been doing one long, uninterrupted improv.”

Now please excuse me, I have a meeting at a bistro in Paris I must be off to, au revoir.

Do you perform improv? What lessons have you learned that apply to life off the stage? Leave a comment, don’t be shy!

UPDATE: Now look what I've done!