From The Second City: How to Use Improv as a Business Tool
Improv can help boost employee creativity, collaboration and communication, for starters.
March 4, 2021
![Ben Larrison, Terrance Carey and Maureen Boughey of The Second City Ben Larrison, Terrance Carey and Maureen Boughey of The Second City](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt10e444bce2d36aa8/blt763b01a7f36c3f66/65245644b576708d0a476d16/Feach_Using-Improv-as-a-Business-Tool.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Tim Schmidt
Channel Futures: When people think of improv, they usually think of its use in comedy. How could Improv training help business executives?
Kelly Leonard: Improvisation is a skill and a practice for getting individuals out of their fear and shame brain and into a space of relentless positive group collaboration. So, I often say, if your business success requires human beings to work well with other human beings, then improvisation is an asset your business likely needs.
Pictured (left to right): Ben Larrison, Terrence Carey, Maya Haughton, Olivia Nielsen, Claire McFadden and Griffin Wenzler (Photo courtesy of Georgia State University)
CF: What are some of the key elements of improv that could help individuals in business?
KL: The concept of “Yes, And” in improvisation is a cornerstone for anyone looking to drive innovation and creativity in business. Behavioral science teaches us the human being’s default system is to do nothing or to say “No.” When you teach the art of “Yes, And” you are giving individuals the gift to affirm and contribute other people’s thoughts so you can explore and heighten together. In our work we say that “All of us are better than one of us.”
Pictured (left to right): Kiley Fitzgerald and Meghan Babbe (Photo: Tim Schmidt)
CF: What type of people excel at improv?
KL: People operating with a growth mindset thrive in improvisation. People with a fixed mindset really struggle in this work.
Pictured (left to right): Julia Morales, Andrew Bolduc and Dan Bazaldua (Photo: Tim Schmidt)
CF: What kind of exercises can be used in business training that individuals and teams could use to increase adaptability, trust and empathy?
KL: One exercise that promotes increased adaptability, trust and empathy is called Statues. The group forms a circle. One volunteer then goes to the center and strikes a pose. The teacher then asks for someone else to enter the circle and strike a pose that adds to the existing “Statue.” When the original poser says, “Thank you, statues,” they can leave the center and re-join the circle.
Often, people are tentative to jump in and join the statue. The teacher will note that when you do that, you are leaving the person in the circle hanging — your job should be to save that person. With that instruction, the group starts jumping in quickly and the teacher has them examine how it feels to be relentlessly supportive. We are trying to make collaboration and agility into a muscle memory that you instinctively draw on.
Pictured (left to right): Terrence Carey and Olivia Nielsen (Photo: Tim Schmidt)
CF: If someone lacks confidence, could improv training help them succeed?
KL: Improvisation is a great way to boost confidence. We have created a number of programs (e.g., Improvisation for Autism, Improvisation for Parkinson’s) that help individuals overcome their struggles with communication and collaboration.
Pictured: Olivia Nielsen (Photo: Ira Hantz)
CF: We’ve heard that improv could actually create more positive cultures at work, is that true and why?
KL: Meaning is made in moments and so is culture. Improvisation is a practice that promotes better listening, making mistakes work for you and seeing all obstacles as gifts. It’s also a vital tool that promotes servant leadership. We use the term “Follow the Follower.” That means leadership exists at every level; we need to let everyone’s individual expertise drive the conversation and actions when the context needs it.
Pictured (left to right): Claudia Martinez, Julia Morales and Jenelle Cheyne (Photo: Tim Schmidt)
CF: How can mastering improv skills help people tell their company story better?
KL: Storytelling lies at the heart of wise improvisation. You learn to authentically draw from all of your experiences while building an expertise at reading a room. Great storytellers are adept at being specific and concise, two things that are strengthened by training in improvisation.
Pictured (left to right): Claudia Martinez and Andrew Bolduc (Photo: Tim Schmidt)
CF: Listening is probably one of the most important skills needed in improv and it is under siege in today’s world of distractions from our phones, emails and texts. How can improv make us better listeners?
KL: Let’s be honest, human beings were lousy listeners before the advent of the internet and social media. All of the new noise has just made things worse. When you are improvising, you are taught to be fiercely in the moment and you are instructed to play the scene you’re in, not the scene you want to be in. Many of the beginning exercises are listening exercises that force you to listen all the way to the end of sentences or require you to repeat back what was just said to you.
Pictured (left to right): Laurel Krabacher, Jo Scott, Ian Owens, Jenelle Cheyne, Andrew Bolduc, Lilliana Winkworth Photo: Tim Schmidt
CF: Who was the best at improv you saw and what made them so good?
KL: Since improvisation is a group activity, it’s never one person who makes or breaks an ensemble. One of the best ensembles I ever worked with included Tina Fey, Scott Adsit, Rachel Dratch, Kevin Dorff, Jim Zulevic and Jenna Jolovitz. They seamlessly created incredible comedy through active listening and fierce “Yes, And”-ing.
Pictured (left to right): Jordan Stafford, Evan Mills, Meghan Babbe, George C. Owens, Jackie Southee, Kiley Fitzgerald (Photo: Tim Schmidt)
CF: We hear that body language is an important part of improv but overlooked in business settings. What can we learn from using improv to better read someone we are selling to or presenting to in a meeting?
KL: Many improv exercises are silent or use gibberish as a way for individuals to realize the many ways we communicate without using language. It’s important, for example, to understand how your body can indicate your status in a room. If you want to lead a room you need to be centered and standing, not sitting or slouching.
Pictured: Jenelle Cheyne (Photo: Tim Schmidt)
CF: We hear that body language is an important part of improv but overlooked in business settings. What can we learn from using improv to better read someone we are selling to or presenting to in a meeting?
KL: Many improv exercises are silent or use gibberish as a way for individuals to realize the many ways we communicate without using language. It’s important, for example, to understand how your body can indicate your status in a room. If you want to lead a room you need to be centered and standing, not sitting or slouching.
Pictured: Jenelle Cheyne (Photo: Tim Schmidt)
We invited Chicago’s The Second City to host an improv comedy special to close out Channel Partners Virtual 2021. While improv is widely used as part of comedy acts, its use as a business tool to enhance storytelling, employee interaction and boosting sales skills is being quickly adopted as well.
The Second City’s Kelly Leonard
We wanted to put improv’s ability to help business leaders to the test, so we enlisted the help of Kelly Leonard, executive director of insights and applied improvisation of The Second City. Leonard is a popular speaker, appearing at Aspen Ideas Festival, Chicago Ideas Week and TEDxBroadway. He also hosts the Second City Works/WGN Podcast “Getting to Yes, And.”
The Second City performance will be Thursday, March 4, 3:05-3:45 p.m. EST.
You can register to attend this event here.
Click through the slideshow above to see how Leonard answered our 10 questions on the importance of improv and how to apply it to your daily work life and team building.
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