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In Business, You’re Only as Good as your Ensemble

Improv Comedy Training is Seriously Good for Business

If you’ve ever been to an Improv Comedy show, than you already know the best laughs come when all the players are observing, listening, communicating and acting consciously. The Pros know how to stay present and work towards a common goal of making each other look good, without negativity. Every action on stage has an escalating reaction that, if done right, leads to eventual success.

The same principles apply in business. The people and processes you surround yourself with directly effect the level of success you can achieve. It’s all about building something together, versus trying to build it all on your own. Colleagues, Crew, Team, Homies – whatever you call the people you work with – if you’re not all collaborating and communicating efficiently and effectively, your next “show” might bomb.

Improv is more than just a great metaphor for business, its a great tool for business too. Business magazines and journals have written about the value of improv training for years (links), but it’s only recently that we’ve had had access to the best Teachers, thanks to Laugh-Masters Academy, who bring in celebrity Instructors from the top Improv schools in Los Angeles to run corporate training workshops.

If you’re open to the idea of creating more awareness, developing bigger ideas, and bringing a sense of non-competitive camaraderie into your workplace, then perhaps your staff deserve to attend an Improv workshop. Laugh-Masters Academy Instructors will lead you through fun exercises, ensemble games, and teach new methods that will help attendees to be more conscious within the company and with your clients.

Some of the results you can expect to see include:

BETTER COMMUNICATION
At the heart of it everything we do is communication, but that doesn’t always mean words. In a Laugh-Masters Academy Workshop you’ll develop conscious awareness, practice being in the moment, learn to read your peers’ body language, observe their unspoken intentions, and play off their ideas, all with a view to improving how you communicate internally, with clients, and your creative partners.

INCREASED CONFIDENCE
Irrational fears of ridicule or being “wrong” and self editing mean sometimes the best ideas never get shared. This can lead to creative blockages and stagnation. But to paraphrase Thomas Edison, every “wrong” idea gets you closer to the right one. Improv will help you think on your feet, respond authentically, and confidently without censoring. And as trust develops amongst your team, they will take more creative risks, and try new things knowing that any good idea will get the support and development it needs to become truly great.

TEAM BUILDING (AND KEEPING)
The skills taught in a Laugh-Masters Academy Workshop will foster confidence, camaraderie and creativity in your staff. Employees will leave feeling part of something bigger, and empowered to grow. The resulting workplace environment will be one that not only gets the best out of people, but encourages them to stay where they feel valued. Soon you’ll be attracting the best talent too, because the environment you’ve created will be noticeable, desirable and one where you and your staff truly shine and reach your combined potential.

Developing a conscious outlook about how you personally fit into an “ensemble” whether it consists of co-workers, your business community, your consumer base, friends, family, or the world at large, can give you a tremendous business advantage. Especially for those who put their heart into their work and are willing to open up to the people and opportunities around them.

Eran Thomson is a recovering Ad Man and the Founder of Laugh-Masters Academy Follow: @eranthomson / @laughmastersoz

Read on Medium.com