Improv at Work

Improvisation is the art and practice of creative collaboration.

When we use the word 'improvisation' we are talking about a methodology and approach used in our workshops and the set of skills that the ability to improvise rests upon. We are not speaking about improvisational theatre or acting. The ability to improvise is arguably humanity's oldest skill in creating solutions, innovations and change.

We do employ some traditional improv theatre exercises in our workshops as they are well suited to developing creative collaboration, team work, and leadership skills but learning to be a comedic actor is not our focus.

We use improvisational theatre exercises to create an atmosphere conducive to group flow and creative output, work on specific high yield skills such as listening, appreciating, and acknowledging the views of others and, making good use of the natural and productive humour in groups and teams. 

Story telling derived from improvisation is another technique we use to make progress.  Stories are an opportunity to respect and reinterpret our history and renew ourselves. They reinforce openness to learning and aid in solution finding.

Participants learn simple and powerful ways to improvise, be creative and innovate as a group. Working in teams, participants engage in exercises that stimulate creative thinking, reinforce creative collaboration and develop their ability to improvise through the unexpected.

Creative collaboration tools are learned and applied to team work and leadership skills and improvisations a team or leader may take to arrive at their optimal state or desired outcome. Teams and leaders are able to apply tools that facilitate idea generation and divergent thinking.

Being centred and confident in front of Others

This workshop provides an opportunity for participants to develop their ability to stay in the moment, centred and calm inside a typical presentation environment. Students are steadily exposed to more risk in a safe yet challenging environment, learn how to deal with the unexpected be more comfortable in their own skin. This module can be adapted to the learning objectives of both beginners and seasoned presenters.

Focusing on facilitating team, leader and organizational success, the Athena Alliance partnerdesigns and delivers energetic and powerful learning content (workshops, speeches, and clinics) specifically to suit our diverse client needs.