{"id":13798,"date":"2019-11-20T13:03:14","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T13:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/?page_id=13798"},"modified":"2024-11-18T18:31:49","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T18:31:49","slug":"facilitator-interviews","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/facilitator-interviews","title":{"rendered":"How We Use the Principles of Improv with Business Clients"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content_no_spaces&#8221;][vc_column]<div id=\"home-slider\" class=\"flexslider\" ><ul class=\"slides\"><li><div class=\"slide-image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/corporate-fb-1200-630-106.jpg);\"><\/div><div class=\"slide-wrap \"><div class=\"slide-content \"><div class=\"container\"><h1 class=\"font-small\">How We Use the Principles of Improv with Business Clients<\/h1><p class=\"mt-25\"><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1{background-color: #FFFFFF;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<br \/>\n<b>The art of improvisation and the world of business are two things you might not imagine mixing, but investing in learning some key improv skills can be a hugely powerful catalyst for change within businesses.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>We sat down with some of our best \u2018Improv for Business\u2019 facilitators to unpack the ways that this spontaneous performance style can benefit corporate culture. Through their insights, we explore how improv can reshape teamwork, spark innovation, and cultivate a thriving, empathetic work environment.<\/p>\n<p>Whether it&#8217;s managing the discomfort of failure or unlocking hidden creative potential, these interviews highlight the profound impact of improv on the workplace.<\/p>\n<p>Join us as we navigate the surprising intersections of improv and business, and uncover how these playful, yet sage techniques can lead to a more <b>innovative<\/b>, <b>cohesive<\/b>, and <b>empathetic<\/b> workplace.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_2{background-color: #EEEEEE;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>What\u2019s improv\u2019s potential role in a company?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Steve:<\/b> At a surface level business is made up of numbers and finance. However if we go deeper, <b>business is actually made up of people working together<\/b>. Improv helps you focus back on the people.<\/p>\n<p><b>In a successful business, it\u2019s impossible not to focus on the people<\/b>. If you study management or leadership, it\u2019s actually an investigation of how we deal with people. It\u2019s ever changing, it\u2019s never fixed and it\u2019s more of an art than a science. It\u2019s impossible to separate emotions from work, we don\u2019t just become robots the second we\u2019re in an office.<\/p>\n<p><b>Katy:<\/b> I think there\u2019s a lot to be said for support and looking out for each other. <b>A team is obviously stronger if everyone\u2019s working together for the same or similar goals<\/b>, rather than being really competitive with each other. Being competitive might seem like a good idea in the short term but it doesn\u2019t create a pleasant environment to work in for the long term.<\/p>\n<p><b>Max:<\/b> It\u2019s common to hear companies throw around clich\u00e9s such as \u2018teamwork makes the dream work\u2019 and name checking buzzwords such as \u2018collaboration\u2019. But improv doesn\u2019t consider these as abstract terms for ticking boxes. <b>What improv does is break everything down into specific and applicable behaviours so that people can actually change the way they work<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>For example, people often consider themselves to be good listeners. However, after taking an improv workshop they realise that actually they aren\u2019t a good listener at all! By being specific to the best practices of collaboration and looking at them as individual teachable behaviours, people can identify their weaknesses and actively improve.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_3{background-color: #FFFFFF;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>Why should teams undertake improv for business training?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Steve:<\/b> Improv allows us to practise skills that you read about in any leadership or management book. These are skills that we don\u2019t often get the opportunity to practise. Listening is one of the biggest of those skills. <b>The ability to listen to your staff is of vital importance but most of the time you never really get to practise it<\/b>. This means you won\u2019t be listening as well as you could be and won\u2019t be as empathetic as you could be, creating large gaps in your communication skills. Not only do we give you improv techniques for business, we also give you a chance to experience and practice in a safe place. <b>We give you real human skills that are going to benefit you and your company<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Katy:<\/b> While I think there\u2019s lots of reasons, <b>I think the ability to be present is really important so that companies actually listen to their customers<\/b>. There is also the added value that colleagues will be more present in listening to each other for the purposes of team work.<\/p>\n<p><b>Maria:<\/b> <b>Improv allows us to create an atmosphere of no judgement which is exceptionally valuable if we want a team to generate new ideas<\/b>. This comes from the improvisers attitude towards making mistakes. As opposed to judging and stigmatising mistakes, we use them as opportunities for growth.<\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t make any progress without making mistakes along the way.<b> If you\u2019re not making mistakes and moving out of your comfort zone you\u2019ll never achieve any real success.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Amy:<\/b> I think often businesses come to improv because they are keen to <b>unlock creative potential in their staff<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>Improv unlocks this creative potential as it is a very levelling activity. Everyone is equal when doing an improv workshop and everyone can take part.\u00a0 It\u2019s a quick and easy way to allow for a change in attitudes and behaviour.<\/p>\n<p>An aspect of improv I use to help to establish this environment is the technique of \u2018yes and\u2019. It\u2019s about embracing the opportunity to have no blocks when offering suggestions and delaying our own judgement on creative suggestions. <b>It creates a space where people are able to make brave decisions and not feel judged<\/b>. It allows people to take risks and therefore unlocks the hidden creative potential of their staff.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_4{background-color: #EEEEEE;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>What\u2019s the most valuable improv technique for business?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Max:<\/b> Improv teaches you that <b>the best way to solve a difficult problem is to start<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>While this seems like an obvious thing to say, in the real world people don\u2019t follow that advice. Rather than start, most people plan extensively. Of course planning can be useful but only if you know exactly what the solution will look like. <b>When we\u2019ve got complex problems to solve, it\u2019s impossible to know what the solution will look like so we need to prototype quickly<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say that you were a website designer and you wanted to create a site for a window cleaning company. You don\u2019t know what the end product will look like at the beginning of the process. Instead you need to build something first to show the client so that you can learn based on feedback and your own experience of building it. <b>You can gain a lot more from the improvisers philosophy of building a prototype and testing it, rather than sitting on a problem and planning it to death<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Susan:<\/b> \u2018Yes and\u2019 is really useful. I think <b>the idea of delaying judgement is brilliant for anyone in any kind of business or any kind of discussion, particularly when addressing a creative brief<\/b>. To clarify, that doesn\u2019t mean we have to say yes to everything but rather to <b>explore an idea fully before discarding it<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p>If you immediately judge something, then you end up discounting loads of potential ideas that could blossom into something amazing. <b>Immediate judgement also shuts down peoples\u2019 ideas, which damages morale and discourages collaboration<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Steve:<\/b> Improv gives you the ability to listen to and expand on ideas, essentially creating a culture of innovation. In business, sometimes people can have a tendency to devalue ideas. Well, what\u2019s an iPhone? It\u2019s just an idea that\u2019s been carried out to its completion. Anything that ever makes money, has to come from an initial idea first. So if you\u2019re closing down ideas, and you\u2019re not even hearing ideas from your team, there\u2019s potentially a huge amount of revenue going right there and then.<\/p>\n<p><b>By listening and expanding on ideas, we create an environment where people feel like part of a team<\/b>. Toxic environments come about in places where people don\u2019t feel valued and listened to. Consequently, this makes people leave which will mean a business will constantly have to train new staff. It also causes competitiveness, people end up fighting for a position or just look out for themselves. Whereas in improv, people are going to want to be there. They like each other and they\u2019re going to want to work with each other.<\/p>\n<p>For me, <b>improv is where people can experience pure positive and productive teamwork<\/b>. If teamwork isn\u2019t valuable for business, then why employ people? For me; and maybe this is just common sense,<b> if you\u2019re not listening to your staff then why have them, especially if their role is generating ideas?<\/b> If you\u2019re not listening to each other, then we\u2019re just spending money on people who are in isolation chambers. But <b>when you have extreme listening and collaboration, that\u2019s when you can really work as a cohesive team<\/b>.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_5{background-color: #FFFFFF;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>What\u2019s the relationship between mistakes and innovation?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Maria:<\/b> When we\u2019re innovating, we\u2019re going through uncharted waters and finding new things out. Because we\u2019re in unfamiliar territory, mistakes will be inevitable. <b>Companies shy away from the idea of making mistakes and yet if you asked a company if they wanted to be more innovative, which company would say no to that? <\/b><b>If you want to innovate, be prepared to fail a lot<\/b> but you\u2019ll also end up learning a lot too.<\/p>\n<p>Innovation doesn\u2019t just have to aim towards coming up with the next big idea, it can also mean we reevaluate our day to day operations. For example, looking at our own processes such as \u2018How can we be more efficient with X,Y or Z tasks?\u2019. This is a very direct link towards the tangible goal of increasing our profits.<\/p>\n<p><b>Susan:<\/b> The whole mindset of improv is creating a supportive atmosphere, forgiving each other <i>immediately<\/i> for mistakes that are made in a low stakes environment. It encourages a place where innovation can happen because you\u2019re prepared to forgive yourself and others for the first outline or draft of an idea (which is never perfect). Whereas, if you\u2019re creating an atmosphere where people are under pressure or being judged immediately, then it\u2019s much harder to take those risks and get a foothold on an idea.<\/p>\n<p><b>Max:<\/b> Improv allows us to practise being out of your comfort zone. I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s necessarily being comfortable with being uncomfortable, or being in a constant state of terror or happiness, it\u2019s about being somewhere in between. Business Improv training is about: <b>what is my attitude when things go wrong<\/b>?<\/p>\n<p>Our society\u2019s narrative behind mistakes say that they are shameful, show stopping disasters. However mistakes are always part of the process when running a company, they are unavoidable. <b>Improv teaches us to learn from our mistakes and pivot off of them rather than be paralysed by them<\/b>. It teaches us creative agility, and that is key to innovation.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_6{background-color: #EEEEEE;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>Why is creativity useful in business?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Katy:<\/b> I think creativity is useful regardless of whether that\u2019s your specific role in a company. <b>Being creative means that people are prepared to entertain possibilities<\/b>, they\u2019re ready to take on board someone else\u2019s idea and run with it. A lot of ideas in business are stopped very quickly due to the knee-jerk \u2018no\u2019 reaction to things. <b>Having a much more creative \u2018Yes, and\u2019 improv mindset can lead to some really innovative ideas<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>Monica:<\/b> It would be rare to be in a situation where you are offering a service or a product that other companies are not already offering. So how do you separate yourself from the competition? <b>Creativity allows you to unlock new avenues and approaches so that you\u2019re not simply a rehash of something that already exists<\/b>. Being more creative also puts you in a situation where you are trying new things, fostering a culture of people who are willing to learn and pivot off of new information.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_7{background-color: #FFFFFF;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>Why is empathy important to businesses?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Steve:<\/b> Everyone\u2019s different. If you academically study topics such as motivation in a team and what it is that motivates someone to be in a job, there is no set answer to that. There\u2019s loads of theories but the actual answer is different for every single person. Everyone has a different context and background. <b>If you are able to listen and have empathy with a person, it gives you a greater understanding of where they\u2019re coming from<\/b>. It also means you can pick up on the times when co-workers are telling you one thing but deep down they\u2019re trying to tell you something else. Often buried in a two page email is a message that is difficult to say directly such as \u2018I feel undervalued\u2019. Empathy and real listening allows you to pick up on that.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_8{background-color: #EEEEEE;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>How do the principles of improv make work cultures more inclusive?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Monica:<\/b> First of all, \u2018Yes, and\u2019 requires inclusion to work in the first place! \u2018Yes, and\u2019 means that we are delaying any initial judgement on ideas and instead we accept and build. <b>\u2018Yes, and\u2019 allows us to equal the status of everyone in the room<\/b>, anyone who wants to join in with the process gets to have their say.<\/p>\n<p>Another improv tenant that is valuable for inclusion is listening. <b>If you\u2019re really listening to someone, it makes them feel included<\/b>. To go deeper than that, listening makes sure we are engaging with that person and it means our response will be directly inspired by any communication offers that they are giving us.<\/p>\n<p><b>Listening is also a fantastic tool for countering any preconceptions we have about someone<\/b>. For example, we could look at a person\u2019s background or whatever their job is and jump to conclusions about what they are like and who they are as a person. However if we replace this with active listening and focusing on that person rather than our own preconceptions, it means we no longer make these potentially damaging and incorrect judgements.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_9{background-color: #FFFFFF;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>What is the most common challenge you encounter in corporate workshops?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Katy:<\/b> The most common challenge I encounter is <b>discomfort with failure<\/b>, despite it being necessary to any creative process. While people understand this as a principle, they often have a difficult time embodying it.<\/p>\n<p>I use a series of exercises designed for failure; things that are difficult to do but not of high-importance. We look at the ways in which our bodies and brains react against the discomfort of failure and start to program a healthy relationship with it, replacing fear with enjoyment and acceptance.<\/p>\n<p><b>Steve:<\/b> <b>People feeling safe to share ideas<\/b>. For a lot of people there\u2019s a significant difference between freely saying an idea in your work life and your private life.<\/p>\n<p>Say you\u2019re a couple of beers in with a friend and they say to you, \u201cI\u2019m thinking of doing this with my life\u2026\u201d, you can reply, \u201cLet\u2019s have a chat and bounce ideas around\u201d. It feels like a safe and low risk environment to share a big idea. Whereas in a workplace, it sometimes feels like there\u2019s a risk to saying an idea, due to fear of judgement. There can be a fear of \u201cHow will this affect my career?\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>So in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplabusiness.com\/\"><b>corporate workshops<\/b><\/a> <b>it\u2019s not just about teaching employees to say their ideas, but also about teaching the leaders to create a space where people feel able to share ideas<\/b>. It\u2019s about establishing psychological safety so that you can really hear from each member of the team. When you do that, the risk just goes.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_10{background-color: #EEEEEE;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>What is the most frequent communication mistake in the business world?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Amy:<\/b> I think <b>poor listening is at the root of a lot of mistakes<\/b> and accounts for poor team work and poor team sales. The competitive business environment makes people keen to be the one to be seen as smart, clever, fast, intelligent, alpha or whatever. It often means people predict, or think they know, what you\u2019re saying because they\u2019ve already jumped ahead to their own conclusion while pushing their own agenda. This means you\u2019re not really working together as a group because it\u2019s about what each person wants to say rather than what the group is building.<\/p>\n<p>This was successfully handled in a previous business I worked in where interruptions were really frowned upon. Unfortunately this is not the case in all organisations. A step forward for these companies would be establishing some sort of courtesy where people were able to finish their ideas and thoughts before everyone else jumps in. I\u2019m certainly not saying that every idea we come up with will be perfect but <b>a space in which every idea is welcomed is useful<\/b>. It allows us more choices when sifting through suggestions and we can then pick what fits and what\u2019s relevant to the conversation.<\/p>\n<p><b>Steve:<\/b> If you ever feel angry or upset when something bad has happened at your company, don\u2019t respond via email or text, just speak to them directly. There\u2019s always another side to the story.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes when managing a group of people, you hear rumours that staff aren\u2019t delivering or underperforming. There\u2019s a managerial instinct of wanting to react immediately and fix what that person is doing. In actual fact you need to step back and immerse yourself in that person\u2019s world. They\u2019re usually doing a lot of work that no one even knows about and that they receive no credit for. Speak to them. I know that sounds obvious but after talking the problem always seems less huge.<\/p>\n<p>If I\u2019m going to have a difficult conversation, I use the technique of drawing a stick person of myself, the person I want to talk to, and a third person that I respect and admire. You write what you want to say, such as \u201cI want you to ****ing do this\u201d. Next you imagine the person you want to talk to, try to come at it from their point of view, and write down what you observe from that. Then you move onto the third person and from their perspective you write down how you should have this conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Based on this method you can decide what you\u2019re actually going to say after looking at all three of the different points of view. Sometimes there is a need to assert yourself and be non-negotiable, but at other times you can see things from a different perspective and it will change the way you approach the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>In a nutshell, <b>it comes down to directly talking about any issues, and having empathy<\/b>. For people who are more structural or project driven, it\u2019s a system that forces you to have more compassion and empathy as a leader. For me it helps to have those checkpoints.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_11{background-color: #FFFFFF;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"makechildblue orange-underline\"><strong>What is your favourite improv quote and why?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Katy:<\/b> \u201c<i>Hold on tightly, let go lightly<\/i>\u201d &#8211; Anonymous<\/p>\n<p>In an improv performance this manifests as \u201cI have this amazing idea, I\u2019m going to do it, it\u2019s going to be brilliant.\u201d Then you get on stage and you find that the idea isn\u2019t going to fit with what the other person has said or done. You\u2019ve come on stage with a strong plan but now knowing that it doesn\u2019t fit, you change your attitude to \u201cMy idea no longer works, I\u2019ll just throw it away and instead I\u2019m going to work with what\u2019s in front of me.\u201d I think that works in any team based environment.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re trying to push an agenda; say it\u2019s sales for example, it\u2019s common to go into a meeting with a client and be like \u201cI really want to sell X\u201d. However if they\u2019re telling you the problem for them is a different problem than the one you\u2019ve come in with, then let go of your agenda lightly. <b>Don\u2019t worry about what you came here to sell. Ask yourself: what do they need?<\/b> It might be different from what they wanted but there\u2019s still a client there and they need you.<\/p>\n<p><b>Amy:<\/b> \u201c<i>Make your partner look great<\/i>\u201d &#8211; Patti Styles<\/p>\n<p>What Styles means by that is: <b>improv is a team game, it\u2019s not a competitive sport<\/b>. It\u2019s about making the team look amazing and that means making your team players&#8217; suggestions look brilliant.<\/p>\n<p>What can you add to make the light shine brighter on their idea or suggestion? The focus is on the other person, not yourself. As soon as you take the pressure off yourself and focus on someone else, it means your own performance is likely to be much better too.<\/p>\n<p><b>Susan:<\/b> \u201c<em>Don\u2019t bring a cathedral into a scene, bring a brick and let\u2019s build it together<\/em>\u201d &#8211; Del Close<\/p>\n<p>I love this quote because I think it sums up everything about improvisation. You\u2019re never on your own. <b>You\u2019re always building something together, the responsibility is never on one person<\/b>. So that allows you to take greater risks and the end result will be completely unexpected and way more interesting than if it was just one person.<\/p>\n<p><b>Steve:<\/b> \u201c<i>Accelerate your rate of failure<\/i>\u201d &#8211; Keith Johnstone.<\/p>\n<p>This came from Johnstone\u2019s own observations of becoming better at drawing faces. He initially struggled and after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, he came to the conclusion that he wasn\u2019t very good at it. While working as a school teacher, he observed children drawing faces. Keith noticed that before the children judged their own ability, they would just draw endlessly and keep trying to get better.<\/p>\n<p>Seeing that they were much better at drawing than he was, Keith took on the same attitude as these children. He decided that his goal was to draw a thousand faces. There was a great deal of failure with large peaks and troughs of quality along the way. However, by the time Keith got to a thousand faces, he had become pretty good at drawing.<\/p>\n<p>When I first got into improv I thought I\u2019d apply this same attitude: \u201cI\u2019m not going to do one improv show, I\u2019m going to do a thousand\u201d. It meant that the first dud show I did gave me an attitude of \u201cI learned from this\u201d rather than \u201cThis is game over\u201d. I think this philosophy gives people that same persistence and tenacity.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that you\u2019re not deliberately trying to fail, I think people often misinterpret that point. We\u2019re still trying to put on a good artistic endeavour or trying to run a successful company but you accept the fact that you\u2019re not always going to get it right. Whereas, if we\u2019re too timid we\u2019re not going to grow. <b>If it takes a thousand mistakes to make a good company, you\u2019d better make the first 500 mistakes pretty quickly<\/b>. It\u2019s an iterative process to get things going and it\u2019s quite liberating. It takes the pressure off and it means you can go for it like a legend.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text el_class=&#8221;top-bottom-padder&#8221;]Want to know more about our trainers and their work , read up on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/facilitator-bios\">facilitator bios<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1513269911583{padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner el_class=&#8221;light-testimonial&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1573824139002{padding-top: 60px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}&#8221;]<div id=\"testimonials-slider\" data-options='{\"animation\": \"slide\", \"controlNav\": true}' class=\"flexslider nav-outside \"><ul class=\"slides\"><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">Thanks for the workshop. All the feedback has been extremely positive! The team loved it!<\/p><footer>PR Manager, Comedy Central<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">We walked away with communication techniques that will stick with us for a lifetime.<\/p><footer>Andrew Valencia Yan, Facebook<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">The skills you taught them will give them a real competitive edge in the market place.<\/p><footer>Wendy Maitland, Thomson Reuters<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">Inspiring and hugely relevant to how we work.<\/p><footer>Torvald de Coverly Veale, Director, Boots<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">I\u2019ve used the communication skills learned at Hoopla to attract over $3m in venture capital for my start-up. And had fun doing it!<\/p><footer>Erik Abrahamsson, CEO, Digital Fineprint<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">A smash hit. The feedback has been really amazing.<\/p><footer>Natalie Broom, AMV\/BBDO<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">Improv has helped me to truly listen to what my clients want, understand their problems and then effectively work with others on my team to deliver a concise and consistent message.<\/p><footer>Belton Flournoy, Director, Protiviti<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">My work is about helping clients be more creative and uncover different possibilities and develop them - which improv has really helped with.<\/p><footer>Matt Handley, PWC<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">Improv has supported my listening and support work for people I represent.<\/p><footer>Rachel Cader, English and Media Studies Teacher<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">Improv is a great release to just mess around while building on the communication skills, confidence and self esteem that help me in my day to day job.<\/p><footer>Amy Barstow, Veterinarian<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">Really useful for building self confidence and being able to communicate better with people who I was meeting for the first time.<\/p><footer>Jared Foley, Account Director, Marlin PR<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">Improv helped me have more faith in myself, particularly in meetings with clients or senior stakeholders. I have more confidence that whatever comes out of my mouth will make sense and be of value.<\/p><footer>Kate O\/Connor, Advertising Creative<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><li><blockquote><p class=\"serif\">I think improv makes people kinder to others and themselves. It teaches you to listen, react and support and I think everyone could benefit from more of that individually and collectively.<\/p><footer>Sabrina Luisi, Fundraising<\/footer><\/blockquote><\/li><\/ul><\/div>[\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1575461841903{padding-top: 100px !important;padding-bottom: 100px !important;background: #3a81f7 url(https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/CTA-Bar-Background-Dark-Gradient-4&#215;3.jpg?id=12467) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1571916518716{padding-top: 60px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text el_class=&#8221;makechildwhite orange-underline&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>Want to know more?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1575461757897{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;makechildwhite&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3>Get in touch with us for more information and details on how to book your session.<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDYSUyMGhyZWYlM0QlMjJtYWlsdG8lM0FoZWxsbyU0MGhvb3BsYWJ1c2luZXNzLmNvbSUzRnN1YmplY3QlM0RIb29wbGElMjUyMEJ1c2luZXNzJTI1MjBFbnF1aXJ5JTIyJTIwY2xhc3MlM0QlMjJidG4lMjBidG4tbGlnaHQlMjBidG4td3JhcC1sZyUyMGJ0bi1wYWQlMjIlM0VFbWFpbCUyMFVzJTNDJTJGYSUzRSUwQQ==[\/vc_raw_html][vc_raw_html]JTNDYSUyMGhyZWYlM0QlMjJ0ZWwlM0ElMjAwMjAzOTE2NTA0MiUyMiUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyYnRuJTIwYnRuLWxpZ2h0JTIwYnRuLXBhZCUyMGJ0bi13cmFwLWxnJTIyJTNFQ2FsbCUyMFVzJTNBJTIwMDIwMyUyMDkxNjUlMjAwNDIlM0MlMkZhJTNF[\/vc_raw_html][vc_raw_html]JTNDYSUyMGhyZWYlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRmhvb3BsYWJ1c2luZXNzLmNvbSUyMiUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIyYnRuJTIwYnRuLWxpZ2h0JTIwYnRuLXBhZCUyMGJ0bi13cmFwLWxnJTIyJTNFUmVhZCUyMG1vcmUlMjBhdCUyMG91ciUyMGRlZGljYXRlZCUyMGJ1c2luZXNzJTIwc2l0ZSUzQyUyRmElM0UlMEE=[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row full_width=&#8221;stretch_row_content_no_spaces&#8221;][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1{background-color: #FFFFFF;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;padder&#8221;][vc_column_text] The art of improvisation and the world of business are two things you might not imagine mixing, but investing in learning some key improv skills can be a hugely powerful catalyst for change within businesses. We sat down with some of our best \u2018Improv for Business\u2019 facilitators to unpack the[&#8230;] <\/p>\n<p class=\"mt-15\"><a class=\"small-link upper\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/facilitator-interviews\"><span>Read More<\/span><i class=\"hc-arrow-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":12481,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13798","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How We Use the Principles of Improv with Business Clients | Hoopla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We had a sit down interview with some of our Hoopla Impro Facilitators, asking them about their own experiences in applying improv in the corporate world.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/facilitator-interviews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How We Use the Principles of Improv with Business Clients | Hoopla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We had a sit down interview with some of our Hoopla Impro Facilitators, asking them about their own experiences in applying improv in the corporate world.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hooplaimpro.com\/facilitator-interviews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hoopla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hooplaimpro\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-18T18:31:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" 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