Get your team energised and engaged with the power of improv\u2026<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Breaking the ice at work can be challenging but it is crucial to fostering creativity and collaboration among team members at work. Improvisation exercises offer a fun and effective way to get everyone comfortable, energised, and ready to contribute. Not only that, but they also build essential skills like attentive listening, spontaneity, and better teamwork.<\/p>\n
Here are five improv exercises you can try with your team to break the ice and set the stage for a more productive and dynamic workplace environment!<\/p>\n
Improvisation is based on the \u2018Yes, and<\/b><\/a>\u2019 principle, which is a commitment to build on other people\u2019s ideas<\/b>. In a scene we acknowledge and accept our scene partner\u2019s offers (the \u2018yes\u2019), and then build on that offer with our own addition (the \u2018and\u2019) to propel the scene forward. \u2018Yes, and\u2019 is also a very useful tool in real life \u2013 especially in a setting where you want to generate a lot of ideas, such as a brainstorming meeting<\/b><\/a>. Delaying judgement here can help teams to create an abundance of ideas, and studies have shown that the more ideas you create, the more innovative<\/b><\/a> the solution you eventually choose.<\/p>\n The Exercise:<\/b><\/p>\n In improvisation, being obvious is the best way to be more creative<\/b><\/a>. Letting go of the pressure to be clever or funny frees you up to contribute far more ideas than waiting for \u2018inspiration\u2019 to strike. This helps you be more spontaneous<\/b>. You may think that your suggestion is boring. But your \u2018obvious\u2019 is another person\u2019s genius, because everyone makes different associations. Plus, the creative value of an idea is not just the idea itself, but the place it moves us to.<\/p>\n The Exercise:<\/b><\/p>\n Most of the time in life, we listen to people\u2026 a bit. In improv we encourage attentive listening<\/b>. Which means not only listening to the end of your partner\u2019s sentence, but also taking in their body language, the tone of their voice, and the way they take up space in a room. It means we can then respond to them in the most fully considered way. Being this thoughtful is also a great skill to have at work, because making people feel fully heard<\/b><\/a> also makes them feel valued, which brings out the best in everyone.<\/p>\n The Exercise:<\/b><\/p>\n In improv we practise silencing our inner critic<\/b><\/a> to make more room to play. And a sense of play is the secret to a brilliant creative meeting! By delaying judgement on each other\u2019s ideas we can foster a more encouraging<\/b> and playful <\/b>climate in our team, vital to allowing more innovative ideas <\/b>and solutions to emerge.<\/p>\n The Exercise:<\/b><\/p>\n How many meetings have you sat through that have been lethargic and dull? We can do better than that. Bringing a positive and playful energy is important when you are trying to solve problems together. This can be established by some silly warm-up exercises that get everyone moving. Here\u2019s one that sounds mad but is great fun. Thank us later!<\/p>\n The Exercise:<\/b><\/p>\n Want more tips like these? Check out Company Director and Co-Founder of <\/b>Hoopla Business<\/b><\/a>, Max Dickins\u2019, book, \u2018<\/b>Improvise! Use the Secrets of Improv to Achieve Extraordinary Results at Work<\/i><\/b><\/a>\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Want to book us to help you break the ice at your next conference or event?<\/b><\/p>\n Email us<\/b> or give us a call<\/b> now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29156,"template":"","format":"standard","class_list":["post-29155","resource","type-resource","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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Key Takeaways<\/b><\/h3>\n
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