About Improv for Communication
Improvising actors understand the pressures of on-demand performance! Telling spontaneous stories for paying audiences builds teamwork, listening, and creativity. And anyone can learn these same skills through improv training. With over 25 years of performing and teaching experience, I’m pleased to be your guide.
Improv communication training is active, engaging, and experiential. No boring PowerPoint slides here! It’s learning with a smile, with immediate and long-lasting results. Through a fun mix of exercises, games, and discussion, you and your team will learn how to:
- collaborate to achieve success (“Yes And”)
- encourage spontaneity and non-judgement of ideas
- develop active listening skills and empathy
- maintain employee wellness through mindful self-awareness
- embrace failure and a growth mindset
- build courage and accept vulnerability
- embody servant leadership (“Follow Your Followers”)
- define your objectives and adjust your communication approach to match
- understand status roles and their effect on team communication
And as you’d expect, improv workshops are adaptable to your group needs. For inspiration, below are some workshops I teach for business teams and students. Contact me today to explore what’s possible and get a quick demonstration of my exercises and teaching. I guarantee you’ll get at least one new tip to boost your team performance.
For Business Teams
“Very insightful, good interaction and very relevant for business executives.”
Andrew M., Toronto
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Pleasantly surprised how useful and connected improv insights are with the business and leadership game. David made for a safe environment.”
Peter D., Toronto
What would it mean to your business if your team worked together just a little more effectively?
Improv encourages engagement, collaboration, and creativity! My workshops bring play and spontaneity to the business environment. I’ll work with you to build a custom curriculum to meet your needs and goals. For inspiration, here are some past offerings that we can expand on:
- Improv for Leaders: Discover the benefits and techniques of servant leadership, understand the role of status in effective communication, and learn how to adjust your approach to match your objectives.
- Coping with Online Communication: With the tremendous increase of remote work and Zoom meetings, communication skills (and workers’ health) are suffering. Using improv, you can learn better ways of working together online.
- Customer Communication: Ideal for customer-facing teams. Improv helps you serve clients by building listening skills, flexibility, and a collaborative mindset.
- Speak Up with Improv: A fun way to learn and step out of your comfort zone. Get more comfortable with public speaking, business presentations, spontaneous creativity, and general communication.
Workshop Details
- Online Workshops are available via Zoom or other online meeting software of your choice.
- My standard business workshop is 2 hours long. I can also put together a customized all-day or multi-day curriculum.
- Ideal group size is 10-15 participants, with no more than 25 recommended. For large groups, I may need to engage additional facilitators.
- Space requirements for in-person workshops: Improv is active. The space you provide needs to be open and able to accommodate the group standing or sitting in a loose circle. Chairs may be used, but there should be room to move them aside for some exercises.
Please contact me for rates, availability, and a demonstration.
For Students & Youth
I teach communication and life skills through a fun mix of improv games, exercises, and discussion. In-person I’ve effectively taught children as young as 8, however the current online learning environment favours older groups aged 12 and up. I customize workshops to the age, needs, and goals of the group.
Through my work with The Second City Education Company, I have trained in workshop delivery specifically for the Ontario English and Drama curriculum. I have also taught a number of specialty student workshops, including:
- Physical Education: Sports team communication, Leadership
- Co-op and Employment Education: Job interview skills, Customer service interaction
- Student Leadership: Communication for college/university residence advisers
- Debate Teams: Improve speaking confidence and present your best argument
Workshop Details
- Online Workshops are available via Zoom or other online meeting software of your choice.
- My standard student and youth workshops are 60-90 minutes long. I can also put together a customized all-day or multi-day curriculum.
- Ideal group size is 10-15 participants, with no more than 25 recommended. For large groups, I may need to engage additional facilitators.
- Space requirements for in-person workshops: Improv is active. The space you provide needs to be open and able to accommodate the group standing or sitting in a loose circle. Chairs may be used, but there should be room to move them aside for some exercises.
Please contact me for rates, availability, and a demonstration.