In the category of “Best Way to Improve Productivity, the nominees are...Mental Health Benefits, Paid Maternity AND Fraternity Leave, Kombucha On Tap, and…INTERACTIVE IMPROV WORKSHOPS!”
If “Improv for Business” were a movie, an endorsement in this article from the NY Times feels like being nominated for an Oscar! And according to this piece, the recognition is well-earned.
“Research has found that improv can improve communication, trust, creativity, listening, empathy and the ability to handle uncertainty.”
Since our early days lifting spirits of those facing Alzheimer’s, Laughter On Call has been committed first and foremost to using laughter to help people feel connected through cognitive decline. In an impulse to keep the lights on during COVID, we created “Lunchtime Laughter” sessions to mitigate feelings of isolation in a global pandemic. I thought the sessions would be for caregivers and people living with dementia. Quickly, perfectly lucid people were showing up to laugh with other people for a morale boost and to feel less alone.
At the time it was clear companies needed support to keep their people feeling connected working from their bedrooms, living rooms or hallways. Helping with isolation? I thought, we know exactly how to do this! Over six hundred corporate clients later, including Microsoft, Amazon, Capital One, and more, Laughter On Call is starting to feel like you like us, you really like us! (Sally Field Oscar Acceptance Speech)
Given the fall out from Covid and consequent changes in work cultures, I am not surprised that more companies are appreciating the specific impact of using Improv-based training. There is a theory I wholeheartedly subscribe to which is if you want people to listen, get them laughing first. But with Improv tools, they are not only laughing, they are learning more effective ways to communicate.
As someone with a background in stand-up, I was surprised to hear some basic Improv principles like “make your partner look good,” active listening and saying “yes…and” to each other’s ideas. Not to throw my fellow stand-ups under the bus, but you definitely get more points for having the quickest come-backs or the most incisive aka cutting comment in the room. Not valuable for creating a work culture where people feel safe to contribute ideas. Nope, Improv wins on all workplace comedy fronts.
I have seen what those quoted in this article experienced firsthand. I’ve also facilitated these outcomes with the help of master Improvisor and former MadTV castmember Lauren Pritchard.
On behalf of Laughter On Call and Improvisors everywhere who are supporting businesses, I would like to humbly accept the cultural “Oscar,” award for ushering in the era of comedy that helps everyone do better, be better and feel better!
