Chances are, if you’re the one pitching an improv workshop to your team, there’ll be some “I don’t want to look silly” reservations. So it’s an important to remind them that while the workshops are hilarious and fun, they do pack a bunch when it comes to skills training.

The main one being, that no matter how much we might plan ahead, every interaction we have in our life is improvised! And even beyond the ability to adapt in the moment (thinking on your feet) improv training is an essential tool in business, because the core skills of improv apply directly to what teams and leaders need in today’s fast-changing workplaces.

Here are some examples of how it helps:

1. Strengthens communication and active listening

Improv requires you to listen closely so you can respond in real time, and have your response be clearly connected to what they said. In business, this translates to:

• Fewer misunderstandings

• Improved inter-departmental collaboration

• Better client conversations (and conversations in general)

2. Builds adaptability and comfort with uncertainty

Improv scenes change without warning, and you had to be constantly adapting to the world being built around you. Practicing flexible responses helps employees:

• Stay calm under pressure

• Pivot quickly when plans change

• Embrace ambiguity rather than freeze in it

3. Encourages creativity and rapid problem-solving

The “make it up as you go” mindset helps people:

• Generate ideas without self-censoring

• Approach challenges with curiosity rather than fear

• Find unconventional solutions (yeah, improv gets weird)

4. Develops confidence and presence

Having to speak on the spot, without having a speech prepared helps build:

• Executive presence

• Public-speaking skills

• Confidence in high-stakes interactions such as pitches and negotiations

5. Cultivates psychological safety for teams

Improv is built around the concept of “Yes, and…” which is designed to create a culture where:

• People support rather than shut down ideas

• Teams become more cohesive and trusting

• Innovation increases because risk-taking feels safe

6. Enhances empathy and openness to different ways of thinking

Building ideas together makes it so there isn’t one person controlling the story. Which forces you to not only be open to the fact that people think different, but enjoy it. Focusing on others teaches:

• Reading nonverbal signals

• Understanding others’ perspectives

• Responding with empathy in conflict or feedback situations

7. Improves leadership agility

Many Fortune 500 companies practice improv training precisely because leaders learn to:

• Make decisions with imperfect information

• Empower others in shared storytelling (similar to collaborative leadership)

• Model openness and vulnerability

8. Makes skills more likely to stick

Studies show there are tremendous benefits to laughter while learning. Because improv is experiential and playful, participants:

• Retain lessons longer

• Reduce stress and anxiety

• Build stronger team bonds

• Improve morale and engagement

• Have fun!

“In a business world that’s more uncertain than ever it pays to be able to think on your feet. That’s why some business schools are using improvisation classes to teach skills such as creativity and leadership.”

Why using improvisation to teach business skills is no joke. – CNN

“Through improv, we can work on anything from leadership, to influence, to adaptability, to crisis management. We can help people’s communication skills. We can show them how to stay focused, in the present moment, at a very high level.”

Improv comedy and business: Getting to “yes, and.” – Slate

 “In fact, studies have shown that people can improve their communication skills and lower their anxiety with regular practice. Improv’s low-stakes training increases the likelihood that team members will feel comfortable communicating in a variety of work situations.”

Why Improv Training Is Great Business Training – Forbes

“Even if you never make anyone laugh, these techniques can make you more open minded and better at communication and collaboration.”

3 Ways Improv Can Improve Your Career – Fast Company

How Improv Helps Your Business

Fearless Presentations: Learn to Actually Enjoy Public Speaking

How Fortune 500 Companies use improv to build Leadership Skills

How to Measure Success: Listening Skills

How to Measure Success: Confidence

As improvisers, we’re pretty adaptable. 10 works. Hundreds works.

Smaller Groups (30 or less): more group connection as a whole, more likely to participate in performance element.

Larger Groups (60 +): huge energy in the room, exposed to many different ways of thinking.

As always, we’re adaptable. We’ve done quick warm-ups, 1-hour Laugh & Learns, full day events, you name it.

1-hour (or less): fits easier into busy schedules (better for a series), less daunting for those intimidated by the idea of improv, good high energy addition to another event.

2-hour (or more): more time to hone specific skills, more time for the performance element.

We do a lot of 90-min sessions (aka the sweet spot).

Based on the number of people, how long the session is, if it’s part of a workshop series, the location, we’ll work with you to come up with a number. We’ve worked with many blue chip companies, as well as many not-for-profits, so yes, we can adapt to different budgets.

You’re essentially paying for the success rate of the event. And we’re great at what we do.

Yes. In fact, we insist on it. Each workshop focuses on your specific needs/goals, and can even cater to the specific industry.

Well, they all look different based on how long, how many people, the focus, etc. But here’s a rough outline to give you a starting point for discussion.

INTRODUCTION: A quick intro on the idea of “Yes and,” and the benefits of learning/honing this skill.

WARM-UP EXERCISES: A few simple improv games to get people moving their bodies into a sense of play.

SKILL BUILDING EXERCISES: Exercises that directly focus on better team communication, connection, and collaboration (or whatever the team goals are).

PERFORMANCE EXERCISES: Whose Line Is It Anyway?-type games, to put their newly honed improv skills into practice.

Q&A: Throughout the workshop, we’ll discuss the benefits of each exercise, but this is change for any additional questions.

And then, one last, fun, everyone moving together cool-down exercise.

Again, this is a starting point, each workshop is customized based on you & your team’s needs.  

Yes. The ability to improvise is a key communication skill for any and every industry.

Whether they’re funny or not, introverted or extroverts, silly or super serious, our workshops are designed to make everyone feel safe to play. Improv can stretch people’s comfort zones, but we’re vigilant about making sure nobody feels singled out or embarrassed.

It’s not really about being funny, as much as simply using improv games to connect, build ideas, and laugh together.

When my therapist suggested I try an improv class to help with my GAD, I thought it was the worst idea ever! It felt like I’d said, “I’m scared to leave the house and I hate my life,” and he said, “Get on stage and make up jokes in front of an audience.”

So, I just want to make clear that the Improv for Anxiety classes aren’t about being funny (though you can be, and often will be), it’s simply using improv games and exercises to connect with others.

And it’s not just about connection, improv helps with anxiety more than people expect in a bunch of different ways. It trains specific cognitive, emotional, and physiological skills that map directly onto the mechanisms of anxiety. Here’s how:

1. It teaches your brain to tolerate uncertainty

Anxiety often comes from wanting to control outcomes or predict what will happen (to avoid the bad). Improv forces you into situations with no script, which gradually teaches your nervous system:

• “Uncertainty is survivable.”

• “I can handle the unknown.”

• “Unexpected moments can actually be positive.”

Do this enough (repeated exposure) and it lowers your threat response to ambiguity.

2. It interrupts anxious rumination with presence

Improv demands focus on the immediate moment: your scene partner’s words, tone, body language, are all important to what you respond with.

This trains:

• Mindfulness

• Reduced self-monitoring

• Faster recovery from intrusive thoughts

You literally don’t have time to spiral while improvising, because it’s all appening right now.

3. It reframes mistakes as fuel, instead of failure

Anxiety often stems from fear of messing up or being judged. In improv, mistakes are celebrated because they create new possibilities. There’s even an improv saying, “mistakes are gifts.” This thinking builds:

• cognitive flexibility

• self-compassion

• resilience

These directly counter the perfectionistic thinking that fuels anxiety.

4. It strengthens social confidence through safe exposure

If you have social anxiety, or performance anxiety, improv gives you:

• practice speaking spontaneously

• support from a non-judgmental group

• repeated success experiences

• desensitization to being watched

Over time, this rewires the association that people are watching doesn’t mean danger, but that you’re safe.

5. It activates your parasympathetic nervous system

One of the key factors of improv, for me personally, was laughter. I hadn’t laughed in years before I took and class, and it felt nice. Laughter, play, and creative flow produce:

• lowered cortisol

• relaxed muscles and deeper breathing

• increased dopamine and endorphins

This helps your body unlearn chronic fight-or-flight-or-fawn activation.

6. It builds trust in your own thinking

Many people with anxiety doubt their ability to respond “correctly.” Because improv requires instant decision-making, it stops being about doing it right, and just doing it. And by just doing it, you get repeated proof:

• “I can come up with something.”

• “I don’t need a perfect plan.”

• “My instincts are enough.”

This confidence transfers to daily life.

7. It creates a sense of belonging

Anxiety lessens when you feel connected. And yet, anxiety is often what keeps you from connecting  with others. It’s nice to laugh, but even better to laugh with others. Improvers in general are super supportive, great listeners, and pretty funny, which are nice qualities to surround yourself with.

News & Media Interviews

Podcast Interviews

Videos

My Story: How I Got Over My Anxiety

How Does Improv Help with Anxiety?

A 2014 government survey showed that an estimated 3 million Canadians (18+) reported they had a mood and/or anxiety disorder. And those numbers are probably low. When you factor in the stigma of mental health issues, the fact that almost half of people say they’ve never gone to see a doctor about their issues, most people end up suffering alone before admitting what would be perceived as a “weakness.”

While few scientific studies exist, improv and play have been shown to help:

• Relieve stress and anxiety

• Stimulate brain function and boost creativity

• Improve relationships and your connection with others

• Enhance your ability to take risks and try new things

• Relax the body and keep you energized

• Release endorphins (making you feel good) and boost the immune system

Improv is like going to therapy, and having fun at the same time.

Laughter truly is the best medicine.