- Get out of our own head, and be present in the moment
- Respond rapidly and appropriately in dynamic situations
- Open up pathways for creativity and innovation
- Get the most from your environment through active listening
- Think on your feet in meetings or when answering unexpected questions
- Collaborate with others for truly shared projects
- Connect with people through storytelling
Become a more agile business leader through improvisation
The tools of improvisation don’t just exist for stage performers: they are equally essential in managerial contexts. The dynamic business environment requires leaders to observe what is happening in the moment, adapt on a dime, and create with whatever is at hand—precisely the same skills used by professional performers.
In this workshop you will learn the tools of effective improvisation, and integrate them into your managerial skill set. Develop a confident, “ready for anything” mindset that helps you find the right action in the moment. Adapt rapidly to changing circumstances. Create innovative ideas on the fly. Communicate compelling narratives, and collaborate constructively with others.
Much of the course will be spent in interactive exercises designed to ignite your ideas and develop your improvisational skills.
Who is this for?
This course is for anyone interested in learning new paths to creativity, effective team building and communicating constructively in the moment.
I thoroughly enjoyed this course. The instructors are refreshing, sincere and skilled at improv. They successfully combined education and entertainment with the exercises and classroom setup.
What you will learn
The course material and instructors were really awesome!
Program content
- Pathways to creativity: connecting with your spontaneity, being creative within the rules
- Building team cohesion: fostering respect, developing a group mindset, playing by the same rules, adapting to change while leading and following, learning to build together, listening for silences and finding the right moment to jump in
- Creative collaboration: creative problem solving, making use of bad ideas, shaping ideas through active listening, bringing creative minds together
- Presence and power dynamic: warming up and owning the room, power dynamics of physical presence and communications, observing and challenging power dynamics
- Storytelling as compelling communication: narrative structures and their functions, becoming inspired to tell a great story, constraint as a springboard to creativity, using storytelling to keep audiences engaged, storytelling with a live audience
Special features
You will hone your improvisational and storytelling skills in interactive exercises geared to a variety of situational contexts. The supportive setting will help you step out of your comfort zone, as you promote your personal and professional growth.
Your instructor
Andrew Chen
Adjunct professor
Andrew is an Adjunct Professor at the Sauder School of Business who specializes in improvisation for leaders and business communications. He is a Canadian Comedy Award Nominated performer and has worked in improvisation since 2003. He has been affiliated with various improv organizations such as the Canadian Improv Games, UBC Improv and Instant Theatre, and has offered improv programs in a professional development context.
Upcoming sessions
Note: participants in this program may qualify for up to $10,000 in funding through the Canada BC Job Grant program. Find out if you qualify.
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Contact a learning advisor for more details.
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Get in touch
604.822.8400 or 1.800.618.3932
exec.ed@sauder.ubc.caVisit our contact page for more information.
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