by Walt Frasier
The problem with a lot of corporate Improv? The focus making us too corporate to the point we are no longer teaching what makes Improv so great for corporate teams, leadership and sales.
The beauty of Improv AS IS, when properly applied Ina safe space, is training folks to better listen, to be more confident (not scared OR egotistical, arrogant etc), to better focus in the moment (not think for the perfect, funny, clever response that is usually quite the opposite) etc etc etc.
Yes, we move way past ZIP ZAP ZUP, but for folks that have never done improv there is a lot of power in ZIP ZAP ZUP when applied properly. Followed by other silly games that simultaneously gamut us out of our head, past the limits of controlled consciousness, to engaging the full body as a powerful computer and creative force.
That’s why in my workshops I start with the basics BUT use these simple level 1 games anyone can play to dig deep, not through lecture, but through experience.
“I take being silly VERY seriously” I often say. I act / think like a 5yo (you know pretty middle school when we learned to fear, hate, judge etc) but superimpose with wisdom, deeper connection of the ancients etc.
The results, EVERYONE gets to laugh. EVERYONE has moments of agency, sometimes for the first time in their lives. Kind of like yoga, or martial arts but tied to language so as we learn to focus, we also learn to think out of the box, in our feet, make eye contact, focused projection and diction, etc etc etc. Simply playing the game develops creativity and critical thinking.
By the end of a 2 hour class, I have a few playing the game, VOICES, possibly the hardest of all short form games. The loom on their faces at times, “YOU WANT US TO DO WHAT?”
But I say what I always say, when I was 5, doing my first piano recital, the teacher says, “What ever you do, don’t stop, don’t make the face”.
When you want to scream WTF!?!?!?! Stay calm on the outside. Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t give up on your team. Don’t give up on the scene. TRUST.
Every time, it’s gold. It’s not ready for prime time, but b they were not looking for a job anyway so who cares. It was entertaining for the players and audience. AND it’s a sign of where you go with improv but also how much more you have to offer the world than you give yourself credit.
Improv, I think more than anything, teaches to know our limits and have the courage to surpass them everyday! But while 1000s of books and lectures talk about, Improv puts all the motivational BS speech into the muscle memory.
Bring your team to Times Square NYC or I travel weekly DC to BOSTON and beyond. Also public classes:
- Tuesdays 8pm Virtual Stand-Up Comedy
- Sundays 12pm Improv Level 1, Jam Session
- Saturdays 12pm Comedy 4 Teens
- Saturdays 10am Comedy 4 Kids
The New York Improv Theater is a one stop edutainment center for corporate team building, office / holiday parties and more. Our comedy shows and workshops deliver high impact results. Clients include Google, Mercedes Benz, META /Facebook, TikTok, JP Morgan Chase, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Twitter, Roblox, Rimowa, EI Digital, Accenture, Datadog HQ, Milbank, BING/Microsoft, Band of America – Merrill Lynch, Home Depot, Ernst & Young, Johnson & Johnson, Louis Vuitton, Coach, UBS, BDO, AMEX, Master Card, Macy’s, 360i, IBM, GM, Kraft, UNILEAVER, HBO, Prudential, Convene, Conference Board and many more…
Walt Frasier international credits include theater, comedy, music and TV (Blacklist, Billions, Blue Bloods, Royal Pains, Letterman, HBO, MTV etc)
Walt Frasier 